Adding Shock Directly Into The Pool Water
Don't worry—you can't overshock your pool. But beyond fashion faux pas, adding shock directly to the pool water if you have a vinyl liner can be a disaster. The shock granules will sink the bottom and bleach out your liner.
Shock-chlorination is an essential and effective method of cleaning the pool. But you need to have the pump circulating the water for this to be effective.
Never pour pool shock into the skimmer, pre-dissolve for use in vinyl liner pools. When broadcasting shock across the surface, be mindful of the wind direction. Brush the pool after shocking, and filter the water for at least 8 hours afterward.
Shocking your above ground pool once a week will oxidize contaminants, freeing up the chlorine, and keeping your water crystal clear. Regular shock treatments will also kill resistant algae in the water.
It Should Not Be Done Together
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. Only then should you introduce algaecide to get the best results.
Light Green or Teal Pool Water:
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.
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.
Shock is chlorine, in a high dose, meant to shock your pool and raise the chlorine level quickly. Chlorine tabs (placed in a chlorinator, floater, or skimmer basket) maintain a chlorine residual in the water. You do need to use both tabs and shock.
If you are without power, grab your pool brush! Not only will scrubbing the sides and bottom reduce or prevent algae, it also causes the water to move and circulate, helping maintain an even level of chlorine throughout the pool.
Potassium peroxymonosulfate: A less costly, non-chlorine shock. Add it directly to your pool water at any time. Takes roughly 15 minutes to work before you can safely swim.
A pool can only be safe for swimming without a pump for a few days and a maximum of one week. The definite number of days the pool will be safe will also depend on the temperatures of the water, the weather at that particular time, the level of chlorine, and how clean the pool was before the pump stopped functioning.
After Shocking Your Pool
It is safe to swim once your chlorine levels are around 5 ppm or after 24 hours. It is always best to test first!
Keep your pump and filter running. Give the shock a good 12 to 24 hours to work it's magic. If the algae hasn't cleared up after 24-48 hours, clean and brush the pool and add another shock treatment.
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.
Shocking your pool isn't necessary, although, it's not a bad idea either. If you get an extremely heavy rain fall, you could shock your pool for good measure. This will help fight off any contaminants that the rain may have brought to your pool.
So, not only is shocking a saltwater pool okay, but it's actually important to your pool's health. Shocking is the process in which you overload your pool with chlorine (3-5 times the normal amount) to improve your pool's cleanliness and kill off organic matter.
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.
Brown pool water is often caused by metals (iron) becoming oxidized in the pool water. If you shocked your pool water and it turned brown you probably have metals. Oxidized iron usually turns a brown or rusty color in the water.
Typically for granular shock, you'll need one pound for every 10,000 to 13,500 gallons of pool water.
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.
The Proper Chemicals: -Add 1 lb Granular Shock OR 1 gal. Liquid Shock per 5,000 gallons of pool water. -Add an appropriate sized "Winter Chemical Kit" or the proper amount of Algaecide/Winterizer. (If adding our famous "Winter Pill," add this pill right before you put on your cover--read directions on the Winter Pill.)