Guide To Pool Heating

Page 49 of 51

CALCULATING THE POOL’S TURNOVER RATE

This is the time (in hours) that is required to filter the entire

volume of water in the pool.

FORMULA:

TURNOVER RATE IN HOURS = POOL GALLONS
PIPE FLOW X 60

EXAMPLE:

25,000 GALLON POOL WITH 1 - 1/2” PIPE

25,000 GALLONS= 9.47 HOURS
44 X 60

NOTES:

1. Obtain maximum pipe flow rate frompreceding table. For 1 - 1/2” pipe, this number is 44
gallons per minute.

2. The factor 60 is the number of minutes in an hour. This converts the rate in minutes to an
hourly figure.

3. If you are experiencing difficulty keeping your pool clean, it may be an indication that your
turnover rate is too high. Or, that your pool’s pump and/or filter are too small. You can check the
proper sizing of the pump and filter equipment with the preceding sizing charts.

4. If you add a solar panel system or the SolarAttic Pool Heater (PCS1) to your pool, in most
instances, it will not affect the performance of your pool. Pool pumps that are sized properly are
capable of handling the additional vertical lift (head in feet) that a solar system places on the pool’s
filtration pump. However, if your pump was marginally sized to begin with, you may have to
increase the size of the pump by 1/2 horsepower.

5. An exception to #4 exists when extraordinary lengths or heights (over 250 ft round trip) are
involved in getting the pool’s water to/from the solar system. In this case, you need to check the
“performance curve” for your specific pump.

6. A one (1) horsepower pump can usually handle a 250 feet round trip with a vertical lift of 20-30
feet. You can be absolutely sure of this by checking your own pump’s performance curves.