How To Shock A Pool
Youve got the chemical knowledge. Now its time for practical experience. Superchlorinating your pool is shockingly easy once you get the hang of it.
Important: Remember, if youre using chlorinated pool shock, wait until the sun goes down before adding it.
Supplies
Instructions
Should I Add Chlorine To A Saltwater Pool
Before I changed my non-saltwater pool to saltwater two years ago, I used to shock regularly.
Basically, a chlorine-based pool needs more maintenance than a saltwater pool. Unless there is an algae outbreak or a build-up of contaminants such as oil and soil, a saltwater pool does not need much treatment. This is because saltwater pools use chlorine generators to produce a chlorine compound similar to the chlorine in shock treatments.
Chlorine generators can be adjusted to increase the amount of chlorine in the pool, for instance, before heavy usage. However, this technically isn’t shocking. It is just a way to maintain chlorine at the recommended level.
This article is accurate and true to the best of the authors knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.
Does Liquid Chlorine Raise Ph
A: No. It does not raise pH. When dissolved in water, liquid chlorine enables Hypochlorous acid and Sodium hydroxide , which helps the level rise. However, when the Hypochlorous is deflated by UV, it births hydrochloric acid . The rate of this HCl is almost the same as the amount of NaOH therefore, any net effect on pH is nearly nothing or completely zero.
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Tips To Combat Algae In Your Pool
If you want to combat the algae issues in the pool adequately, you need to be thorough with the treatment of the pool.
- Constantly use the doses of medicine appropriately and at the right time for maximum effectiveness if not, all your efforts will be wasted.
- Brush the whole pool, especially areas with visible signs of algae. The brushing process may be done only on the first day of treatment.
- Regularly look into the filter pressure to clean as the need may arise.
Using A Saltwater Calculator
Salt charts are great tools for pool owners. In fact, most manufacturers provide salt charts for their salt chlorine generators inside the manual. However, if you misplaced your manual or simply dont like using the salt chart, you can use a salt water calculator.
Most of the major manufacturers like Hayward and Pentair have swimming pool calculators. Much like a regular calculator, you still have to input the correct number of gallons in your pool and you still have to measure your current salt levels, as well.
Its literally the same process. Below are examples of online calculators you can use to help streamline these calculations. Again, make sure you pay close attention to the parameters of the calculator. Some calculators determine how much salt you need to bring your pool to 3200 ppm while others will calculate to 3400 ppm.
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How To Treat Pool Algae
Algae can make a pool cloudy, clog filter systems and make pool surfaces slippery. The three most common colors of algae are green, black, and yellow . The best way to avoid an algae problem is to keep at least 1.0 ppm of free chlorine in pool water at all times. Constant filtration is also a must to prevent algae from growing .
| Water Color | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Green color, sometimes green spots on liner or entire body of water will be green. | Black color, sometimes black spots on liner or entire body of water will be black. | A yellow film usually found on liner. | |
| Cause | Insufficient chlorine levels and or inadequate filtration time. | Insufficient chlorine levels and or inadequate filtration time. | Insufficient chlorine levels and or inadequate filtration time. |
| Treatment | Check ph and alkalinity and adjust if necessary.STEP 2:Treat pool water with one of the chemical packages below.STEP 3:Brush liner and vacuum pool.STEP 4:Retest ph and alkalinity and repeat treatment if necessary. | STEP 1:Check ph and alkalinity and adjust if necessary.STEP 2:Treat pool water with one of the chemical packages below.STEP 3:Brush liner and vacuum pool.STEP 4:Retest ph and alkalinity and repeat treatment if necessary. | STEP 1:Check ph and alkalinity and adjust if necessary.STEP 2:Treat pool water with one of the chemical packages below.STEP 3:Brush liner and vacuum pool.STEP 4:Retest ph and alkalinity and repeat treatment if necessary. |
| Treats pools with |
Pool Shock: Shocking For Algae Removal
Welcome back to school, students! Summer is the perfect time to discuss algae and how to remove it by shocking the pool with Calcium Hypochlorite Ca2.
Chlorine is a Great Algaecide, I like to say. Faster kill rates and a more complete reaction than using algaecide or other oxidizers.
Cal Hypo is the perfect chlorine type to use to eradicate algae blooms powerful and economical.
Our discussion will focus on how much pool shock to use for complete algae removal, plus other tips on effective pool shocking.
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Why You Should Know This
Pool owners should never worry about this since its little education that is required to resolve such a problem. In case we assume that pH adjustment has been done and the water in the pool is clean, you should consider resolving your problem by simply adding granular chlorine to the pool. In the market, you will find out that most pool shock packages state addition of 1 lb. shock in every 10,000 pool water gallons.
Many people may be asking what might happen in case a less dosage for this is added, for this, a more combined chlorine can be created and thereby exacerbating the problem at large. To others, 30 ppm, seem to be such an excessive amount but then, this is truly the minimum required amount to resolve the problem. This is what is needed to break into the algae cell nucleus so that its DNA structure, so, its replication will become much impossible thereby killing it. As a pool owner, you need to know that chlorine sanitizers are usually with varying strengths, so, different dosages are required to bring about desired results for different pools.
To resolve this problem, there is need first an individual to determine the type of algae a pool has developed. There normally exist three types of algae namely the standard green algae, the dreaded black one, and the stubborn yellow type.
Before Shocking Your Pool
Normally, shocking your pool can temporarily cloud your pool. If you do not give your pool water enough time to breathe between treatments, you are compiling all of the cloudiness at once. At this rate, you wont see any improvements.
Still, before adding shock or chlorine, we recommend that you test your pool water first. If you are responsible for maintaining your own pool its a good idea to keep a good test kit on hand. This helps you to avoid having to run up to your local pool store for a test. First, test your Free Chlorine and Total Chlorine levels to determine how much Combined Chlorine you have. Your Combined Chlorine tells you how much shock you need to add.
Although most manufacturers include instructions for shock treatment, charts, and/or steps to help you calculate how much shock you need, if you still prefer to calculate it yourself, we have included the steps below.
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The Most Significant Advantage Of Both Baking Soda And Soda Ash
Soda ash has a very high PH level of 11.4, thus making it ideal for increasing the acidity of water, without having much effect on alkalinity.
However, baking soda which has a PH level of 8.3, and can also be used for adjusting the PH level of a pool, but will have more impact on the alkalinity level as we saw in the example mentioned above. Overall, baking soda is ideal for adjusting the alkalinity of a pool, than it is for improving the PH level-even though it can also be used to an extent. Whereas soda ash is best at adjusting the PH level without impacting much on the overall alkalinity of the pool, as only a small quantity of it would be required to raise the acidity level of a pool.
Above Ground Swimming Pools
Staten Island Pool and Spa offers the best inabove ground pools and can supply all of your pool equipment and pool maintenance needs. Our swimming pools are easily installed above ground or semi inground so that you and your family can enjoy a full season of fun and relaxation in your new swimming pool. We carry the highest quality above the ground pools available. Our pool store is open 7 days a week.
Whether you are looking for a good quality above ground pool at an affordable price, or our best aboveground pools on the market, Staten Island Pool and Spa has the swimming pool for you. We also offer everything you need for your new above ground pool. Use our Custom Pool Package Builder to decide which pool is right for you, where you can select a pool filter, pool liner, pool ladder, and accessories to compliment your new pool.
You will also need pool chemicals which we offer for your convenience.
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Light Green Pool Water
If you have a light green pool, you need to shock your pool in order to kill the algae.
Algae feeds off high pH. Chlorine isn’t as effective when your pH is high. Youll need to lower your pH using hydrochloric acid. Start with around 1L to 2L. Be careful when adding it to the pool, ensuring it doesn’t splash up on you as it is highly toxic and dangerous. If your pool is vinyl lined, only add 1L every 24 hours, as it’s more sensitive to harsh chemicals.
You also need to shock your pool with chlorine. Add 2 cups of granulated chlorine or 3 tubs of 15L chlorine . If your pool is salt water chlorinated, add 2 to 4 bags of salt and turn your chlorinator to 100% for a couple of days to really boost that chlorine and get that water sanitised. Your salt levels should be sitting at around 5000ppm , with each 20kg bag of salt equating to 500ppm.
Note: Keep the pump running for at least 24 hours when shocking the pool to make sure all of the water is properly circulated around the pool!
*We recommend only using stabilised chlorine if absolutely necessary. Preferably, you should be using non-stabilised chlorine and adding in your stabiliser separately to avoid a chlorine lock .
The reason for this is because you require much less stabiliser than you do chlorine.This issue can be avoided as a whole by installing a chlorinator if you don’t already have one.”
How Much Liquid Chlorine To Add To A Pool
First conduct a water test to determine the chlorine level. Water test kits are readily available at numerous stores and online, and come with detailed instructions to decipher how to read the results.
An important thing to mention here is that the chlorine that is measured is actually free chlorine, there is no differential.
To determine the amount of liquid chlorine you need to add, first consider the total water capacity of your pool. Most chlorine comes in packing suitable to be used per 1000 gallons of water. If the water capacity of your pool falls outside of that, there are chlorine calculators online to assist you in determining the correct quantity of chlorine to add.
It is recommended to keep chlorine levels maintained between 1 ppm and 3 ppm. Above 3 ppm concentration of chlorine in pool water can cause irritation to the eyes and skin of swimmers.
When adding chlorine, keep the pool pump running for proper dispersion and refrain from swimming until the level is below 3 ppm.
IMPORTANT NOTE! Liquid chlorine is an extremely harsh chemical and must be handled with precaution. It has a higher pH value than the powder form so it is highly likely the pH will need to be re-balanced after adding it. It is also highly corrosive and can cause burns or damage to pool equipment if not used correctly. Always handle any pool chemical with caution and wear protective clothing, gloves, and eye protection.
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How Much Liquid Chlorine Needed For 20000
The general and ideal measure of the pool water balance against chlorine is always expected to be between the range of 1 to 3 Parts Per Million .
It implies that whether for a 20000-gallon pool, for 15000-gallon pool, or a 10000-gallon pool, you will be required to have chlorine of about 0.00013 ounces per gallon of pool water.
You will also need to calculate the amount of chlorine required to chlorinate your swimming pool super since different pools have various kinds of sizes.
Since most of the products you will purchase at the store will be mostly best suited for the swimming pool with the 10,000 gallons of pool water capacity, it simply means for a 20000-gallon pool you will buy a double of the products.
Doing this is just the wisest and most rational decision to make. You will not need to rack your brain and disturb yourself about calculations on the amount of liquid chlorine to use for this kind of large pool.
Just in case you are feeling or getting confused, follow the instructions on the product on how much liquid chlorine to add to raise the treatment level to your taste, especially to the volume of pool water available to you. It would be best if you did this after calculating the size of the pool, as this will help determine the number of gallons it contains.
How Much Bleach Should I Add To My Pool
So, how much bleach to add to the pool? First, you need to know how much bleach to use. To do so, you need to know the chlorine levels of the pool. Get yourself a chlorine testing pool kit and follow the manufacturers instructions.
You want to have a chlorine level of 1-3ppm so you can make sure that your water is safe for swimmers and free from contamination.
Clorox is considered to be the most common bleach product that is used for pools. It has a 5.7% concentration, so if you have a 5,000-gallon pool, you will be using 3 cups or 24 oz to raise the chlorine levels.
If you do not know how many gallons your pool holds, just multiply the length, , and finally and you will have an estimated volume. If you have a round pool multiply that volume by 5.9, if you have an oval pool multiply by 6.7 and for a rectangular pool multiply by 7.5 gallons. The final result will be an estimate of how much water your pool holds.
If you need to calculate how much bleach or Clorox you need to shock your pool, you will have to use 1/2 gallon of bleach per 10,000 gallons of water to raise the chlorine levels by 5 ppm. If you are just trying to raise the chlorine level by 2.5 ppm, then you will have to use as much as a ¼ gallon of bleach per 10,000 gallons of water. Use this basic math to figure out how much ppm you have to raise your pool by and go from there. Make sure to continually test the pool water.
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First Test Your Water Chemistry
Before you go adding a bunch of chemicals to your pool water, you need to test your water to get accurate measurements of your current alkalinity level. Read our guide on testing your pool water with a testing kit to learn how to do it effectively.
Once you have your reading, youll know whether your alkalinity level is too high or too low . To raise your alkalinity levels, youll add sodium bicarbonate to your pool water. To lower it, youll use muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate. I know what youre thinkingbaking soda? Yep, there are also other household products you can use to clean your pool.
Dark Green Pool Water
If you have dark green pool water, you should look to follow the above steps, but with a slightly higher dose of acid and chlorine. Adding, for example, 2 to 3 litres of acid over a space of 48 hours and adding 2 to 3 cups of granulated chlorine. Also, darker green water may also be a cause of stagnant debris sitting on the bottom of the pool which needs to be cleaned out before you dose it. Be sure that this has all been scooped up using a leaf shovel, followed by being manually vacuumed out of the pool using a vacuum head, an appropriate length hose for your pool and a telepole.
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