How Long Should an Automatic Pool Cleaner Run

Automatic pool cleaners are a great investment for a backyard swimming pool. They operate within the normal pool filter cycle and vacuum or clean the debris from the bottom of the pool. Different models of automatic pool cleaners have different run time requirements. Many pool owners never make adjustment to the amount of time the cleaner runs each day, just leaving it set on the same time that was originally setup by the pool installation company or just setting the timer once themselves and never adjusting it. But paying some attention to how long the automatic pool cleaner runs each day and making adjustments throughout the year can help save money on the energy bill.

Pool Cleaners WITHOUT a Booster Pump - if your pool cleaner doesn't use an independent booster pump to propel the cleaner through the pool, it will always run the same length of time as the main pool filter and there isn't any way to adjust the daily run time independently. So there isn't really a choice with these types of cleaners, but there aren't any additional costs to run them. Some of the more popular pool cleaners that run without a booster pump are:

Polaris 360 Pool Cleaner
Hayward Navigator
Hayward Pool Vac
Pentair Kreepy Krauly

Pool Cleaners WITH a Booster Pump - if your pool cleaner operates using an independent booster pump to move it through the pool, it will be set up on a separate timer. As a rule of thumb, this timer should always be set to run while the main pool pump is on and never while the main pump is not running. Some of the more popular pool cleaners that require a booster pump are:

Polaris 280 Pool Cleaner
Polaris 380 Pool Cleaner
Polaris 480 Pool Cleaner
Pentair Kreepy Krauly Legend
Pentair Letro Legend II

The run time required for these automatic pool cleaners to sufficiently clean the pool will vary depending on the size and the surrounding environment of the swimming pool. The most cost effective way to use these cleaners is to run them the minimum amount of time necessary to keep the pool clean. This will require getting to know your pool and learning how long it needs to run throughout the different seasons of the year. Once you understand how much debris gets in the pool during the year, you will know how long the automatic pool cleaner needs to run and when timer adjustments need to be made.

It's a good idea to run the cleaner a minimum of one hour each day. This will keep the small debris vacuumed from the bottom and sides of the pool. But during many months of the year, that one hour each day may just be enough to do the job. During spring and fall when the trees are changing and the wind is blowing, run time may need to be increased to three or four hours to keep the pool clean. Learning how long the automatic pool cleaner should run throughout the year can translate into lower energy bills.

 

 

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