Pool Turnover Rate Calculator – Optimize Water Circulation

Last updated: 16 Feb 2025 | Author: Brij | Review By: Irshad

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Enter your pool volume and flow rate to determine how long it takes to completely filter the pool water.

Pool Volume:

Flow Rate:

Result

Turnover Rate:

Calculating Pool Turnover Rate

All of these factors depend on:

Pool Volume –_total amount of water in the pool (in gallons or liters).
Flow Rate – How much the pool pump circulates water per minute (gpm and/or lpm).

Step 1: Calculate the Pool Turnover Time

The turnover time: this is calculated by dividing the total pool volume by the pump’s flow rate.

Formula (in Hours):

$\text{Turnover Time (hours)} = \frac{\text{Pool Volume (gallons)}}{\text{Flow Rate (gallons per minute)} \times 60}$

Step 2: Required Turnovers per Day

For good filtration, most pools need to circulate their entire volume of water to the filter at least every 6-8 hours. The recommended turnover frequency per day is:

Formula:

$\text{Turnovers per Day} = \frac{24}{\text{Turnover Time (hours)}}$

Step 3: Then, determine if your turnover rate is pool standard.

Residential pools: 1 turnover / 8 hours (3 times per day)
Commercial swimming pools: 1 turnover every 6 hours (4 times each day)
Hot tubs/spas: 1 turnover every 30 minutes to 1 hour

If the turnover time is greater than the recommended, then you would need to either increase your flow rate through the pump or increase the amount of time the pump runs.