PAC Dose Calculator
Seasonal taste-and-odor events mean feeding powdered activated carbon. Enter plant flow and your jar-test dose to get the daily feed rate in pounds and 50-lb bags.
PAC Feed Rate
| Item | Value |
|---|
How the calculation works
Formulas
Feed (lb/day) = 8.34 × flow (MGD) × dose (mg/L)
Fifty-pound bags per day = lb/day / 50
Feed (lb/day) = 8.34 × flow (MGD) × dose (mg/L)
Fifty-pound bags per day = lb/day / 50
Notes & limitations
The 8.34 factor is the weight of one gallon of water in pounds (8.34 lb/gal), the standard US water-treatment conversion. Dose selection should come from jar testing against your raw water — not from this calculator.
- PAC is typically fed ahead of coagulation/flocculation so contact time removes the taste-and-odor compounds before filtration.
- Handle PAC per its safety data sheet: the dust is a respiratory irritant and can be explosible in air at high concentrations.
- Track usage against the seasonal event: overfeeding wastes chemical and adds solids load to the plant.
- This tool sizes the feed rate only — contact basin hydraulics and mixing determine actual removal.
← All water treatment calculators · Related: Chemical Dosing Calculator