How much salt for a 1,000 gallon pool

A 1,000 gallon pool needs 27 lb (12 kg) of pool salt to go from fresh water to 3,200 ppm, about 0.7 bags of 40 lb. Each 1,000 ppm takes 8.4 lb. Check your salt cell’s manual: most want 2,700 to 3,400 ppm.

Salt for 1,000 gallons

1,000 US gallons (3,785 L).
Salt levelPounds40 lb bagsKilograms
0 → 3,200 ppm27 lb0.712 kg
2,000 → 3,200 ppm10 lb0.34.6 kg
2,500 → 3,200 ppm5.9 lb0.12.7 kg
2,800 → 3,200 ppm3.4 lb0.11.5 kg
3,000 → 3,200 ppm1.7 lb0762 g

Run it with your numbers

gal

Not sure? Work out your pool volume.

ppm

Enter 0 for a first fill.

ppm

Use the number in your cell’s manual.

%

Add

27lb

of Pool salt (sodium chloride 99%)

430 oz12 kg

Raises salt from 0 ppm to 3,200 ppm in 1,000 gal. That is about 0.7 bags of 40 lb.

  • Brush the salt around until it dissolves, and keep the salt cell off for 24 hours.
  • If you are unsure of your volume, add about 80% first, circulate for 24 hours and retest.

Check the product label. Strengths vary by brand, so enter the % printed on yours. Add one chemical at a time, into the water, and never mix chemicals.

Save this test and get reminded when it is time to retest.

Pool Calc for iPhoneComing soon to the App Store

About salt

Use plain pool salt, at least 99% sodium chloride, with no anti-caking agents or iodine. Pour it in the shallow end, brush it around until it dissolves, and keep the salt cell off for 24 hours so undissolved salt doesn’t reach it.

Too much salt only comes down by replacing water, so add about 80% first if you are unsure of your volume, wait a day and retest with a salt test or your cell’s reading.

Dosing a 1,000 gallon pool

A 1,000 gallon pool is usually a large inflatable, a stock tank or a small frame pool. Doses this small are easy to overshoot: one extra splash is several ppm. Measure salt with kitchen measures you keep only for pool chemicals, and test after every addition.

Small pools also lose chlorine fast on sunny days because there is so little water. Test daily, and when the numbers drift far off it is often quicker to drain and refill than to correct them.

Questions

How much salt do I need for a 1,000 gallon pool?

From fresh water to 3,200 ppm: 27 lb, about 0.7 bags of 40 lb.

How long until I can turn the salt cell on?

Brush the salt until it dissolves and wait about 24 hours with the pump running before turning the cell back on.

Can I swim after adding salt?

Yes, once it has dissolved. Salt at pool levels is far below sea water.