Inground Pool Sizes With Water Capacity

A backyard inground swimming pool of any size is something desired by more than a few homeowners and renters. There's little doubt that swimming pools provide plenty of opportunity for fun and quality time spent with family and friends. Imagine all the fun one can have in a truly large swimming pool. Happily, the only limitation on swimming pool size is the land needed to build one. Most prospective pool owners, though, limit pool selection to certain sizes and depths. Does this Spark an idea?

Common Pool Sizes

When it comes to backyard inground swimming pool size, the PoolAndSpa.com website lists three standard sizes. All three standard swimming pool sizes are also available in vinyl liner, fiberglass or concrete, which are the three materials used in swimming pool construction. Common inground swimming pool sizes include 16 feet by 32 feet, 18 feet by 36 feet and 20 feet by 40 feet. Most inground swimming pools also vary in their depth, with a minimum of 3 feet and a maximum of 8 feet being common.

Figuring Pool Volume

Each cubic foot contains 7.5 gallons of water. The volume of a 16-by-32-foot inground swimming pool that runs from 3 to 8 feet in depth is 21,120 gallons -- 16 x 32 x 5.5 (average depth) = 2,816 x 7.5 = 21,120. Standard swimming pool packages typically include sloping floors that run shallow to deep, such as 3 to 6 feet. An 18-by-36-foot pool with a 6-foot average depth would contain 29,160 gallons. A 20-by-40-foot pool with a 6.5-foot average depth would contain 39,000 gallons of water.

Non-Standard Shapes

Determining the volume of a non-standard shaped swimming pool requires more calculation. For example, the backyard inground swimming pool market contains kidney-shaped swimming pools in sizes from 10 feet by 20 feet up to 16 feet by 32 feet. Figuring the volume of a kidney-shaped pool requires knowing its length, average width and average depth. For example, the volume of a kidney-shaped pool that is16 feet (average width) by 32 feet by 5 feet (average depth) is 19,200 gallons (16 x 32 x 5 = 2,560 x 7.5 = 19,200).

Considerations

Knowing a swimming pool's water volume is important when it comes to maintaining its water chemistry. Before adding any pool chemical to a pool, you'll need to know the pool volume so that the correct amount of chemical can be added. Price-wise, sticking with standard or common shapes when it comes to an inground pool keeps the cost lower. The cost of any swimming pool, though, regardless of the size or shape, often doubles once options like landscaping, spas and decks are added in.