Not sure? Volume calculator.
From the pump curve at your system's head
One full turnover
5 hr
Recommended daily run time
7 hr 30 min
How it works
“Turnover” is the time it takes your pump to push the entire pool volume through the filter once:
Turnover (hours) = pool volume ÷ (flow rate in GPM × 60)
Most residential pools want roughly 1.5 to 2 turnovers a day — enough to filter the water and distribute chemicals, without running the pump around the clock. A 15,000-gallon pool with a 50 GPM flow rate turns over in 5 hours, so 1.5 turnovers is about 7.5 hours of run time a day.
Finding your flow rate
Flow rate isn't the pump's horsepower — it's the gallons per minute it actually moves against your plumbing's resistance (total dynamic head). Read it from the pump's flow curve for your head, or estimate it from the filter's rated GPM. When in doubt, a single-speed residential pump commonly moves 40–80 GPM; use the low end if your runs are long or the filter is due for a clean.
On a service route
Pump run time is one of the first things to check on a pool that won't hold chlorine or keeps going cloudy — undersized run time starves the water of circulation no amount of chemical fixes. It's worth noting on the customer's equipment record alongside the filter and pump details. Tadpole keeps equipment and service notes per pool.
