What Does a Pool Pump Do?
The purpose of a pool pump is to cultivate the flow of water that is needed to circulate chemicals evenly throughout the pool in order to effectively sanitise the water. Pool pumps enable swimming pool water to enter the filter, heater, and chlorinator so that it can be filtered, heated, and sanitised before it flows back into the pool.
Pool Pump Features to Look For
Inground or Above Ground
Although above-ground and inground pool pump designs usually are interchangeable, rather determine what type of pool pump is best designed to fit your type of swimming pool.
Pump Housing Mount
When it comes to the pump housing mount, you can either go for a top mount or a side mount. This refers to the placement of the pool pump’s output (which leads into the filter). If your filter’s intake is located above the pump, you need a top mount. If the filter intake is positioned next to the pump, you need a side mount. It is important to first establish your filter’s intake position prior to buying a pool pump so that you know which housing mount to opt for.Â
Kilowatts (kW)
The more kilowatts your pool pump has, the more powerful it is. More kilowatts usually also means that the water turnover rate will be faster. This allows you to run it less often and for shorter periods of time. The size of your filter and the filtration system’s pipes needs to be taken into consideration as well. For example, if a pump has too much kilowatt power it can overwhelm a small filter. You have to choose a pump that won’t overwhelm your filtration system but still provides sufficient kilowatts to turn over your pool’s volume at an acceptable rate.
Recommended pumps if you are environmentally cautious or want to save energy:Â
Speck Pumps - Badu Eco Combi Pro-3 | Variable Speed Pump
Speck Badu Eco Touch 16 230V | Electricity smart variable speed swimming pool pump
Speck Badu high flowrate swimming pump Model: Galaxy 230V
Pump Motor Voltage
Before you buy a pump for your pool, you need to consider if your pump needs to be hardwired into your electrical system or if it requires an outlet to plug into. Another thing to determine is whether the pump runs on 110 volts or 220 volts. The general above-ground pool requires a 110-volt pump. But if you have an inground pool, you will need to determine what voltage you’re working with.
The current most popular swimming pool pumps in South Africa - Quality Superflo  and Quality Superflo2 - run on 220 volts.Â
Important Questions To Consider Before Buying A Pool Pump
How much water is in your pool?
The first calculation that plays a role in what type of pool pump you should get, is to determine how much water is in your pool. The equation might vary based on different pool shapes and sizes.Â
Follow one of the following examples, based on the shape of your pool (all calculations in cm):
- Rectangular pool: Litres = Length x Average Width x Average Depth, all divided by 1000.
- Circular pool: Litres = Radius Squared x 3.14 x Average Depth, all divided by 1000.
- Oval pool: Litres = Longest diameter x Shortest diameter x 3.14 x Average depth, all divided by 1000.
- Kidney-shaped pool: Litres = (Longest width + Shortest width) x Length x 0.45 x Average depth, all divided by 1000.
Note: To determine the average depth of your pool, add the depth of the deep end to the depth of the shallow end and divide it by 2.
Recommended pump for small pools (15000 - 55000 litres)Â
Recommended pump for hotel pools, pool attractions, massage baths or public pools
Recommended pump for industrial, farming and swimming pool applicationsÂ
Is your pool pump the right size for your filter?
To transport water from the pump to the filter, the pool pump and pool filter need to work together. This means that if your pool filter is too small and struggles to keep up with how much water is flowing through an oversize pump, the water flow will start to back up. This quickly wears out the pump motor by putting too much pressure on it.
To prevent this situation, ensure that the GPM for the pump does not exceed the filter’s max flow rate. Many pool owners rather buy an oversize filter not to suffer the risk of having a filter that’s too small for their pump.
Are your pipes the right size for your pool pump?
The pipe size connected to the pump will ultimately determine the rate water can flow through it, regardless of the LPM (Litres per minute) your pump is designed to handle.Â
People also ask:
How fast should my pool pump filter water?
Once you have calculated the number of litres in your pool, divide that number by 8 to determine how many litres per hour (LPH) your pool pump should filter. To convert your LPH number to litres per minute (LPM), divide it by 60.