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Saltwater Pool Calculator

How much salt for a 5,000 gallon pool

Starting with plain water, you'll pour roughly 133 lb of salt into a 5,000 gallon pool to hit 3,200 ppm (parts per million, the number a salt test shows). That works out to 4 bags at 40 lb each. Got some salt in the water already? Enter your reading and watch the bag count shrink.

Don't know the gallons? Measure the pool
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The gallons above fill in as you measure.

Example For 5,000 gallons, from 0 to 3,200 ppm. Type yours to see your bags.

Buy 4 bags of

Add 133 lb in all: pour 3 bags now, then 13 lb from bag 4 after you retest.

5,000 galSalt in the water (ppm)target 3,200now 04 bags
  1. Pump on. Pour it around the deep end, not into the skimmer.
  2. Brush any salt off the floor until it's gone.
  3. Run the pump 24 hours and test. Add the rest only if the reading is still short.
How this is worked out

Gallons = A × B × average depth × 7.5 for a rectangle, 6.7 for an oval and 5.9 for a round pool (diameter × diameter), the factors in Hayward's manual; 7.0 for a kidney (length × average width), from Inyo's sizing guide. Pounds of salt = (target ppm − your ppm) × gallons × 8.34 ÷ 1,000,000. A gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds. Bags round up. In liters: kilograms = ppm difference × liters ÷ 1,000,000.

Salt for 5,000 gallons by current reading

Reading nowto 3,000 ppmto 3,200 ppmto 3,600 ppm
0 ppmBuy 4 bagsadd 125 lbBuy 4 bagsadd 133 lbBuy 4 bagsadd 150 lb
1,000 ppmBuy 3 bagsadd 83 lbBuy 3 bagsadd 92 lbBuy 3 bagsadd 108 lb
1,500 ppmBuy 2 bagsadd 63 lbBuy 2 bagsadd 71 lbBuy 3 bagsadd 88 lb
2,000 ppmBuy 1 bagadd 40 lbBuy 2 bagsadd 50 lbBuy 2 bagsadd 67 lb
2,500 ppmBuy 1 bagadd 21 lbBuy 1 bagadd 29 lbBuy 2 bagsadd 46 lb
2,800 ppmBuy 1 bagadd 8.3 lbBuy 1 bagadd 17 lbBuy 1 bagadd 33 lb
3,000 ppmAlready thereBuy 1 bagadd 8.3 lbBuy 1 bagadd 25 lb

Every bag is 40 lb and the count rounds up. Pour all but the final bag, let the pump run a day, then test before you open it.

Intex and TruClear aim for 3,000 ppm, Hayward for 3,200 ppm and Pentair for 3,600 ppm. The chart by chlorinator lists every manufacturer's number.

Good to know at 5,000 gallons

In a pool this size, every 100 ppm gap takes 4.2 lb to close. So when your test reads 400 ppm under target, that's 17 lb: buy 1 bag and add 17 lb of it.

CircuPool's advice is to buy a cell sized for no less than 1.5 times the water you hold, so 7,500 gallons or more for this pool. Of the cells on this site, the Jandy AquaPure 700 at 12,000 is the smallest one big enough.

Close to this volume in the Intex range: the 18 ft x 42 in Easy Set at 4,786 gallons and the 18 ft x 48 in Easy Set at 5,455 gallons and the 15 ft x 48 in Metal Frame at 4,440 gallons and the 16 ft x 48 in Metal Frame at 5,061 gallons and the 16 ft x 48 in Ultra Frame at 5,061 gallons and the 16 ft 8 inx49 in Sequoia Spirit at 5,061 gallons. Intex equipment works at 3,000 ppm, and the numbers are on salt for Intex pools.

Questions people bring to the counter

How much does a backwash or a rainy week cost me in salt?

Only the water you lose takes salt with it. If a top-up brings this pool from 2,800 back to 3,200 ppm, that's 17 lb: buy 1 bag and add 17 lb of it.

How can I tell if my pool has enough salt?

Test the water. Most chlorinators light a low-salt warning below their range. A strip or drop kit reads in ppm, and that number goes in the salt reading box.

Next size down or up: 3,000 gal or 8,000 gal. Every size is on the per 1,000 gallons chart.