calcs.homes
calcs.homes
Enter your pool's volume and current and target salt level to find exactly how much pool salt to add for your saltwater chlorinator.
Estimate only — add slowly along pool edges and brush to help it dissolve.
We take the gap between your target and current salt level in ppm, multiply it by pool volume in gallons, then by water's weight of 8.34 lb per gallon, and divide by 1,000,000 to convert that parts-per-million gap into pounds of salt. Bag counts round up to the nearest 40 lb bag in US units, or 20 kg bag in metric.
Because salt fully dissolves and stays in solution rather than reacting away or off-gassing like chlorine and acid do, this mass-balance formula gives an exact figure rather than a rough estimate. Chlorinator manufacturers each calibrate their cell to a specific target range — commonly 2,700-3,400 ppm — so checking your unit's manual for its exact number matters more here than with other pool chemicals.
Most residential salt chlorinators target 2,700-3,400 ppm — check your specific system's manual, since running too low or too high can trigger error codes or reduce chlorine output.
Salt doesn't evaporate with water, but splash-out, backwashing, and draining/refilling all remove it — test salt level monthly and top off as needed.