Test Your Water
Use a liquid test kit or test strips to measure free chlorine, pH, total alkalinity, CYA, and calcium hardness.
100% Client-Side · Your Pool Data Never Leaves
A pool chemical calculator takes your current water test kit readings and calculates exact doses of liquid chlorine, muriatic acid, baking soda, CYA, and calcium chloride to bring every parameter into the ideal range. Includes a pool volume calculator for rectangular, round, and freeform shapes.
Pool & Water Chemistry
Don't know? Use the shape calculator below
📐 Calculate pool volume from dimensions
Current Readings
Enter values from your test kit or test strips.
Target: 3–5 ppm
Target: 7.2–7.6
Target: 80–120 ppm
Target: 30–50 ppm
Target: 200–400 ppm
Chemical Doses
Free Chlorine
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pH
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Total Alkalinity
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CYA / Stabilizer
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Calcium Hardness
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How It Works
Enter Readings
Plug in your pool volume and current chemistry values. PoolChem compares each to its ideal target range.
Get Exact Doses
Each chemical gets a precise dose in fluid ounces or pounds. Traffic-light badges show at a glance what's in range.
Priority Order
Chemical order matters — adjust pH before chlorine, alkalinity before pH. The priority list tells you what to add first.
Why Pool Water Chemistry Matters
Unbalanced pool water isn't just uncomfortable — it's destructive. Low pH corrodes metal fixtures and etches plaster. High pH makes chlorine ineffective, leading to algae blooms. Low calcium leaches minerals from your pool's surface. High CYA locks up your chlorine so it can't sanitize. PoolChem takes the guesswork out of chemical dosing by calculating exact amounts based on your pool's actual volume and current readings. Every calculation runs in your browser — your home and pool data never touches a server.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the correct order to add pool chemicals?
Always adjust in this order: (1) Total Alkalinity first (baking soda to raise, muriatic acid to lower), (2) pH second (muriatic acid to lower, soda ash to raise), (3) Calcium Hardness (calcium chloride to raise), (4) Cyanuric Acid/Stabilizer, and (5) Chlorine last. Wait 30 minutes between each chemical. Never mix chemicals directly.
What should pool water chemistry levels be?
Ideal ranges: Free Chlorine 2-4 ppm, pH 7.4-7.6, Total Alkalinity 80-120 ppm, Cyanuric Acid (CYA) 30-50 ppm, and Calcium Hardness 200-400 ppm. If using a saltwater generator, CYA can be 60-80 ppm. These ranges keep the water sanitized, comfortable, and non-corrosive to pool equipment.
How much liquid chlorine do I need for my pool?
To raise Free Chlorine by 1 ppm, add approximately 1 fl oz of 12.5% liquid chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) per 1,000 gallons. For a 15,000-gallon pool needing a 3 ppm increase: 15 × 3 = 45 fl oz (about 1.4 quarts). Always add chlorine in the evening — sunlight degrades unstabilized chlorine within hours.