Filter And Rebalance The Water
After you finish the shocking process, Adrian recommends running the filter for 24 hours or until the water is clear. You should then retest the water again to check it meets the correct balance.
‘When the chlorine level is below 5 ppm, and the pH level is 7.4-7.6, youre good to swim again,’ he says.
Then when your water is safe, you can enjoy experimenting with the perfect pool landscaping ideas for your garden so you really are garden party-ready.
What Type Of Shock Should I Use
The type of shock you should use will depend on your water chemistry and the reason you’re shocking. If the water is green, you should use a cal-hypo shock. However, if you’re shocking as part of weekly maintenance and your pool looks clean, you can use sodium dichlor, potassium monopersulfate or sodium hypochlorite.
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Suitable For All Pool Types
Non-chlorine shock treatment is suitable for all types of pools, whether theyre inground, semi inground, or above ground. Its also pool finish friendly, unlike chlorine which can fade and damage vinyl liners.
Additionally, non-chlorine shock is ideal for more gentle pools that use a saltwater system.
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.
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Check Your Pool Chemistry
After youve waited the recommended number of hours, you still need to test your pools chlorine levels before letting anyone swim.
Make sure the levels have returned to normal before you allow anyone in.
Note that low pH levels are important here: if your pH level is over 8.0, your pool shock is basically useless. Shoot for a pH level of around 7.2 if you need to lower it.
Best Pool Shock: 5 Buys To Get Your Pool Swim Ready
Our guide will help you decide on the best pool shock to keep your pool crystal clear all summer long
Summer is coming, and it will be pool season before you know it. But before you dive in, youll need the best pool shock for your swimming pool. There are lots of different pool shock treatments available and it can be difficult to decide whats right for you. Do you want liquid, powder, or tablets? And which chemicals should you choose?
Shocking your pool is essential for clean, clear water. Shocking involves adding a strong dose of chemicals to the pool water to eliminate contaminants. Even if youre habitual in managing your pool’s chemistry, youll still need to shock your pool from time to time. Most experts recommend doing it weekly.
The most common pool shock treatments are chlorine-based to kill bacteria, but others are chlorine-free and oxidize the water to burn contaminants and many contain algaecide too. They all aim to leave your pool sparkling and safe to swim in.
We looked for the most readily available, best value, and easiest pool shocks to use, whether you have an above-ground pool or an inground pool. We’ve found that shock in powder form tends to be best for backyard pool owners, so our list focuses on the very best of these.
Whether youre looking for a shock that’s budget-friendly, super-strong, or something in between, weve done the research for you and pulled together all our favorites right here.
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What Is Pool Shocking
Pool shocking is the process of managing and cleaning a pool to prevent further accumulation of bacteria or other contaminants. The process involves using pool shock, which is an oxidizer used to treat pools. This shock will sanitize and disinfect the pool to make it much safer to use.
Another term associated with pool shock is breakpoint chlorination. This is when a pool shock is used for the removal of the combined chlorine present in the pool. To reach this breakpoint, the needed pool shock must contain 10 times higher than the combined chlorine in the unit of parts per million.
3 Things to Remember Before Pool Shock Use
- Read the label carefully and follow the directions. This is true for any pool shock product.
- The pool shock must be kept in a cool and dry area.
- Never play with the pool shock. Only apply the chemicals to the pool and not anywhere else.
Chemical Shock Is Important For Pool Water Maintenance
Adding chemical shock to your pool is an important part of maintaining safe and healthy pool water. Shock is especially important to add to your pool before and after it has been heavily used. Adding chemical shock to your pool is essentially tripling or quadrupling the regular amount of chemicals in your pool water. This process keeps your pool water clean and safe by raising overall chlorine levels which kills bacteria and other organic materials in your pool while simultaneously increasing the effectiveness of the chlorine in your pool.
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Hth Ultimate Pool Shock And Chlorine Cleaner
HTH makes some of my all-time favorite pool cleaners and also recommend their pool algaecide for clearing green water and their chlorine tablets for regular chlorination of your pool or spa.
The HTH Ultimate Pool Shock is a powder shock that includes half a dozen 1lb treatments. Each lump of powder can treat up to a 13,500 gallon pool and this shock is strong enough to drop-kick algae and bacteria without damaging pool liners and above-ground swimming pools.
The HTH Ultimate Pool Shock takes about 24hrs to do its thing , contains a built-in clarifier, and prevents scale formation. Giddyup!
Should I Shock My Pool When I First Fill It Up
At first you’ll add chlorine in what’s called shock levels an extra heavy dose to start your pool off. A shock dose coupled with extra circulation will ensure that all the water gets treated properly in the beginning. … Now it’s time to keep the water hardness in check, otherwise known as alkalinity.
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Dohenys Super Pool Shock
This pool shock is perfect for opening your pool after you have not used it for an entire winter. It can shock the water back into that crystal-clear state that it was in before you winterized the pool killing all the algae and bacteria in only a matter of days.
A great selling point of this pool shock is that it is sold at a very good price which is great if you are trying to give your pool a shock on a budget. Containing a concentration of 68% calcium hypochlorite, it will give your pool enough of a shock so that all the contaminants will go away.
It is also perfect to give your pool an emergency shock after a long rainy period. Depending on the state of the pool, you may have to use a slightly larger quantity of pool shock but nonetheless, it does a fairly good job.
Pros
- Very efficient in giving your pool that crystal-clear blue look
- Very affordable price, perfect for those shopping on a budget
- The strong chlorine boost is perfect for pool openings
Cons
How Often Should You Shock Your Pool
The frequency of pool shocking isnt set in stone, and it really only needs to be done when your water starts going haywire.
Some things youll be able to visually see , but most water pollutants will be invisible.
There are some pool owners who like to shock once a week to keep the water its cleanest, while others will do it on a 3-week or monthly cycle.
Shocking frequency also depends on how much use the pool is getting, and what kind of weather its being subjected to. Heavy rainfall and storms can disrupt the pool waters chemical makeup by introducing backyard debris and air pollutants like dust and pollen spores into the water.
Likewise, an increase in the number of people using the pool will bring in more organic bacteria, resulting in a chlorine level decrease. If you have a pool party, youll most likely have to shock the pool once its over.
Youll also want to apply shock treatment when opening the pool, and closing it down for the season.
On opening, after youve balanced its pH level, shocking will sanitize and oxidize the pool, restoring its clear water. On closing, pool shock is used as a disinfectant to prepare the pool for the winter months.
Also of note, if you were wondering, you cant overshock a pool. The worst that will happen is the water has an abundance of chlorine for a few hours. Once the sun comes out, it will quickly destroy the chlorine and bring the pool back to a level that is safe for swimmers.
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Which Is The Best Chlorine Shock Sodium Hypochlorite Vs Calcium Hypochlorite
There are two common types of chlorine shockssodium hypochlorite and calcium hypochlorite and each is used for a different purpose. Apart from these two, there are also other types of special pool shocks including:
- potassium peroxymonosulphate
- lithium hypochlorite
- dichloroisocyanuric acid
However, all these special shocks, including calcium hypochlorite, are not recommended for regular pool sanitization. This is because their continued use introduces other compounds in your pool water, including calcium, pH, and cyanuric acid, leading to increased levels of these chemicals in your water.
This article is mainly about two common shocks: sodium hypochlorite for daily chlorination and calcium hypochlorite for fighting algae during algae breakout.
The type of pool shock to use in your pool will depend on what you need to achieve, which may include clearing cloudy water, killing germs/bacteria, or fighting pool algae.
Wont Increase Cyanuric Acid Levels
Cyanuric acid is a sunlight protectant for chlorine. Without CYA in the water, chlorine will be eaten up by the suns UV rays within a matter of hours. Non-chlorine shock doesnt contain CYA, therefore the CYA levels in the pool wont rise when you use it.
Why is this important?
Too much CYA in the pool can lock the pools free chlorine. If this occurs, the residual chlorine becomes less effective as a sanitizing agent, and water issues will arise.
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Pool Shock Hold The Chlorine
Non-chlorine shock isnt really shock, but more just an oxidizing agent for your pool.
It doesnt function the same as a traditional chlorinated shock does, so you have to be aware of how it interacts with your pool before deciding if its the best solution to keeping your pool water clean over the long haul.
What Amount Of Chlorine Shock Do I Add In My Pool
Liquid chlorine or sodium hypochlorite is always around 12.5% chlorine. Regular bleach is less stronger compared to sodium hypochlorite and is always around 8%you will need to use a lot of it, as compared to sodium hypo.
For regular pool sanitization and clearing cloudy water, the right amount of liquid chlorine to add to your pool will depend on your pool size and the percentage of chlorine you are using. For instance, 10 fluid ounces of 12.5% HASA Sani-Clor or Chloro Guard will provide enough liquid chlorine to raise FC on 10,000 gallons of pool water by 1 ppm.
However, if you have severely cloudy pool water with the following signswon’t clear easily after adding a lot of chlorine, high combined chlorine levels , or very low free chlorine and cyanuric acid levelsyou might be having ammonia in your pool, and you need extra work to clear stubborn cloudy pool water caused by ammonia.
For algae treatment, I always recommend using calcium hypochlorite, which is stronger and always comes with around 60% chlorine concentration. To kill algae, you need to triple shock your swimming pool using calcium hypo. For instance, for sanitising a pool using cal hypo , 1 pound of In The Swim cal hypo should work for a 10,000-gallon pool. As such, since you need to triple shock the pool in case of algae breakout, you will need 3 pounds of calcium hypochlorite chlorine shock to kill green, black, and yellow algae in a 10,000-gallon pool.
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What About For My Hot Tub Do I Need To Shock That Too
Congratulations, youre one of the fortunate among us with a hot tub. But calcium hypochlorite is not for you. This is because its unstabilized, meaning that it breaks down in heat like direct sunlightand loses 95% of its effectiveness in a hot tub. But dont think youre in the clear: no matter what sanitizer you use, you still have to worry about chlorines .
To shock your hot tub, youll want to use a stabilized shock like dichlor shock, which is also inexpensive and widely available. That is, unless you use two specific sanitizers: for a biguanide sanitizer, youre better opting in for a biguanide shock, and for a spa mineral sanitizer, youll want non-chlorine shock.
All cleaning chemicals only spread evenly thanks to your pool pump. For thorough circulation, try the 1.5 HP Variable Speed Blue Torrent Thunder Pool Pump. It pays itself off in energy saved and includes a lifetime warranty. As customer Eric D. says, For variable speeds, cant find much better price than this. Day one, I fired this pump up and it ran clean and fast.
Add The Shock At Night
Once you know the right dosage, the expert suggests mixing the shock as per the manufacturers directions before pouring it around the outside of the pool.
‘It’s particularly important to do this at night, so the sun doesnt burn off the chlorine,’ he says. You should then run the pool pump for a few hours , then switch it off and leave the pool overnight.
Adrian explains that you may need to repeat this process another 1-3 times, especially if your pool is particularly dirty. ‘This is where most pool owners go wrong they shock only once.
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Super Chlorinate Vs Shock
Superchlorination and shocking are very similar because they both raise the levels of free chlorine, but they technically arent the same. A pool shock raises the chlorine levels almost instantly to breakpoint chlorination, a very high level thats designed to eliminate chloramines and other harmful microorganisms. The superchlorinate feature raises chlorine levels gradually and at a lower concentration, especially if your generator is already operating at 50% or higher of its maximum output.
How do I know whether to Shock or Superchlorinate?
The super chlorinate button should be used occasionally for the reasons mentioned above every couple weeks or as necessary. If you find that your chloramine levels have risen substantially and increasing the chlorine output on the generator isnt solving the problem, it might be a good idea to shock the water.
The idea of a shock is a quick fix to give the chlorine and generator a boost to get back on top of the germ-fighting game. You will find that once you have truly shocked your pool to breakpoint chlorination, the generator will keep things running smoothly at the correct chlorine output. We often recommend a pool shock during springtime pool opening just for this reason.
Disclaimer
Please use all appropriate and proper safety precautions when attempting projects on this website. All projects are attempted at the readers own risk.
How Shocking Your Pool Works
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Can I Just Drop Pool Shock Right In
As long as you have shock that doesnt require pre-dissolving, adding pool shock to your pool is unbelievably easy. All you have to do is walk slowly around the perimeter of your pool and pour it straight in.
If you have a type of sodium hypochlorite that requires pre-dissolving, add each pound to a five pound bucket of water and give it a mix and some time before adding it to your pool.
In either case, if you have an outdoor pool remember to apply pool shock at dusk or at night, or the sun will burn out the compound that makes it effective. True to its name, pool shock for pools is usually unstabilized. If youre adding pool shock to your hot tub, any time will do.
Unless youre using a non-chlorine shock, youll want to wait eight hours after using shock before you jump back into the pool. If youre a night swimmer, go you. Just add pool shock in after youre done for the day.
Shocking your above-ground pool? Make sure its circulated properly with a high-powered pump like the Copper Force Above Ground Pool Pump, which has three options for horsepower and an ultra-cool operation. According to customer Doug Paar, The pump is very quiet and has good pressure. I would recommend.
