To start up a salt generator the usual level of salt in the water is 2500 to 3000 ppm. In a 10,000 gallon pool that would be about 200 to 250 lbs of salt. A 25,000 gallon pool would need more than 500 lbs. Always test the water for salt before adding more salt.

The type of salt to use is granulated, evaporated, non-iodized salt. Be careful, many salt products contain tricalcium phosphate to prevent caking. It's insoluble and ends up on the bottom or in the filter. Watch out for iodine. Do not use rock salt or water conditioner salt.

The salt makes chlorine (technically HOCl, the killing form of chlorine and OCl-, the fairly inactive form) and sodium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. When the chlorine is used in oxidation, it becomes chloride. The chloride is recycled back to chlorine. In a perfect world, you would only have to add chloride (salt) once. However, some reactions of chlorine with organic material tie up or use up the chlorine making it unavailable to be recycled. Therefore, the water must be tested periodically to make sure the salt content is OK.

Most units are capable of making about a pound of pure chlorine per day (if run 24 hours). One pound of chlorine in 10,000 gallons of water would be 12 ppm.

The chloride (Cl) portion of NaCl is .606731. Therefore, the 5,000 ppm NaCl is 3,033.655 ppm Cl and 1,966.345. Na.

Pool Size in gallons (US)

Salt Amount Before Addition	10,000	12,000	14,000	16,000	18,000	20,000	22,000	24,000	26,000	28,000	30,000
0.00 gpl	250 lbs	300 lbs	350 lbs	400 lbs	450 lbs	500 lbs	550 lbs	600 lbs	650 lbs	700 lbs	750 lbs
0.20 gpl	230 lbs	280 lbs	325 lbs	370 lbs	420 lbs	465 lbs	510 lbs	560 lbs	605 lbs	650 lbs	700 lbs
0.40 gpl	215 lbs	260 lbs	305 lbs	345 lbs	390 lbs	435 lbs	475 lbs	520 lbs	565 lbs	605 lbs	650 lbs
0.60 gpl	200 lbs	240 lbs	280 lbs	320 lbs	360 lbs	400 lbs	440 lbs	480 lbs	520 lbs	560 lbs	600 lbs
0.80 gpl	185 lbs	220 lbs	255 lbs	290 lbs	330 lbs	365 lbs	400 lbs	440 lbs	475 lbs	510 lbs	550 lbs
1.00 gpl	165 lbs	200 lbs	230 lbs	265 lbs	300 lbs	330 lbs	365 lbs	400 lbs	430 lbs	465 lbs	500 lbs
1.20 gpl	150 lbs	180 lbs	210 lbs	240 lbs	270 lbs	300 lbs	330 lbs	360 lbs	390 lbs	420 lbs	450 lbs
1.40 gpl	130 lbs	160 lbs	185 lbs	210 lbs	240 lbs	265 lbs	290 lbs	320 lbs	345 lbs	370 lbs	400 lbs
1.60 gpl	115 lbs	140 lbs	165 lbs	185 lbs	210 lbs	235 lbs	255 lbs	280 lbs	305 lbs	325 lbs	350 lbs
1.80 gpl	100 lbs	120 lbs	140 lbs	160 lbs	180 lbs	200 lbs	220 lbs	240 lbs	260 lbs	280 lbs	300 lbs
2.00 gpl	85 lbs	100 lbs	115 lbs	135 lbs	150 lbs	165 lbs	185 lbs	200 lbs	215 lbs	235 lbs	250 lbs
2.20 gpl	65 lbs	80 lbs	95 lbs	105 lbs	120 lbs	135 lbs	145 lbs	160 lbs	175 lbs	185 lbs	200 lbs
2.40 gpl	50 lbs	60 lbs	70 lbs	80 lbs	90 lbs	100 lbs	110 lbs	120 lbs	130 lbs	140 lbs	150 lbs
2.60 gpl	30 lbs	40 lbs	45 lbs	55 lbs	60 lbs	65 lbs	75 lbs	80 lbs	85 lbs	95 lbs	100 lbs
2.80 gpl	15 lbs	20 lbs	20 lbs	25 lbs	30 lbs	30 lbs	35 lbs	40 lbs	40 lbs	45 lbs	50 lbs

Pounds of Chlorine Stabilizer (Cyanuric Acid) Needed to Obtain 75 PPM

Pool Size in gallons (US)

Stabilizer Level Before Addition	10,000	12,000	14,000	16,000	18,000	20,000
00 PPM	6.25 lbs.	7.50 lbs.	8.75 lbs.	10.0 lbs.	11.25 lbs.	12.5 lbs.
10 PPM	5.40 lbs.	6.50 lbs.	7.60 lbs.	8.60 lbs.	9.75 lbs.	10.8 lbs.
20 PPM	4.60 lbs.	5.50 lbs.	6.40 lbs.	7.30 lbs.	8.25 lbs.	9.20 lbs.
30 PPM	3.75 lbs.	4.50 lbs.	5.25 lbs.	6.00 lbs.	6.75 lbs.	7.50 lbs.
40 PPM	2.90 lbs.	3.50 lbs.	4.00 lbs.	4.60 lbs.	5.25 lbs.	5.80 lbs.
50 PPM	2.00 lbs.	2.50 lbs.	2.90 lbs.	3.30 lbs.	3.75 lbs.	4.10 lbs.
60 PPM	1.25 lbs.	1.50 lbs.	1.75 lbs.	2.00 lbs.	2.25 lbs.	2.50 lbs.
70 PPM	0.40 lbs.	0.50 lbs.	0.60 lbs.	0.66 lbs.	0.75 lbs.	0.80 lbs.
75 PPM	None	None	None	None	None	None

Stabilizer Level Before Addition	22,000	24,000	26,000	28,000	30,000
00 PPM	13.75 lbs.	15.0 lbs.	16.25 lbs.	17.5 lbs.	18.75 lbs.
10 PPM	11.9 lbs.	12.9 lbs.	14.0 lbs.	15.2 lbs.	16.25 lbs.
20 PPM	10.0 lbs.	10.9 lbs.	11.9 lbs.	12.8 lbs.	13.75 lbs.
30 PPM	8.25 lbs.	9.00 lbs.	9.75 lbs.	10.5 lbs.	11.75 lbs.
40 PPM	6.40 lbs.	6.90 lbs.	7.58 lbs.	8.20 lbs.	8.75 lbs.
50 PPM	4.60 lbs.	4.90 lbs.	5.40 lbs.	5.80 lbs.	6.25 lbs.
60 PPM	2.75 lbs.	3.00 lbs.	3.25 lbs.	3.50 lbs.	3.75 lbs.
70 PPM	0.90 lbs.	1.00 lbs.	1.10 lbs.	1.20 lbs.	1.25 lbs.
75 PPM	None	None	None	None	None

Tip:
Add 1 1/4 lbs. Of Chlorine Stabilizer every time you need to add 50 lbs. of salt to the pool. The Chlorine Stabilizer reading should be maintained at 75 PPM