Calculated average depth

[marc9889]

Hi, and thanks in advance for the help with my question, and for all the great information I've found at TFP.

So the formula for average depth is pretty simple - Deep end depth - Shallow end depth divided by two. The part I don't understand is how this formula accounts for the slope on the sidewalls of the deep end. Like most pools, my pool has a moderate slope from the shallow to the deep end (east-west), but it also has steep sloping surfaces on the sidewalls (north side and south side) that do not have an equivalent feature in the shallow end. The white lines in the attached image are a good representation of what I'm referring to. All in put is welcome and will be read. Thanks!

 

[mas985]

Short answer is it doesn't account for that. Ideally, the average depth should be calculated at many different locations rather than just two. The error reduces with the number of locations chosen.

 

[cptkirk]

There are ways to use chemical tests (like TA) to estimate the pool size which are described in other threads. But if you want to do it by taking depth measurements, think about dividing the length of the pool into uniform slices (say every two feet). Then take depth measurements at regular intervals across the width of the pool in each slice, take the average, and multiply by the surface area of each slice. Then add up the volumes you calculate for each slice to get the total volume. Hope that makes sense.

 

[marc9889]

Thanks for the answers!