Well pumps are not designed to run forever. However, managing it well will help it last longer. If you wish to fill your pool with well water, taking your pump’s lifespan into consideration is crucial.
If your well pump runs continuously for a very long time, it might break down, especially if the well dries out. But as long as there is water in the well, your well pump can run for about 6–8 hours per day.
However, you need to ask those who installed the pump for you. Not every pump has the capacity to run for a very long time. So, the people that installed it are in the right position to give you a direct answer.
Nonetheless, you don’t need to overwork your well pump. You can spread the work on different days. Trying to fill the pool at once will affect the well pump.
How long can a well pump run continuously?
As mentioned above, you can continuously run your well pump for up to 8 hours. Some pumps can run more than that. But before you run your pump for a very long time, be sure that it can do that without burning.
Also, make sure your well doesn’t run dry. If your well runs dry, the pump will heat up, and possibly burn. Another thing you have to avoid doing is filling your pool with well water overnight.
You have to be present and monitor everything. If you don’t monitor the progress, things might spoil. Always check the water level in your well.
Running it for a few hours per day is advisable. Your pool must not be filled in one day. You can run it for 5 to 8 hours each day until it gets filled up.
So, if you are wondering whether it’s bad for a well pump to run continuously, it’s not bad. But you have to take note of the points we highlighted above.
Is it OK to fill a pool with well water?
If filling your pool with well water is the best option for you due to cost, it is not a bad idea. It is OK to fill your pool with well water, but only if you can tackle the challenges involved.
It is not easy to fill a pool with water from your well. First, the process is not fast. So, you have to run your well pump for several hours or days before the pool can be filled. This poses the risk of burning your well pump.
The pump can easily break down due to the heavy workload. Moreover, the well could dry out if you did not monitor its progress. When you consider these challenges, you will realize that it’s a bit risky to do.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t take up the challenge. A lot of people fill their pools with well water and they are OK with it. So, anyone can do it. It only requires proper management: make sure the pump doesn’t burn out and the well doesn’t dry out.
Another challenge with well water is that there could be a lot of bacteria and other contaminants to deal with. Usually, well water contains dissolved elements like metallic compounds that could affect the pool water disinfectant.
So, if you are using well water, make sure that the water is well treated and shocked to prevent bacterial infection.
Can you run a well dry filling a pool?
Yes, your well can run dry while you are using it to fill your pool. And once it runs dry, it can affect the well pump. It can easily heat up and burn out.
That’s why it’s advisable to always monitor the progress to prevent burnout. Also, you can prevent it from drying out by not running the pump for a long time.
If you try to fill your pool in a day, the well might not be able to serve you. But if you do it for a few hours each day, it will allow the well to refill before the next day.
So, allowing your well to refill will help to prevent it from drying out.
Will I burn out my well pump filling my pool?
Your well pump can burn out while using it to fill your pool. However, you can prevent that from happening. What mostly causes well pumps to burn out is the drying of the well.
If you can prevent your well from drying out while filling your pool, you won’t have any issues with your pump burning out.
But, you must make sure that you don’t overuse the pump. It can still break down due to the heavy workload. So, use it for some hours and allow it for another day while the well refills as well.
If you can’t monitor the progress of the process, you can use dry well protection. That will help protect your pump from burnout when the well dries out.
Can well water make your pool green?
Well water usually contains trace elements like dissolved metals. The most common metals found in well water are iron and copper.
If there is a high accumulation of these metals, they can make your pool water turn green or brown. Copper metal is responsible for turning pool water green while iron turns pool water brown.
Well water with copper will turn your pool green when shocked with chlorine. The chlorine reacts with copper to form copper chloride which causes the green coloration in the pool.
Moreover, well water is usually contaminated with bacteria and other microbes and debris. If you fill your pool with well water without treating or shocking it, it results in algae blooms.
If you have read our previous posts, you will understand that algae is the major cause of green pools. Your pool turns green once green algae invades it.
So, yes, well water can make your pool turn green.
How do you treat a pool with well water?
If you know how to shock a pool, treating the water in your pool shouldn’t be a problem.
Whether the water is from a well or not, as long as there are contaminants in the water, you need to shock it. Shock treatment helps you remove contaminants such as bacteria.
Once you shock the water, add the chlorine sanitizer to maintain the disinfectant level in the pool.
But if the pool water turns brown or green after the shock, you might need to test the water. Pool water usually contains iron and copper. If the water contains iron or copper, it will make your pool turn brown or green when shocked.
If any of the metals are present in the water, the next action is to find a way to remove them. This previous post talks about muriatic acid and iron. There are special chemicals you can use to remove the metals.
So, don’t use muriatic acid unless you wish to adjust the pH of the pool. Also, you can naturally remove the metal from the pool without adding chemicals. Find the details in the link above.
What is the best way to fill up a pool?
The easiest way to fill a pool is by using the local water supply. All you need to do is connect your garden hose and allow the water to flow until the pool is filled up.
But don’t forget, as stated in this particular post, using city water is more expensive than other methods. So, if you are just filling your above-ground pool for the first time, you need to read the post for more details.
Moreover, it is not as fast as using water delivery agents. A water delivery agent will fill your pool faster than any other method. But you need to make sure that the water is properly treated.
What is the cheapest way to fill a pool with water?
The cheapest means of filling a pool is by using well water. If you have a well, you can use the water to fill your pool. With that, you don’t need to pay anyone for the water consumed.
Paying to fill your pool with water is like doubling your water bill for the month. If you have a well, you can use it and save the money for other things.
But you have to be careful while using the well so you don’t end up burning the pump. Instead of filling the pool in a day, you can fill it in 2 or 3 days to prevent the well from running dry.
Another thing to bear in mind is that well water is usually contaminated. So, make sure that you shock the pool immediately after filling it.
