Filling a pool with water may be easy, but knowing how much you have to spend on it can be a bit complex. As you’ll see later, there are a few factors that will determine it.
This expense will add up to your pool maintenance costs every month. And knowing your budget for it will keep you on top of your finances, helping you to save money.
So, here in this article, we’ll explore the costs of filling your swimming pool with water, the formulas you can use to calculate it, and the various water supply types!
The Typical Cost of Filling a Pool with Water
Typically, homeowners spend between $60 and $1,250 to supply a swimming pool in their homes with water. Take note that the pool we’re referring to is of the average size.
In terms of gallons, you can expect to spend around $4 to $10 per 1,000 gallons of water.
It can be tricky to know exactly how much water your pool needs because the water requirement differs depending on its size and shape. There are wide and curved pools varying in depth, long and shallow pools, and so forth.
And then, you have to consider your water supply source and whether you’re filling the pool to the brim or up to a certain level only.
To recap, there are four factors you have to consider: the pool size, pool shape, water source type, and whether you’re filling the pool partially or fully.
The Formulas for Different Types of Pools
As we said, not all pools are made equally in design and capacity. And so, they need varying amounts of water to fill them up.
Worry not, as all it takes is some number crunching to know how much water your pool really needs. Just follow the formulas listed below and you’ll get them.
- Circular Pool Formula
Diameter length (a) x diameter length (b) x depth x 5.9
- Rectangular Pool Formula
Length (a) x length (b) x depth x 7.5
Note: If your water has different depths, simply get the average of all of them. Then, plug this amount into the depth variable you see in the formula above.
The Basic Per-Gallon Formula
You can also try the basic per-gallon formula. The only variables you need for it are the pool capacity in terms of gallons and your water or sewer rate per 1,000 gallons.
Here’s the formula for it:
(Pool capacity in gallons/1,000) x water and sewer cost per 1,000 gallons
For instance, you have a 20,000-gallon pool and a bill of $10 per 1,000 gallons. Putting them in the formula makes it (20,000/1,000) x 10 = $200.
The Different Water Source Types
There are different types of pool water sources: city water, well water, and water delivery service. Let’s now take a look at each of them and their costs.
- City Water
City water is the most affordable water source for your pool. It averages at $0.004 per gallon and getting 10,000 to 30,000 gallons will cost you roughly $40 to $120.
Mind you, however, this differs from one city to another. Those locations that are experiencing drought can fine you if you use water over your allotted limit.
- Well Water
Well water is an attractive option for a lot of people. That’s because you don’t have to pay monthly water bills for this water source type.
Although, you’d have to pay for using the electricity that powers the well pump to move the water from below the ground to above it.
The formula for well-water supply price is almost the same as the basic gallon formula from earlier. It’s (pool capacity in gallons/1,000) x power cost per 1,000 gallons).
Suppose you have a 10,000-gallon pool and pay $50 per 1,000 gallons for well water. It will now be (10,000/1,000) x 150, so you will spend $500 for the well-water pool supply.
- Water Delivery Service
To simplify matters, you can just locally hire a water delivery service. This service is offered by many pool specialists.
For this, you’ll have to consider the type of water supplied and how much you need for your pool.
On average, you can expect to pay somewhere between $1,250 and $1,900 per 30 gallons of water for this service. Delivery is already factored into these rates.
