How long should a pool pump run in Florida?

Enough to turn the pool over at least once a day, which for most pools here is about 8 to 12 hours in summer and 6 to 8 in winter. Turnover means pushing a volume of water equal to the whole pool through the filter.

The exact number depends on the pool and the pump, which is why turnover is a better target than a fixed number of hours.

Toward the top of the range, 10 to 12 hours, and longer after storms. Summer is when the sun burns chlorine fastest, the water is warmest and the afternoon rain keeps washing debris in, so algae has every advantage. Circulation is part of how you take that away.

About 6 to 8 hours is usually enough, because cooler water grows algae more slowly. Do not turn it off for the season. A Florida pool still needs filtering in January.

On the rare nights a hard freeze is forecast, running the pump overnight keeps water moving through the pipes and equipment so it cannot freeze in them.

Turnover is the time it takes the pump to move the whole pool's volume through the filter. Divide the pool's gallons by the pump's flow in gallons per minute and you get the minutes it takes.

It matters because chlorine only works where it reaches, and the filter only catches what gets to it. A pool that never fully turns over has corners that stay a little warmer, a little dirtier and a little lower in chlorine, and that is where algae starts. Pump hours are only half of it, though. The filter has to be clean and the chlorine has to be there too, and our weekly pool service takes care of both every week, with every chemical included.

Mostly during the day, when the sun and heat are working against the chlorine and algae grows fastest. The exception is a shock night: shock after dark and run the pump overnight so the chlorine gets spread through the water while the sun is down.

Usually a lot. Pump power drops steeply with speed: according to ENERGY STAR, running at half speed uses about one eighth as much energy. So a variable speed pump running longer at a low speed moves the same water for far less power than a single speed pump blasting for fewer hours.

If you have one, the low speed setting is where it should spend most of the day, with a higher speed for a short spell when the pool needs vacuuming or a big push of filtration.

Not as far as the water is concerned. The only costs are electricity and wear on the motor. Running it around the clock is exactly right when you are clearing a green or cloudy pool, and wasteful the rest of the time.