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Handyman Estimates The Gallons In A Pool

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A customer asked her handyman about pool chemicals. Knowing the amount of gallons in a swimming pool is important for keeping the pool's chemicals balanced. For example when shocking the pool (hyper-chlorinating), knowing the number of gallons will tell you how much shock to buy. 

Roughly speaking, you can multiply the length x width x depth x 7.5 gallons. This is for a rectangular pool. However, most pools are not a perfect rectangle nor are they a consistent depth. For the depth, you can take the depth in the shallow end, add that figure to the depth in the deep end, and divide that number by 2. This is an average and can vary significantly depending on where the pool's depth actually changes in relation to the length of the pool. Fortunately, you don't have to estimate to the nearest gallon. In fact, for shock, you can estimate to the nearest 10,000 gallons since a bag of shock covers that amount. 

Here are some popular pool sizes and their gallons based upon an average depth of 5 feet:

                                                      16'x32' - 19,200 Gallons

                                                      16'x34' - 20,400 Gallons

                                                      16'x36' - 21,600 Gallons

                                                      18'x36' - 24,300 Gallons

                                                      20'x40' - 30,000 Gallons

                                                      24'x44' - 39,600 Gallons

If you are draining and refilling your pool, probably the most accurate way is to simply compare the previous month's water bill to the bill during the month when you refilled the pool. The increase in the gallons of water you used will tell you a close approximation of the gallons in your pool, assuming you were consistent in your water usage for other areas at your house.