4 Things to Know About Running Your Pool Pump in Winter

Run the pump about half as long in winter as in summer In summer, you need 8–10 hours of pump runtime to filter the pool once or twice a day. In winter, 4 hours is usually enough to keep water moving and prevent stagnation.

Cooler water means less algae growth Heat and sunlight fuel algae in summer. Winter’s lower temperatures slow growth, so you don’t need as much circulation to keep the water clear.

If you’re not swimming, you need even less circulation Without swimmers adding debris and body oils, the pump’s main job is just to prevent stagnant spots. 4 hours a day handles that.

Freezing climates are an exception If your area freezes, run the pump in short bursts to keep pipes from icing. That’s a different problem than algae control, so don’t blindly cut runtime in half.