About PoolBalance

Owning a pool comes with a running list of small arithmetic problems. How many gallons does this pool actually hold? How much chlorine does it take to move the reading from where it is to where it should be? Why does the pH keep drifting, and what does the label mean by “total alkalinity”? How long should the pump run each day to keep the water turning over? How much salt does a salt-water system need after a top-off? And roughly what will it cost to heat the pool for the weekend? None of these questions are difficult on their own, but working them out by hand, every time, is where pool care starts to feel like guesswork.

PoolBalance exists to take that guesswork off your plate. Instead of one long guide you have to read end to end, the site is built around a set of small, single-purpose calculators, each aimed at one task. The Pool Volume Calculatorworks out how many gallons or liters your pool holds from its shape and dimensions — the number every other calculator here depends on. The Chlorine Dosing Calculator estimates how much liquid chlorine, cal-hypo, or dichlor to add to reach a target free-chlorine reading. The pH & Alkalinity Balance Calculator estimates a starting dose of soda ash, muriatic acid, or baking soda to move your pH or total alkalinity toward its target range. The Pump Run-Time Calculator works out how many hours a day your pump needs to run for a full water turnover, and can estimate the electricity cost of running it. The Salt Calculator works out how many pounds of salt a salt-water chlorinator needs to reach its target level. And the Pool Heater Running-Cost Estimator estimates the run time and fuel or electricity cost to heat a pool to a target temperature, for gas heaters, heat pumps, and resistance heaters.

Beyond the calculators, the blog and learn section cover the chemistry and equipment behind the numbers the tools produce, and The Swimming Pool Museumis a browsable collection of the pools that shaped how we swim — ancient bathing places, Olympic pools, public lidos, and natural hot springs — with every entry, image, and fact drawn from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons.

A few things worth stating plainly. PoolBalance is an independent site, not affiliated with any pool-chemical manufacturer, equipment brand, or pool-service company. It is supported by advertising, which is how the tools stay free with no account required. Every result the tools produce — a volume, a dose, a run time, a cost estimate — is planning guidance built on the numbers you enter and standard, published pool-chemistry formulas, not a substitute for your product’s label, your equipment’s manual, or a professional water test. Chemical strengths vary by manufacturer and batch, so always confirm the exact numbers on what you actually have in hand, dose gradually, and re-test afterward. If something looks off in a tool or an article, the contact page is the place to say so.