ChlorBenchPool volume and chemical doses worked out, not guessed.

How much dichlor for a 27 ft round pool to raise chlorine 2 ppm

Dichlor (56%) to add
6.9oz
raises free chlorine 2 ppm in 14,991 gallons — 27 ft round
Sectionavg 3.5 ft3 ft4 ft14,991gallons27 ft round6.9 ozDichlor (56%)
Dose0.2 kg6.9oz
Pool volume27 ft round, 3–4 ft deep (avg 3.5 ft)14,991gallons
Volume in ft³× 7.48052 gal per ft³2,004ft³
Target risefree chlorine2 ppm
What else it addsadds about 0.9 ppm cyanuric acid per ppm of chlorine
— Same job, other products —
Cal-hypo (65%)adds about 0.8 ppm calcium hardness per ppm of chlorine6oz
Trichlor (90%)adds about 0.6 ppm cyanuric acid per ppm, and is strongly acidic4.5oz
Liquid chlorine (12.5%)adds nothing but salt — raises pH slightly32.1fl oz
Household bleach (8.25%)same chemistry as liquid chlorine, weaker48fl oz
Pool size
27 ft round
Shallow end
3 ft
Deep end
4 ft
Raise by
2 ppm
Product
dichlor

Volume first — everything else is volume × a constant

A 27 ft round pool running 3 to 4 ft deep holds 14,991 gallons. Average depth is 3.5 ft, and 2,004 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

6.9 oz of dichlor raises free chlorine by 2 ppm.

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

dichlor adds about 0.9 ppm cyanuric acid per ppm of chlorine.

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 27 ft round pool at 3.5 ft average depth holds 14,991 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 (3 + 4) ÷ 2 = 3.5 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.
  • **Dichlor (56%) adds more than chlorine.** It adds about 0.9 ppm cyanuric acid per ppm of chlorine. CYA never leaves the water except by dilution. This is the usual route to a stabiliser-locked pool. 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 stabilised 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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