How to Calculate Gallons for a Baby Pool

Calculate gallons for your baby pool to help keep the water clean and in balance.

Baby pools do not have filtration systems, but they are still at risk for growing parasites that can make your younger children ill. By using middle school math, you can calculate the gallons for your pool and safely add some protection to your pool.

Things You'll Need

  • Baby pool
  • Water hose
  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Calculator
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Instructions

  1. Calculating Gallons for Your Baby Pool

    • 1

      Find the dimensions on your pool. If the dimensions are not listed, measure the length, width, and height of the pool.

    • 2

      With a rectangular pool, multiple the length times the width times the height. Divide this number by 231, which is the number of cubic inches in a gallon. For example, in a rectangular pool that measures 60 inches by 48 inches by 22 inches, the total measurement is 63,360 cubic inches. Divide that number by 231 and you get 274 gallons.

    • 3

      With a circular pool, use the formula volume = 3.14 (pi) times radius squared times height. You calculate radius squared by taking half the diameter of the pool and multiplying it by itself. In a pool measuring 18 square inches by 48 square inches, the equation is v = 3.14 X 24 X 24 X 18. Therefore the volume would be 32,555 cubic inches. Divide that number by 231 and you get 141 gallons.

    • 4

      Check your math using an online conversion calculator, converting cubic inches to U.S. gallons.