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