NEW ORLEANS, LA – August 28, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
TurnKey Pool Designers released a new technical guide for residential pool owners covering proper pool pump sizing, addressing one of the most common engineering errors in pool construction and renovation projects throughout southern Louisiana. The publication, titled “Choosing the Right Pump Size for Your New Orleans Pool,” walks homeowners through the calculations and trade-offs that determine whether a pool runs efficiently or struggles with poor circulation and elevated energy costs.
Pumps sized incorrectly are responsible for a large share of recurring pool issues, including cloudy water, algae growth, premature equipment failure, and inflated utility bills. The publication notes that oversized pumps remain one of the most common installation mistakes, with homeowners often assuming greater horsepower automatically delivers better performance when in practice it can strain plumbing and waste energy.
A central message of the publication is that horsepower is not the most useful figure when sizing a pump. Gallons per minute, or GPM, reflects how much water a pump actually moves, while horsepower reflects only how much power the motor consumes. Two pumps with identical horsepower ratings can produce significantly different GPM outputs depending on motor design, impeller geometry, and operating curve. The guide instructs homeowners to size by GPM first and align horsepower to that specification rather than the reverse.
The publication walks readers through the standard turnover calculation, which divides pool volume by the desired turnover time and converts the result into a per-minute figure. A 15,000-gallon pool targeting an eight-hour turnover requires roughly 31 gallons per minute at minimum, while a 24,000-gallon pool at the same target needs about 50 gallons per minute. Pools with spas, water features, or pressure-side cleaners add to that baseline and must be factored into the final pump specification.
“Pump sizing is one of those details that quietly determines whether a pool performs the way it should for ten or fifteen years,” said an Admin Manager at TurnKey Pool Designers. “We see a lot of homes where a sizing decision made during the original build is the real reason the pool struggles, not the maintenance routine the owner has been blaming.”
The guide also addresses total dynamic head, the cumulative resistance the pump works against as water moves through plumbing, fittings, filters, and heaters. A pump rated at 80 GPM in low-resistance conditions may deliver only 50 GPM at higher head pressure, which is why specification sheets cannot be read in isolation from the system in which the pump will operate. Pipe diameter sets a hard limit on safe flow rates, with 1.5-inch lines handling up to 44 GPM and 2-inch lines handling up to 73 GPM.
Single-speed and variable-speed pumps receive a comparative analysis later in the guide. Variable-speed pumps allow different operating speeds for different tasks, running low during routine filtration and high only when water features or spa jets require it. The publication notes that pumps in southern Louisiana operate more months per year than in most of the country, which makes the energy efficiency case for variable-speed equipment particularly strong relative to colder climates. The guide also observes that variable-speed equipment, while typically more expensive at purchase, often delivers cost recovery within two to three years through reduced electricity consumption, with savings continuing across the unit’s operating life.
The new pump sizing guide joins a growing library of educational content produced by the company, which also offers pool design, pool remodel, and pool renovation services across thirteen communities in the region. Earlier publications in the series have covered the energy efficiency of pool covers, outdoor kitchen integration, and pool design considerations for sloped lots.
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For more information about TurnKey Pool Designers, contact the company here:
TurnKey Pool Designers
James Sibley
504-500-1516
info@turnkeypooldesigners.com
New Orleans, LA
