HowMuchIt / Pool salt
How much salt does my pool need?
Test the water, look up your salt generator's target, and add only the difference: about 8.3 pounds per 1,000 gallons for every 1,000 ppm. The calculator rounds it to 40 pound bags.
Work out your pool salt
| Step | How |
|---|---|
| Salt to add | 8.3 lb per 1,000 gallons for each 1,000 ppm you raise |
| Example | 10,000 gallons from 0 to 3,200 ppm: about 267 lb |
| Too salty | drain (now - target) / now of the water, refill with fresh |
Most generators want about 3,000 to 3,400 ppm; your model's manual has its own range.
Test first, then add
Most salt chlorine generators want about 3,000 to 3,400 ppm; each model has its own range in its manual. Test the salt before you add any, and add only what is missing. Use pure pool salt, 99 percent sodium chloride or better: no rock salt, no iodized salt, nothing with anti-caking additives. Spread it in the water and brush it so it does not pile up on the floor, then run the pump for about a day before you trust a new reading.
Too salty
Too much salt can only be fixed by draining part of the water and refilling with fresh water. The share to drain is the current reading minus the target, divided by the current reading: from 4,500 down to 3,200 means draining about 29 percent. A salt pool still needs 1 to 3 ppm of free chlorine; the generator makes it from the salt.
Questions people ask
How much salt for a new 15,000 gallon pool?
From zero to 3,200 ppm, about 400 pounds: 10 bags of 40 lb.
How do I lower the salt level?
Drain part of the water and refill with fresh water; the calculator gives the share to drain.
Good to know
- Most salt chlorine generators want about 3,000 to 3,400 ppm of salt; check your model's manual (Hayward: 2,700 to 3,400, 3,200 best; Pentair IntelliChlor IC15: 3,000 to 3,500).1,2
- Salt needed is about 8.3 pounds per 1,000 gallons for each 1,000 ppm you raise: 10,000 gallons from 0 ppm take about 267 lb to reach 3,200 ppm and about 284 lb to reach 3,400 ppm.1,2
- Test the salt level before adding any salt, then add only the difference.1,2
- Use pure sodium chloride pool salt (99 percent or purer); no rock salt, no iodized salt, no salt with anti-caking additives.2,3
- Pool salt is sold in 40 lb bags, so round the pounds needed up to whole bags.3,4
- Spread the salt into the pool water and brush it so it does not pile up on the floor.2,3
- Run the pump about 24 hours after adding salt before you trust a new salt reading.2,3
- A salt pool still needs free chlorine of 1 to 3 ppm; the generator makes it from the salt.2,3
- Too much salt can only be fixed by draining part of the water and refilling with fresh water.5,6
- Share of water to drain = (current ppm - target ppm) / current ppm; for example 4,500 down to 3,200 means draining about 29 percent.5,6
How we checked this page
Checked on October 27, 2026. We kept a fact only when two independent publishers agree, and each one is numbered to its sources below. Where sources give different numbers, we keep only what they share. We never write a price. This page was written with an AI assistant and checked against the sources below.
Sources
- How Much Salt Do You Add, Hayward
- IntelliChlor Salt Chlorine Generator Model IC15 Installation and User's Guide, Pentair
- SwimPure Plus Electronic Chlorine Generator Owner's Manual (092744 RevC), Hayward
- Morton Pro Choice Pool Salt, 40 lb, Leslie's
- How to Lower Salt Levels Within Swimming Pool, Hayward
- Poolside Chat Episode #35: Lowering Swimming Pool Salt Levels, INYO Pools