Resources

Book mark this page and refer back to it when necessary. Here you can find links to products listed on the Amazon network as well as comprehensive above-ground swimming pool installation information.

Water Volume in Above-Ground Pools

The Optimum water level in a pool is determined by the following picture. Pool heights are 52″ and 54″ (48″ being phased out) and your pool is filled to halfway up the skimmer. This provides equal parts of air and water going into your filtration system. Knowing this we can determine the optimum water volume your pool should hold for best filtration/circulation.

See The Charts Below:

4 Initial Steps to Above Ground Pool Ownership

Optimum Water Volume Round Pools

Pool Size ft	Pool Height 52″	Opt Vol 46″ (52″)	Pool height 54″	Opt Vol 48″ (54″)
12	3,659	3,237	3,800	3,378
15	5,717	5,058	5,437	5,278
18	8,233	7,283	8,550	7,600
21	11,206	9,913	11,637	10,344
24	14,636	12,948	15,199	13,511
27	18,524	16,387	19,237	17,099
28	19,922	17,623	20,688	18,389
30	22,869	20,231	23,749	21,110
33	26,672	24,479	28,736	25,543

Optimum Water Volume Oval Pools

Pool Size ft	Pool Height 52″	Opt Vol 46″ (52″)	Pool Height 54″	Opt Vol 48″ (54″)
8×12	2,492	2,208	2,548	2,265
12×17	5,295	4,694	5,416	4,814
12×24	7,476	6,626	7,646	6,796
15×26	10,124	8,973	10,354	9,204
15×30	11,682	10,354	11,947	10,620
18×33	15,420	13,667	15,770	14,018
18×40	18,691	16,567	19,116	16,992
21×43	23,441	20,778	23,974	21,310

Consider the higher the volume of water the greater amount of pool sanitation chemicals that will be needed.

How Much Swim Space Will You Need? Pool Surface Area

Consider the surface area when trying to figure out how large of a pool is necessary for your swim space needs. The following is the surface area of above-ground swimming pools. This is helpful when trying to figure out what size is good for your family.

Pool Size ft	Surface Area Sq Ft	How Many Swimming Comfortable
12	264	1-2
15	365	2
18	481	3
21	610	4-5
24	754	5-6
27	912	6-8
30	1084	8-10
33	1270	9-11
12×17	348	2-3
12×24	469	3-4
15×26	579	3-5
15×30	658	4-6
18×33	809	6-8
18×40	996	8-10
21×43	1148	9-12

Excavation Area Need for the Different Size Pools

Before purchasing a pool you may want to know the area the ground needs to be excavated to build a pool. You would first start with your city or town’s information regarding how far away from property lines, septic systems, existing decks, houses, etc. you need to be.

Once you know where the pool can go you can then size up the area. The dimensions you see a pool size is not the area you need for installing a pool. The pool size is just the swim area and doesn’t account for excavation sizes and actual pool installed size.

Pro-Tip

Determine before excavation where the filtration system’s location will be (Approx). Excavate that area outward a few extra feet. Most cities and towns require electrical to be 5-6ft away from the finished pool wall. By having this space already excavated placing pumps and performing electrical duties will be easier.

The following chart will give you the excavation size needed for above-ground pool sizes.

Excavation Size Chart

Pool Size ft	Excavation size needed ft
12	15 round
15	18 round
18	21 round
21	24 round
24	27 round
27	30 round
30	33 round
33	36 round
12×17	17×19
12×24	17×26
15×26	20×28
15×30	20×32
18×33	23×35
18×40	23×42
21×43	26×45

Base Materials and the Amounts Needed for different Size Pools

There are two types of base materials and one common liner protection material that is laid over the base material. Mason Sand and Stone Dust are used as the base of your above-ground swimming pool. A geo-Textile material (Pool Pad) is then laid over the base material before the pool liner is installed. The following are the amounts needed for the different size pools.

Pool Size ft	Mason Sand yards	Stone Dust yards	Pool Pad size ft
12	1	1	12
15	1	1	15
18	1.5	1.5	18
21	2	2	21
24	2.5	2.5	24
27	3.5	3.5	27
30	5	5	30
33	6	6	33
12×17	2	2	12×17
12×24	2.5	2.5	12×24
15×26	3	3	15×26
15×30	4	4	15×30
18×33	5	5	18×33
18×40	6	6	18×40
21×43	7	7	21×43

Electric Requirements for A.G. Pools- USA Map