A pool pump earns its keep quietly, turning the whole pool over through the filter a few times a day, and the first sign it's falling behind is cloudy water in the middle of a heatwave. Which pump you need depends on the pool. Above-ground Bestway and Intex pools take the plug-in filter pumps below, while in-ground pools run hard-plumbed pumps from Onga, Davey and Astral, sized and sold through pool shops, with a guide to that purchase further down the page.
1. Best Overall: Bestway Flowclear Sand Filter Pump
The Flowclear sand filter is the upgrade most above-ground pool owners make after their first summer of rinsing cartridges: 808 of them average 4.3 stars. Sand does the filtering, a backwash setting cleans the sand, and the media lasts years instead of weeks.
At around $220 it suits pools up to the mid-size Bestway and Intex range, moving about 6,000 litres an hour. The recurring owner note is that the fittings want careful hand-tightening, since overtightened plastic threads are the standard failure.
What We Like:
- Backwash instead of cartridge scrubbing
- Sand lasts years
- Fits standard 38mm hoses
What We Don't Like:
- Plastic threads need care
2. Best Budget: Bestway Flowclear Cartridge Pump
The cartridge Flowclear is the pump that comes to mind with an inflatable pool: around $120, 5,678 litres an hour, and a 4.3 average across 575 reviews. Setup is two hoses and a power point.
The trade is the cartridge itself, which wants a hose-down every week or two in summer and replacement every few weeks of heavy use. Owners treat cartridges as a running cost, and the sand unit above exists because of it.
What We Like:
- Around $120
- Two-hose setup
- Quiet running
What We Don't Like:
- Cartridges are a running cost
In-ground pools: how those pumps are actually bought
An in-ground pool pump is a plumbed-in appliance matched to your pipe size, filter and chlorinator, which is why the Onga, Davey and Astral pumps that used to fill this page are sold through pool shops rather than shopping carts. Two things worth knowing before that conversation:
A variable-speed pump pays for itself. A single-speed pump can cost several hundred dollars a year in power; variable-speed models running long and slow cut that by more than half, and most states' energy schemes now favour them.
Size to the pool, not the shelf. The right pump turns your pool's volume over roughly once every four to six hours. Bigger is louder and dearer to run, not cleaner.
RELATED: The Best Robotic Pool Cleaners and The Best Suction Pool Cleaners
FAQs
How long should a pool pump run each day?
Long enough for one full turnover: typically six to eight hours in summer and half that in winter, per every manufacturer's guidance. A timer pays for itself quickly.
Why is my pump losing pressure?
A full skimmer basket, a dirty filter or an air leak on the suction side, in that order of likelihood. Owners fix most pressure complaints with a rinse and a hand-tightened fitting.
