Pool Turnover Rate
Calculate how long it takes to filter all the water in your pool.
What is Turnover Rate?
The Turnover Rate is the amount of time (in hours) it takes for your pump system to filter a volume of water equal to your entire pool capacity. For example, if your pool is 20,000 gallons, one turnover is complete when 20,000 gallons have passed through the filter.
Recommended Targets
Industry standards (ANSI/APSP) generally recommend a minimum of one turnover every 12 hours for residential pools, though 8-10 hours is ideal for keeping water sparkling clean during peak summer usage.
Above-Ground Pool Pump
High performance pump.
Filtration Effectiveness
Swimming pool water is constantly mixing. One turnover filters only ~63% of the water. Two turnovers filter ~86%. You need nearly four full turnovers to filter 98% of the water. This is why running pumps 24/7 at low speeds is often superior.
Why It Matters
Without sufficient turnover, contaminants build up faster than they are removed. This leads to cloudy water, higher chlorine demand, and dangerous algae blooms that are difficult to treat.
Sand Pool Filter
24" In-Ground Sand Filter.
Commercial Standards
Public and commercial pools are held to much stricter standards due to high bather loads. They often require 4-hour turnovers (6x per day) to prevent disease transmission.
Contamination Load
Debris from trees, dust storms, and heavy swimmer usage all increase the "load" on your water. During these times, you should increase your pump runtime to achieve more turnovers per day.
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