Pool salt calculator: how much salt does my pool need?
533 lb of salt
14 bags of 40 lb · from 0 to 3,200 ppm in 20,000 gallons · Hayward AquaRite, 2,700 to 3,400 ppm · for a new pool with no salt yet
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533 lb of salt
14 bags of 40 lb · from 0 to 3,200 ppm in 20,000 gallons · Hayward AquaRite, 2,700 to 3,400 ppm
Source: Hayward AquaRite owner's manual 092538 RevD, salt level and pounds of salt for 3,200 ppm; Pentair IntelliChlor installation and user's guide 520589 Rev. R, Table 2, read November 3, 2026. Data sheet (PDF)
A 20,000 gallon pool with no salt needs 533 lb to reach the 3,200 ppm Hayward sets for its AquaRite cells, fourteen 40 lb bags; Pentair's IntelliChlor, at 3,600 ppm, needs 601 lb.
A worked example
A 13,600 gallon pool reading 1,900 ppm on a Pentair IntelliChlor cell needs 193 lb of salt, 5 bags of 40 lb. Pentair's target is 3,600 ppm, so 1,700 ppm to add: 13,600 gal × 3.785 × 1,700 ÷ 1,000,000 = 87.5 kg, 192.95 lb, rounded up to 193. On a Hayward cell the target would be 3,200 ppm and the salt 147 lb.
How much salt to raise a pool 1,000 ppm?
8.3 lb per 1,000 gallons: 83 lb for a 10,000 gallon pool and 167 lb for 20,000 by Hayward's table (gallons × 1,000 ÷ 120,000), 83.45 and 166.9 lb by Pentair's.
What salt level do Hayward and Pentair cells need?
Hayward AquaRite: 2,700 to 3,400 ppm, 3,200 the optimum. Pentair IntelliChlor: 3,600 to 4,500 ppm, 3,600 the ideal; below 2,600 ppm the Pentair cell turns off.
What else it is called
Also searched as a pool salt calculator by gallons, how much salt for a Hayward or Pentair pool, or how much salt to raise a pool 1,000 ppm (10,000 gallons: 83 lb on Hayward's table, 84 on Pentair's). The gallons can come from the pool volume calculator.
Pounds of salt by pool size
| Pool | Hayward, new pool (0 to 3,200 ppm) | Hayward, from 2,400 ppm | Pentair, new pool (0 to 3,600 ppm) | Pentair, from 2,800 ppm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 gal | 267 lb | 67 lb | 301 lb | 67 lb |
| 15,000 gal | 400 lb | 100 lb | 451 lb | 101 lb |
| 20,000 gal | 533 lb | 133 lb | 601 lb | 134 lb |
| 25,000 gal | 667 lb | 167 lb | 752 lb | 167 lb |
| 30,000 gal | 800 lb | 200 lb | 902 lb | 201 lb |
| 35,000 gal | 933 lb | 233 lb | 1,052 lb | 234 lb |
| 40,000 gal | 1,067 lb | 267 lb | 1,202 lb | 268 lb |
Hayward AquaRite owner's manual 092538 RevD, table of pounds of salt for 3,200 ppm (gallons × ppm to add ÷ 120,000), and Pentair IntelliChlor guide 520589 Rev. R, Table 2 for 3,600 ppm (gallons × 3.785 × ppm to add ÷ 1,000,000 kg, in pounds), rounded up to the whole pound.
Where the numbers come from
- Hayward: AquaRite owner's manual 092538 RevD: “The ideal salt level is between 2700-3400 ppm (parts per million) with 3200 ppm being optimal”, salt “usually available in 40-80 lb. bags”, and the table of pounds of salt needed for 3,200 ppm from 8,000 to 40,000 gallons, which is gallons × ppm to add ÷ 120,000 (20,000 gallons from 0 ppm: 533 lb). Read November 3, 2026. Hayward AquaRite manual (PDF)
- Pentair: IntelliChlor IC15, IC20, IC40 and IC60 installation and user's guide, P/N 520589 Rev. R 8/7/23: “Salt: 3600 - 4500 ppm (ideal 3600 ppm)”, and Table 2, pounds of salt to reach 3,600 ppm, 10,000 to 60,000 gallons (10,000 gallons from 0 ppm: 300.43 lb), which is gallons × 3.785 × ppm to add ÷ 1,000,000 kg in pounds. Read November 3, 2026. Pentair IntelliChlor guide (PDF)
- Each cell keeps its own maker's target and table; they are not averaged. Pounds are rounded up to the whole pound and bags are the pounds divided by the weight on your bag, rounded up.
Only Hayward AquaRite and Pentair IntelliChlor cells are in it, the two manuals read for this page. Other cells set their own target in their manual. Pentair asks for salt that is at least 99.8 percent sodium chloride, non-iodized and without anti-caking agents.
By Javier Miralles · Last updated . How this site is made.
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