How long should you run your pool pump in Florida?

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The rule of thumb you'll hear everywhere is "one full turnover a day" — running the pump long enough to filter your pool's entire volume once. In Southwest Florida, where the water sits at bathwater temperatures half the year, we plan around the season instead:

The short answer

• Summer (May–October): 8–10 hours a day. Warm water plus long daylight is algae's favorite weather; circulation and constant filtration are your defense.
• Winter (November–April): 5–6 hours is usually plenty. Cooler water slows algae way down.
• Run it during daylight — that's when the sun is eating your chlorine and algae is photosynthesizing. If you have a salt system, daytime running is also when your cell should be generating.

Single-speed vs. variable-speed

If your pump is an older single-speed, those hours get expensive — they draw full power every minute they run. A variable-speed pump changes the math completely: run it longer at low speed and it filters more water for less money. Many of our customers run VS pumps 10–12 hours on low and still cut their pool's power use by half or more. Florida utilities periodically offer rebates on the upgrade, and it typically pays for itself in a couple of years.

Signs your run time is too short

• Water looks fine in the morning, dull or hazy by late afternoon
• Algae keeps appearing in the same dead spots (steps, corners, behind ladders)
• Chlorine readings swing wildly between visits

Set-and-verify beats set-and-forget

Timers drift, storms knock schedules out, and season changes get forgotten. On weekly service we check that the pump schedule matches the season — one of those small things that quietly prevents most green-pool phone calls.