Swimming Pool Pumps

The Horse Power of Swimming Pool Pumps
The three best manufacturers of swimming 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.

• To figure out the amount of gallons in your pool use this calculator
• A good rule of thumb is you should be able to clear your swimming pool in an 8 hour period of time. Take the number of gallons and divide that by 8.

Ideal Gallons Per Hour (GPH) = Gallons of pool water / 8

• Next take the GPH and divide that by 60

Ideal GPM = GPH / 60

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. This 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.