One of the most frequently asked questions about Swimming pools is that how long does it take to fill up a swimming pool. Well, the answer is quite simple. There is no fixed amount of time that you would need to fill up your pool. This is because the pool size may vary.
Some pools are greater in width but they are not very deep. While some may be deep but less wide. Other than this, the area of your water pipe (that is, its length and diameter) and the water pressure also vary. So, there are a lot of factors decide that how long would it take to fill up your swimming pool.
If you roughly talk about a 5000 Gallon pool, and you use a normal ½ inch water pipe, then the time that you would need to fill it up would be 5000 x 0.0018. In other words, a standard garden hose pipe can fill up to 9 gallons per minute which makes it around 540 gallons per hour.
Factors That Affect the Pool’s Filling Speed
Let us discuss a few factors that depend greatly on the time taken in filling up your pool.
Water Pressure:
The water pressure greatly affects the filling speed of your pool. For example, if the water pressure is low, water would reach into the pool slowly, and hence, more time would be required for the pool to get filled up. While on the other hand, if the water pressure is high, water would reach into the pool fast, and hence, it would take less time to fill up the pool.
At the end of the day, your pool will add in water as fast as your hose allows it to. So, what you need to do is, find out how many gallons of water does your faucet or garden hose produce in a minute or hour. When you know this, it would be easier for you to determine the time that your pool requires to fill up depending upon the water pressure.
Pro Tip – The water pressure may be low if the water is being used for other purposes as well, at the same time. So, it is recommended to not use the water in order to increase the water pressure for the filling of your pool.
Pool Water Capacity:
The water holding capacity of your pool makes a big difference to the time it takes to fill up. For example, if your pool is a big, wide, and heightened pool, it would require more water and hence, more time to fill up. While on the other hand, if your pool is small, it would require less water and hence, less time to fill up.
Here is how you can determine the Volume or Water Capacity of your pool:
While taking the measurements, remember that they should be in feet.
If your pool is Circular in shape,
Water Capacity = Length x Width x Average Depth x 5.9
If your pool is Rectangular or Square in shape,
Water Capacity = Length x Width x Average Depth x 7.5
Estimate Chart
Here is a pool fill estimate chart based on the water pressure of Gallons in one minute, to help you know how much time would your pool require to fill up.
| Capacity of the Pool (In Gallons) | Hours 7 GPM | Hours 8 GPM | Hours 9 GPM | Hours 10 GPM |
| Less than 1000 | Less than 2 1/2 | Less than 2 | Less than 2 | Less than 2 |
| 5000 | 12 | 10 3/4 | 9 1/4 | 8 1/3 |
| 10000 | 23 3/4 | 20 3/4 | 18 1/2 | 16 2/3 |
| 15000 | 35 3/4 | 31 1/4 | 27 3/4 | 25 |
| 20000 | 47 2/3 | 41 2/3 | 37 | 33 1/3 |
| 25000 | 59 1/2 | 52 | 46 1/4 | 41 2/3 |
Conclusion:
Being honest, filling your pool with your own hose pipe and under your own observation is highly recommended. This would save your time and money as well. Also, you would have a better knowledge of how much time does your pool need to be filled.
There are different factors that decide the time taken by your pool to fill up. Such as the pool size, water pressure, and the size of your garden hose.
We have tried our best to help you out regarding the time measurement of your pool’s filling. We hope that our article was helpful for you.