1.)         You can find another pool man, and then fire him because your pool is always green, your water cloudy, your kids have pink eye, … or ...

2.)         You can let me run the pool twice as long at night as it would have needed during the day because:

a.)         All algae grows during the day.

b.)         You need more chlorine circulated  in your pool during the day to kill the algae that is growing, and treat all of the byproducts of swimming that cause nasty things to grow, ...

c.)         Most of your dust storms, rain storms, … happen in the evening at the end of the day, and if it isn’t filtered out as it comes in, it leaves a breeding ground for all kinds of nasty things.

d.)         If you are going to swim, most of the time that is going to be during daylight hours, and if so, it is hotter, so you perspire more, and put more waste products into your pool which cause algae, bacteria growth, …

e.)         And, even if we do run your equipment “all night” to keep your pool clear, we may still have to run it a couple of hours during the day to keep it clear. We will have to try it and see.

3.)         You can just trust that I know what I am doing, or you can trust the pamphlet from utility companies like SRP that read: “If you want to do what’s best for your pool, you will need to run it during the day. If you want to do what’s best for your electric bill, run your equipment at night.”. Even your electric companies knows what’s best for your pool, and they will tell you in their literature.

4.)         Since I will not be able to keep your pool clean on once a week pool service, we can go to twice a week service at double the cost of current service because even then I will have to fight it.

Proper Equipment Operation Times:

1.) You need to run your Equipment Long Enough:

        a.) Base (Minimum) Times (Phoenix Area) (Note: You will add more (Minimum) time based on the situations listed below.) 

                A.) Summer - 6 Hrs./day Play Pool, 8 Hrs./day Diving Pool

                B.) Winter - 4 Hrs./day Play Pool, 6 Hrs./day Diving Pool

        b.)  Add 25-45% to your base times for a Floor Head or Suction Side Cleaning System (Note: Even with a Separate Floor Head Pump, you are still mixing clean and dirty water resulting in longer times to get the same filtration.) (Click HERE for more information)

        c.) Add 25% to your time for a Sand Filter (Because Sand filters only filter down to 30-40 Micron Particles, they require longer hours to stay even with dirt, debris and bather loads. (Click HERE for more information.)

        d.) Add 25%-75% to your time for having a Cartridge filter ( If your elements have not been cleaned in the last 2 months, and have not been replaced in the last year to year and a half (Phoenix area), chances are that your flow is restricted enough, or that the filter is bypassing enough, that you need AT LEAST this much extra time. If it has gone much past these times, chances are you are wasting your time running any equipment at all, as your elements are probably lifting up and the dirty water is going back into the pool without any filtration at all. Please read the information under "New Pool or Equipment Replacement Recommendations" - "Filters") (Click HERE for more information.)

        e.) Add 25% if you have an In-Line Chlorination System (In deck chlorinator, salt chlorine generator, Stand alone chlorine feeder, ...)(See "Water Chemistry" in this section)  (Click HERE for more information.)

        f.) Add 25% if you have High Debris or bather Loads (People, Dogs, ducks, ...)  (Click HERE for more information.)

        g.)  If you have any of the characteristics listed in the next section add a minimum of 25% to your operation times. If your water still doesn't stay clear increase it another 10-20%

2.) You need to Run Your Equipment at the Proper Times:

     c.) In the summer, if the Sun is on your pool, the equipment should be on.

Note: I am aware of the fact that many of us are on "Budget" plans from our electric companies. The electric companies even admit, in writing, “If you want what's best for your electric bill, because you have to stay on a budget plan, run your equipment at night. If you want what's best for your pool, run your equipment during the day.”.

        Not running your equipment AT THE PROPER TIMES, can, in some instances, be overcome by increasing the total operation time when you do run it, by a minimum of 25%. Keep in mind that some people have found that it requires up to 60%, or even 100% longer operation times to keep the same water clarity as running it during the day, and that not running their equipment during the proper times usually costs up to 30%, or more in chemical costs as well. You may see an increase in your pool service costs. If my costs go up, so do yours.

           Yes, I know all about the guy who has the perfect pool, only runs his equipment an hour a day, hasn't drained his pool in 15 years, has never changed the oil in his car that has 200,000 miles on it, has never been to see a doctor or a dentist, has 450,000 miles on his truck, and has never done an oil change on it either, and gets 85 mpg on his V8 Suburban, ... but you aren't him, and neither am I. Yes, your numbers may differ on the low side, or high side. The numbers here are averages.

Note 2: I have diving pools with sand filters, suction side cleaners, AND FLOOR HEADS , and who run their equipment only at night, that need 14 hour operation times to stay clear, and still struggle with it. I have one pool with this setup that needs 18 hours a day MINIMUM, and certain times a year needs 24 hours a day to stay clear, in the middle of the summer during dust storm season. Yes, this is a weird situation, a pool 3 times the size of most, with only floor heads and no return lines, ... but he has had almost a dozen pool men who quit because they couldn't figure it out, and I have kept it perfectly clear for 4 years straight. That said, "most pools", when we switched the operating times from night to 8 hours from 11 am to 7 pm, the pool stayed clear, and the chemical costs dropped. As with the extreme exception just mentioned, YOUR TIMES MAY VARY. You might only need 4 hours. As listed, you might need 24 hours. Every pool is different.