In 1977, the National Sanitation Foundation published a standard for commercial pools to turn over water every eight hours. This standard was determined to be the requisite amount of time to filter out contaminants and safely sanitize the pool.
However, these tests were done without the aid of automatic cleaners.
“Everyone is saying run your pump eight hours a day,” says Deon Nesson, owner of All Clear Pool & Spa in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. “But if the pool only needs four hours, why are we running it eight?”
Nesson is unsure if the tests will be re-evaluated because there isn’t a manufacturing incentive behind that kind of initiative. But longer turnover cycles for pools with automatic cleaning systems, no matter what the type, could make a significant impact on energy consumption.
“No one would have to buy new products,” Nesson says. “If that statement was changed, look at the energy savings across the board.”
