The
Horse Power of Inground Pool Pumps
The three best manufacturers of pool pumps are Hayward, Pentair,
and Sta-Rite. Each manufacturer sells different models of pumps.
These models range in performance, and are rated by their Horse
Power (HP). There are two important factors when trying to figure
out which HP pump, the gallons per minute (GPM) and the Amount
of head in feet. In order to figure out what ideal GPM you need
for your pool pump follow these steps.
Now that
you have the ideal GPM you need to figure out the Feet of head
of your pump. A good estimate is to take the amount of feet
from where your suction lines are (skimmers or main drain) back
to where your pump will be located. The total amount of return
piping should give you a good idea on how many feet of head
your pump will have.
Many of
the Swimming pool pumps will have charts showing the Horse Power
of each pump. These charts are usually shown with the GPM vs.
The Feet of Head.
For
example, if you have a 20,000 Gallon pool.
GPH
= 20,000
/ 8 = 2,500
GPM
= 2,500 / 60 = 41.7
Now
that you have your GPM, we need to make a couple more assumptions.
Let's say you choose the popular Hayward Super Pump and you
have found your total return piping to be a total of 30 feet.
N ext look at the chart listed on Hayward Super pump description
page (see below)
Click here for the Hayward Super Pump description page
|
|
Pump
Output (GPM) vs. Total Resistance To Flow (Feet of Head)
|
|
Model
No. Max Rated |
20
ft |
30
ft |
40
ft |
50
ft |
60
ft |
70
ft |
|
SP2600X5
|
55
|
45
|
29
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
|
SP2605X7
|
67
|
58
|
47
|
31
|
--
|
--
|
|
SP2607X10
|
85
|
76
|
65
|
50
|
27
|
--
|
|
SP2610X15
|
97
|
90
|
80
|
67
|
50
|
10
|
|
SP2615X20
|
116
|
111
|
99
|
85
|
70
|
51
|
|
SP2621X25
|
109
|
109
|
104
|
95
|
84
|
69
|
With 30
feet of head and 46.7 GPH we would use the SP2605X7 (always
go to the higher size GPH, 58 in the example). The SP2605X7
is a 3/4 HP pump.
The
Size of Inground Filters
The
most important factor of the size of the Swimming Pool Filter
is the GPM your Pool Pump produces. Filters have a designed
flow rate. This designed flow rate should be higher than the
size of your GPM your pool pump produces.
In the example above we were using the Hayward Super pump that
produces a 58 GPM at 30 feet of Head. If we were to choose the
Hayward Star Clear Plus as our choosen filter we would use the
chart found on the desription page
Click here for the
Star Clear Plus description page.
Performance
Data--Residential
| |
Turnover
(In Gallons) |
| Model
Number |
Effective
Filtration Area |
Design
Flow Rate* |
8
Hours |
10
Hours |
| C7512 |
75
ft2 |
75
GPM |
36,000 |
45,000 |
| C9002 |
90
ft2 |
90
GPM |
43,200 |
54,000 |
| C12002 |
120
ft2 |
120
GPM |
57,600 |
72,000 |
| C17502 |
175
ft2 |
120
GPM |
57,600 |
72,000 |
The
size of the filter that could handle the 58 GPM Super Pump would
be the C7512.
The
Size of the Above Ground Pump and Filter System
The
size of your system is mostly determined on the size of your
above ground pool. The gallons found inside your pool will give
you the horse power needed for your pump. A simple rule to follow
is you should be able to clear all of the gallons of your pool
in an 8 hour period of time. You can use the following as a
guideline.
• Above Ground Pool up to 24 Ft. Round = 1 HP pump
• Above Ground Pool over 24 Ft. Round = 1 ½ HP
pump