Understanding Pool Pump Sizing and Horsepower
An oversized pump doesn't circulate water better, it just wastes energy and can even damage plumbing from excess flow velocity. This site is dedicated to a single build method: gunite (shotcrete) construction, rebar cage, sprayed and hand-finished concrete, engineered bond beams, and a design that can be shaped to anything the lot allows, from tanning ledges to negative edges to integrated spas.
Matching Pump to Plumbing, Not Just Pool Size
Pump sizing depends on pool volume, plumbing pipe diameter, and the total "head" (resistance from pipe length, fittings, filter, and any elevation change), not pool size alone; the same size pool can need different pump sizing depending on how the plumbing was run.
The Variable-Speed Shift
Fixed single-speed pumps are rated and chosen for a single "worst case" flow rate; variable-speed pumps sidestep most sizing guesswork since they can be programmed across a range of speeds for different tasks, which is part of why they've become the default choice on new builds rather than a horsepower number that's hard to get exactly right.
Where This Fits
See our Pool Repair service page, or Financing if cost is the next question.
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