How to Measure an Inground Swimming Pool

An in-ground swimming pool can be a luxury for any house, spa, hotel, or water park, but developing the pool does require some work. Whether constructing, deconstructing, or remodeling, taking exact measurements for the pool is vital. Knowing the depth, width, length, area, and volume of the pool is essential for adding the right amount of water, pool cleaners, or chemicals. Even when arriving at an exact number is difficult, a close estimate may be sufficient.

Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure
  • Calculator
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place one end of the measuring tape at a corner of the pool in the case of a square or rectangular-shaped pool. With one person holding the end at the corner, the other should walk the tape to the next corner and record the length (or width). Repeat this step by starting from the corner you ended at and walking the tape to the next corner.

    • 2

      Calculate the perimeter of the rectangular-shaped pool by doubling the two different figures and adding them together. For example, if the width is eight feet and the length is 12, the perimeter is 40 feet. The area is equal to the length times the width, so in the case of the eight x 12 pool, the area is 96 feet squared. You may need another person to help you measure the pool if it is very big.

    • 3

      Calculate the perimeter (circumference) of a circular pool by running a tape measure across the exact middle from one side of the pool to the other. This is the diameter. Use a calculator to multiply this figure by pi, or approximately 3.14. This will give you the circumference. To calculate the area, divide the figure you received for the diameter by two. Then, square this new number and multiply by pi. For example, if the diameter of the pool was 20 feet across, you would divide 20 by two to get 10. Then you would square 10 (10 times 10) to get 100. Multiply by pi, and 314 square feet would be the total area.

    • 4

      Determine the volume of a rectangular pool by taking the length times the width times the height. For the circular pool, multiply the area by the height to get volume.

    • 5

      Try to divide the pool area up into smaller, easier shapes to take measurements of a pool that is shaped differently. For example, if your pool is “L” shaped, calculate the area of two smaller rectangles and add them together in order to find the total area.