Pooldex

Above ground and frame pools

Above-ground pools need the same chemistry as any pool, but they hold less water than the box size suggests, so every dose has to start from the right volume. Intex rates its Easy Set 18 ft × 48 in at 5,455 gallons, while simple geometry at the same fill gives about 6,091. Find your model's real capacity first, then use the start-up, weekly, and closing guides below.

Always follow your product’s label directions. Pool and spa chlorine, bromine, shock and algaecides are EPA-registered pesticides: use products labeled for pool or spa use, and don’t swim or soak until levels are within the limit on your product’s label. If this page and a label disagree, the label wins.

Find your pool's gallons

In our comparison of 26 above-ground pools with a stated fill level, the median model holds 0.933 times the volume its nominal size suggests, and inflatable-ring pools go as low as 0.823. Look up your model in the above-ground pool gallons chart, or open a single size such as the 18 ft round or 24 ft round page. Every size we cover is listed in pool gallons by size. Or measure yours: the pool volume calculator has an above-ground mode (pick Round or Oval, then "Above-ground wall height") that corrects for how full these pools really are.

Start-up chemicals

A new fill needs three things: chlorine in the target range, a little stabilizer (CYA) so sunlight doesn't destroy the chlorine, and alkalinity and pH in range. The Intex chemicals guide lists first-fill amounts by model, and the same method works for any brand. With your gallons and one test, the pool chemical calculator gives the amounts in order; target levels are on the pool chemical chart.

Weekly routine

Test free chlorine and pH often (the CDC's home-pool advice is at least twice a day), top up chlorine, skim, brush, and clean the filter when the flow drops. The above-ground maintenance checklist covers the routine and what differs from an inground pool, including why chemistry changes faster in small pools. Frame pools on tablets often drift low on pH: see how to raise pH, and check how much stabilizer your tablets add with the chlorine tablets calculator.

Intex

Intex publishes capacity for each pool, but at different fill levels: 80% for Easy Set, 90% for most frame pools. See Intex pool gallons by model for 25 pools and the chlorine amount for each.

Bestway

Steel Pro MAX, Power Steel (APX 365), and Fast Set capacities from Bestway's own pages, plus start-up and weekly care, are on the Bestway pool page.

Small pools and kiddie pools

Under about 1,000 gallons, doses shrink to teaspoons, and the CDC advises emptying small kiddie pools at least daily instead of adding chlorine. The kiddie pool chlorine page explains when chlorine makes sense. Galvanized farm tanks have their own issues (rust, no skimmer), covered in stock tank pool care.

Closing for winter

If you close in the fall, do it when the water is cooling, not after the first freeze. The step-by-step guide on how to close an above-ground pool covers final chemistry, water level, the air pillow, and whether a frame pool should come down.

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Calculators

Guides

Sizes and models