CIRCULATION PUMP(S)

Similar to your heart, a pool pump moves the water through the filtration system. If you turn off the pump, you stop the heart. A pool pump is often considered a "stealth energy user" by power companies and a poor designed or maintained system can waste large amounts of money.

CIRCULATION PUMP FAQS

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF POOL PUMPS?

Pool pumps come in several types from circulation to water feature specific and other specialty types. We are going to focus specifically on the circulation type.

HOW DO I KNOW WHAT PUMP IS RIGHT FOR MY POOL?

There are a tremendous amount of variables when dealing with inground pumps.
Filter type and size, plumbing type and size, head pressure and other factors determine the best answer for your particular pool.
Anyone that says "you need (this type) or (this size) pump" without knowing those factors is not making an intelligent decision.
Often we cannot tell you in advance of a pool build, what we will install on your particular job because we don't know the answer to those questions yet.

SINGLE SPEED, DUAL SPEED, VARIABLE SPEED?

The short answer is that in almost all cases a variable speed pump will save you money.
This type of pump generally lasts longer as well.

BIGGER IS BETTER, RIGHT?

Bigger is more expensive for sure. Whether its better is another issue.

Increasing the size of a circulation pump without regard to filter and plumbing size will always cost more than just the price difference between two pumps.

The larger horse power a pump is, the more water it moves generally. However, the pump must be matched to the filter and plumbing as not to over work all three.

It does you little good to purchase a pump that can push 100 gallons of water per minute if your filter is only capable of 75 gpm. A few things you will accomplish are:

Over pressurizing the system causing the pump to work harder. This will cost more in energy to operate.
Over pressurizing also shortens the life of the filter and plumbing.
Attempting to push more water through a filter than it can handle also drives dirt deeper into the filter media making it much harder to clean the filter eventually resulting in the opposite of your goal. The pool will actually become dirtier.