Introduction - How to measure the size of your pool
Knowing the volume of your pool in litres is essential for estimated quantities of chemicals, and managing your pool's filtration schedule.
At Together Energy, we help you save 25-40% on the cost by optimising the way you manage your pool.
This simple guide will show you how to calculate your pool’s volume, in litres, whether you have a rectangular or a kidney-shaped pool, without requiring complex math.
We hope this information will empower you to make informed decisions about your pool's operation and maintenance, and most importantly, join the waiting list for TED.
For Rectangular Pools
First step is to relax… We don’t need to get too precise, knowing your pool’s volume within an accuracy of 5,000 litres is “plenty-good” enough, and very little is gained with extreme accuracy.
So if your pool is roughly rectangular, or has a few steps, use that information to just round up or down what a rectangle formula tells you.
Step 1: Measure the Length, Width, and Average Depth
First, you'll need to measure three dimensions of your pool.
I can already hear you say “but how?”. We don’t all have a 10m tape measure or detailed architectural drawings of the pool. Don’t worry, since accuracy is not critical, you can take shortcuts. Perhaps you can measure the length of a paver with a ruler or small tape measure, and then count how many there are. For example, if the pool length consists of 15 pavers each 60cm in length, your pool is 9 metres long. That’s good enough.
Length (L): Measure from one end of the pool to the other at the longest part.
Width (W): Measure the width at the widest part.
Depth (D): Rather than having a single measurement for depth, most pools have a deep and a shallow end. You can simply measure your pool’s volume by using the average depth. You do that by adding the depth at the shallow and the deep end and dividing it by two, i.e. averaging it.
Depth is easier said than done, perhaps the slope is irregular, there are many steps etc. Don’t worry, just guesstimate.
For example, my pool's length is 9.0m, and the width is 5.0m. I know the deepest point sits just above my head when stand up straight, and since I’m 181cm tall, I use 1.8m for the deep part. The shallow end is 1.3m because it’s somewhere at belly button height.
So the average depth of my pool is 1.55m. (D1=1.3, D2=1.8, (D1+D2)/2=1.55).
There are a few steps in the pool, so I round it down to 1.5m. See accuracy doesn’t really matter.
Step 2: Multiply the Dimensions
So here is the only bit of math: do you remember this?
The volume of an object is its length x width x depth.
Once you have your three measurements, simply multiply them together:
Volume = 9.0m x 5.0m x 1.5m Volume = 67.5m3
Step 3: Convert Cubic Meters to Litres
Converting cubic metres to litres is a breeze (thanks to the French for inventing the metric system) because 1.0m3 (cubic meter) is exactly 1,000 litres.
You know these bulk liquid containers? They’re exactly 1.0m long x 1.0m wide x 1.0m tall and contain 1,000 litres.
So, multiply your volume in m3 by 1,000 to get the volume in litres:
67.5m3 = 67,500 litres.
For Kidney-Shaped Pools
In the 70s and 80s, Australia fell in love with kidney shaped pools - they're the chiko roll of swimming pools.
Kidney-shaped or irregular shaped pools are a bit trickier, but you can guesstimate the volume by using the same method, except in this case, we’re going to use an estimate of the average width.
Measure the Length, Average Width, and Average Depth
To estimate the average width, add the widest and narrowest parts and divide by 2.
Use a measuring tape that can stretch across the entire length or width of your pool. If you can’t do that, how about a piece of string, then measure it. Ask for help if it’s difficult to measure the pool by yourself. It’s easier and more fun with two people!
Is size really that important?
Well, I'm glad you asked.
Calculating the volume of your pool in litres might sound technical and unnecessary, but with the simple steps above, you will know how much water your pool holds. Knowing your pool's volume is not only helpful for routine maintenance but also ensures you're using resources like water and energy more efficiently.
For Scheduling Calculations
As we wrote in a recent post, we're not necessarily huge fans of using pool turnover as a rule-of-thumb for determining how long to run your filter for. Still, it's useful to know that if your pump flow rate is 300 litres per minute, and your pool is 60,000 litres, then it takes 200 minutes, or roughly 3 1/2 hours, for the entire content of your pool to flow through your filter.
For Chemical Dosing Calculations
For chemicals, knowing the size of your pool is a must. For example, if you want to reduce your pH from 7.9 to 7.4 using acid, the dosage rates or tables always refer to the amount of acid required to change the pH by 0.1 for 1,000 litres. If you don't know the pool size, you run the risk of making serious mistakes.
For Water Loss Calculations
You can also use these measurements to figure out how much water you lose through evaporation, or worse a dreaded pool leak. If you lose 2 tiles worth of water in a week, and you estimate the tiles are 2.5cm tall, the above pool effectively lost 9.0 x 5.0 x 0.025, or 1.125m3, or 1,125 litres.
Whether it's for scheduling your filter, adding the right amount of chemicals or calculating how much water you need to top-up, knowing your pool's volume is important. Whoever said size didn't matter wasn't talking about pools.
At Together Energy we're committed to helping you achieve cost-effective, energy-efficient pool maintenance solutions tailored to your needs.
Join our waiting list today to secure your TED, and tell your friends to do the same. We’ll send you loads of tips on how to better manage your pool and save money.
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