How much Poolsel do I need to add my pool?

With Poolsel swimming pool salt available from as little as a single 25kg bag all the way up to bulk pallet deliveries, how do you know how much swimming pool salt you need to order for your pool?

The amount of swimming pool salt you need depends on three things:

• The size of your pool
• Your current pool salinity
• Your salt chlorinator settings

Salt is needed for the production of chlorine when using a salt chlorinator to keep your pool sanitised and bacteria free. Instead of dosing your pool with traditional chlorine, the salt chlorinator uses an electrical current and salt to constantly produce chlorine. This gives you constant protection with reduced maintenance and improved swimmer comfort.

It’s important to remember that just adding salt into a standard pool without chlorination equipment will not provide any sanitisation benefits and will just make your pool salty.

Just had a swimming pool salt chlorinator installed? 

When your salt chlorinator is first installed, you should add 4-6kg of Poolsel per m³ of water. It is always best to check in line with manufacturer’s recommendations as there are chlorinators that operate at lower or higher salt levels.

Salt should be dissolved directly into your pool. When adding large quantities upon initial set-up it may be necessary to agitate the water to ensure consistent dissolving. Poolsel is designed to dissolve quickly and easily, making it simple for you to use.

How many m³ is my pool?

Very simply, we are working out the volume of water your pool holds. In a standard rectangular pool we are measuring the width by the length by the depth and multiplying them together.

For example if your swimming pool was 5m long x 5m wide x 2m deep, this would mean its volume would be 50m³. This would mean you need between 200kg and 300kg of salt for your pool – 8 to 12 bags at 25kg each.

If we are have curved edges or changeable depths then there is a little more GCSE maths involved but an average calculation should be more than enough to work out how much Poolsel you need to order.

Why do I need to keep adding salt to my swimming pool?

The great thing about salt chlorination is that the chlorine production is continuous. UV light from the sun breaks down the chlorine back into salt, and your salt chlorinator uses an electrical current to turn this back into chlorine again.

This means that there are no periods during usage where chlorine could be either very high or very low. High chlorine levels impact swimmer comfort, leading to strong chlorine smells and sore eyes. It can agitate skin conditions such as eczema or dries out your skin and hair’s natural oils. Low chlorine levels can lead to bacteria growth, making the pool water unsafe to swim in.

So why do you need to keep adding salt if salt chlorination is a continuous process?”

Well, pool water and therefore salt is continuously lost during usage from water splashing out of the pool as we enjoy ourselves, on our bodies as we exit the pool, and through filter cleaning to name a few. If you then top up your pool with fresh water, this will reduce the salinity of your pool even further.

If there is not enough salt in the pool then the chlorinator cannot produce enough chlorine to keep your pool sanitised and safe. Test your salinity regularly – either with a a salinity monitor or your chlorinator’s inbuilt reading, against the range set out by your chlorinator manufacturer. If you are running below recommended salinity levels, top up with Poolsel as required. It’s best to check again 24 hours after adding more salt to check salinity now lands in the correct range.

Why Poolsel?

Poolsel is the undisputed market leader for salt for salt chlorination. Poolsel exceeds the standards required for swimming pool salt due to its high salt purity, containing no additives, impurities or anti-caking agents which can cause damage to your salt chlorinator.

Specialist swimming pool salt should always be used when it comes to your salt chlorinator to protect you, your pool and your chlorination equipment. Remember not all salt is created equal!  When choosing swimming pool salt, check the stated purity as well as the compliance claim. Genuine EN16401 Type A salt is at least 99% sodium chloride — anything lower falls short of the standard, regardless of what the label says, and can bring impurities or additives that harm your chlorinator over time.

Here at PureSalt, we supply Poolsel to homes and businesses across the UK, who trust us to keep them stocked up with swimming pool salt all year round. Order online now from as little as 1 bag to pallet deliveries with extra discounts for bulk ordering. If you have any questions about Poolsel, please contact our helpful team here or give us a call on 01728 745 911.