The minimum filtration the pool actually needs
Residential pools need one full water turnover every 8–10 hours for clarity. Most SA pumps are oversized — a 1.1 kW pump can turn over a 35,000-litre pool in ~6 hours, so an 8-hour run leaves headroom. During loadshedding you need 8 cumulative hours of filtration per 24-hour cycle, not continuous.
Option 1: schedule around loadshedding
Cheapest fix. Use the EskomSePush schedule, set the timer to run the pump in the gaps. Works for Stage 1–3. Falls apart at Stage 4+ because the gaps don't add up to 8 hours.
Option 2: UPS / inverter sized correctly
A 1.1 kW pump draws ~1.5 kVA continuous and surges to ~3 kVA on start. Most cheap 1 kVA inverters won't even start it. You need a pure-sine-wave inverter rated 2 kVA+ with 4 kVA+ surge, and a battery bank sized for at least 2 × 2.5 h Stage 6 windows (~5 hours of running).
Realistic build: 3 kVA inverter + 4.8 kWh lithium = R28,000–R45,000 installed by a registered electrician (PIRB-compliant CoC required for resale).
Option 3: DC pool pump on solar
A 600–900 W DC pool pump direct-coupled to a 1.2–1.6 kWp solar array runs whenever the sun does — no grid, no battery. R22,000–R40,000 installed. Limitations: no night filtration, weather-dependent. Best paired with a small grid-tied secondary pump for cloudy weeks.
Recovery routine after a Stage 5+ week
Test free chlorine and pH first (don't dose blind), brush the walls before any chemical addition, run the pump continuously for 24 hours on full flow, then resume normal schedule. Add stabiliser if cyanuric acid is below 30 ppm — saves chlorine for the next cycle.
Sources
- PIRB Electrical Compliance — Provincial Inspection and Regulatory Body
- Eskom loadshedding stage definitions — Eskom