1) After shock - Sometimes pool water looks cloudy right after you apply shock granules such as cal-hypo, or liquid shock, but rest assured it's only temporary. This could be due to change in water balance – meaning your pool water temporarily goes off balance when adding these products.
Cloudy or milky water after shocking is normal, and the water should clear up within an hour or so. Just make sure your pump and filter are running properly. If you add algaecide, keep in mind that some algaecide contains copper, which can actually make a pool cloudy.
In most cases, a cloudy pool after shocking is only temporary and should clear up within 24 hours. Keep filtering your pool, add a little clarifier to help, and your pool should be clear in no time. If after 24 hours your pool is not clear, then you may need to look a little deeper for the solution.
What happens if too much shock is added? You cannot overshock a swimming pool or add too much. Adding too much shock or overshocking your pool will kill off algae. The negative of adding too much shock is it will upset the chemical balance of your pool.
To clear cloudy water, you may need to run the filter 24 hours for a day or so to expedite the clean-up. For sand filters, adding a small amount of Alum acts as a filter aid, and flushes out with a backwash. Both sand and cartridge filters benefit from a chemical cleansing, using a filter cleaner.
Cloudy water may still be safe to swim in, but if the chemicals are not balanced, then swimmers can experience red eyes, irritated skin, and rashes. If the cause is environmental factors, it can usually be cleared up with a clarifier and regular cleaning.
Rainwater can make your swimming pool cloudy in a hurry.
It's pretty tough to over-shock your pool; shocking your pool two days in a row with the proper dosage for your pool volume shouldn't be a problem – and in fact, is sometimes even needed to rid your pool of algae and other contaminants.
It's often recommended to shock your pool once a week. If you don't do it every week, you should at least do it every other week. This is necessary to maintain your pool's water chemistry. If you have a lot of people over in your pool or have a party, you may want to shock your pool more frequently.
How Often Should I Shock My Pool? Shocking your pool regularly will help to keep the water clean and free of contaminants. You should aim to shock your pool about once a week, with the additional shock after heavy use. Some tell-tale signs that your pool needs to be shocked are cloudy, foamy, green, or odourous water.
If washing the gravel doesn't solve the problem, the next most likely cause of cloudy water in a newly filled tank is a high level of dissolved constituents, such as phosphates, silicates, or heavy metals. If you test the water, you'll likely find that the pH is high (alkaline).
Final Thoughts. Running your filter after shocking your pool is a must and is just as important to your pool as shocking it is. Be sure to run your filter for at least 6 hours, but shoot for 24 hours to several days, if your pool is particularly dirty or has algae, to properly circulate the chlorine and clean the water ...
Chlorine is a sanitizer, and (unless you use Baquacil products) is necessary for maintaining a clear and healthy pool. Shock is chlorine, in a high dose, meant to shock your pool and raise the chlorine level quickly.
A 1000 gallon pool may just need 0.13 ounces or a little higher. Instead of using Clorox, I recommend regular liquid chlorine bleach or Sodium Hypochlorite for daily shocking, Clorox has lots of Calcium Hypochlorite and is good only for killing algae.
Storms or increased rainfall can affect your pool. So can too much sunlight, which can heat up the pool, allowing more bacteria to grow. The sun's ultraviolet rays can break down a pool's chlorine, resulting in lower levels of this chemical. Even having a lot of people over to swim might lead to a cloudy pool.
Backwash only as needed. Brush the pool vigorously, several times after shocking the pool. Do not use a solar blanket until chlorine and pH level are normal. If chlorine level drops to zero within 24 hours, Repeat the shock treatment.
1. Shock the pool with chlorine every day until all the green is gone (possibly 3 to 4 days). 2. Run the filter 24 hours a day and backwash every day until the green and then cloudiness is gone (usually up to 7 days, sometimes as long as 2 weeks depending on the filter).
The simple answer is No. Baking soda cannot be used to clear up a cloudy pool because it is a base. Bases raise PH levels, which causes the water to turn cloudy. Some people suggest using baking soda as a quick fix to high alkalinity levels, but it's not reliable as a pool chemical.
In this case, you should double shock your swimming pool water. To double shock, you will need to add 2 pounds for every 10,000 gallons of water. For instance, if you pool is 20,000 gallons, you will add 4 pounds of shock.
After Shocking Your Pool
It is safe to swim once your chlorine levels are around 5 ppm or after 24 hours.
This is because when you mix chlorine and algaecide together, it renders both of them useless. Hence, you should first shock the pool and wait for the chlorine levels to fall below 5 PPM.
Liquid chlorine and granular shock have the same active chemical that sanitizes your pool, what changes is the strength and the way you use it. Liquid chlorine is less costly, unstabilized and comes in liquid form. Granular shock is stabilized and comes in a solid form that dissolves in your pool.
Vacuuming After Shock
Shock the pool with either the liquid or granulated chlorine shocks. Let the filter run for 24 hours before adding any other chemicals. You should see a noticeable difference the next day in the water clarity.
Pre-Dissolving Pool Shock in a Bucket
Pour in 1 or 2 lbs. of granular pool shock directly into the water (always add chemicals to water, not water to chemicals). Stir with a yardstick or suitable paddle for several minutes to dissolve the granules.