ChlorBenchPool volume and chemical doses worked out, not guessed.

How much trichlor for a 18 × 33 ft oval pool to raise chlorine 1 ppm

Trichlor (90%) to add
3.9oz
raises free chlorine 1 ppm in 26,174 gallons — 33 × 18 ft oval
Sectionavg 7.5 ft5 ft10 ft26,174gallons33 × 18 ft oval3.9 ozTrichlor (90%)
Dose0.11 kg3.9oz
Pool volume33 × 18 ft oval, 5–10 ft deep (avg 7.5 ft)26,174gallons
Volume in ft³× 7.48052 gal per ft³3,499ft³
Target risefree chlorine1 ppm
What else it addsadds about 0.6 ppm cyanuric acid per ppm, and is strongly acidic
— Same job, other products —
Cal-hypo (65%)adds about 0.8 ppm calcium hardness per ppm of chlorine5.2oz
Dichlor (56%)adds about 0.9 ppm cyanuric acid per ppm of chlorine6oz
Liquid chlorine (12.5%)adds nothing but salt — raises pH slightly28fl oz
Household bleach (8.25%)same chemistry as liquid chlorine, weaker41.9fl oz
Pool size
18 × 33 ft oval
Shallow end
5 ft
Deep end
10 ft
Raise by
1 ppm
Product
trichlor

Volume first — everything else is volume × a constant

A 18 × 33 ft oval pool running 5 to 10 ft deep holds 26,174 gallons. Average depth is 7.5 ft, and 3,499 cubic feet × 7.48 gives the gallons.

Get this wrong by a fifth and every chemical you add for the life of the pool is wrong by a fifth. Measure the pool. The brochure figure is for the model, not for what got built.

The dose

3.9 oz of trichlor raises free chlorine by 1 ppm.

What else it adds — and this is the part that matters

trichlor adds about 0.6 ppm cyanuric acid per ppm, and is strongly acidic.

That is not a footnote. Cal-hypo builds calcium hardness until it scales the tile line and the heater. Dichlor and trichlor build cyanuric acid, and above about 50 ppm CYA holds chlorine so tightly that the chlorine stops killing anything — and the only cure is draining and refilling. Liquid chlorine adds nothing but salt and a little pH.

Rotating products across a season, rather than using one, is how you avoid ending up with water that has to be replaced to be fixed.

How to add it

Pump running. Slowly, at the deep end or through the skimmer. Undissolved granules resting on a vinyl liner bleach it permanently and that damage does not come out.

Test after four hours of circulation. A reading taken straight after dosing tells you about the water beside the return jet, not about the pool.

Notes

  • **Volume first, and everything else follows.** A 33 × 18 ft oval pool at 7.5 ft average depth holds 26,174 gallons. Every dose on this page and every dose you will ever add is that number × a constant — get it wrong by a fifth and every chemical for the life of the pool is wrong by a fifth. Measure the pool; do not trust the brochure.
  • Average depth here is (5 + 10) ÷ 2 = 7.5 ft. That is exact for a pool with a straight slope. Pools with a bench, a spa step or a flat shallow section that drops off need the sections worked out separately and added.
  • **Trichlor (90%) adds more than chlorine.** It adds about 0.6 ppm cyanuric acid per ppm, and is strongly acidic. Tablets are convenient and they quietly drive both CYA up and pH down over a season. Rotating products, rather than using one all season, is how you avoid ending up with water that needs draining to fix.
  • Cyanuric acid is the trap. It protects chlorine from sunlight, which is why stabilized products exist — but above about 50 ppm it holds chlorine so tightly that the chlorine stops killing anything, and the only way down is draining and refilling. Test CYA monthly if you use these.
  • Add it with the pump running, and add it slowly at the deep end or through the skimmer. Undissolved granules sitting on a vinyl liner bleach it permanently.
  • Test after four hours of circulation, not immediately. A reading taken straight after dosing tells you about the water beside the return, not about the pool.

Nearby sizes

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