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.
SKIMMER NOTES: No. Chlorine and shock are not the same thing.
Shock has a more intense chemical strength than the traditional chlorine sanitizers, and it also differs in how you should apply it to your swimming pool. Short answer: No. Chlorine sanitizers and shock are similar but different in strength.
Shocking your pool is a great way to bring things back into balance. You'll enjoy the pleasures of swimming in crystal clear pool water by regularly maintaining and shocking your pool. Shocking your pool breaks up combined chlorine (chlorine + contaminants).
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.
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.
The main difference between Shock and Chlorine is that the shock is a high dose of chlorine, whose only function is to shock by raising the chlorine level in the swimming pool. On the other hand, Chlorine is a general sanitiser used to maintain a crystal and clear pool for swimming.
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!
Before getting in
Don't swim or let others swim if sick with diarrhea. Shower for at least 1 minute before you get into the water to remove dirt or anything else on your body.
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.
Wait until the chlorine level in the water drops down to 1-4 parts per million (ppm) before allowing swimmers back into the pool. If the water still looks a little cloudy after the shock treatment, you may want to use a water clarifier before allowing swimmers back into the pool.
Common unscented household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) works well to shock a pool.
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.
Adding chlorine besides the shock can increase the chlorine content in the water which can make the entire shocking process useless. Hence, it is better if you don't use the shock and chlorine at the same time. The best time to add chlorine to the pool water is after you have shocked the pool.
"Shocking” refers to the process of adding chlorine or non-chlorine pool chemicals to the water in order to raise the "free chlorine” level. The goal is to raise this level to a point where contaminants such as algae, chloramines and bacteria are destroyed.
To superchlorinate, add AT LEAST 2.5 ounces (5 tablespoons, 75 grams) of chlorine for every 100 gallons (400 litres) of spa water or part thereof. Adding more is fine and never a bad idea.
The cold water, anything below 65°, has an impact on the ability of the chemicals to dissolve properly. I would recommend using liquid chlorine if you have to shock in lower temperatures. You can dissolve granular shock in warm water. Perhaps it will work if you completely dissolve it before adding it to the pool.
Superchlorinate after rainstorms or heavy pool use, but for algae, chloramines or contamination, you will need to use packaged pool shock. In summary, shocking a saltwater pool is no different than shocking any other chlorine pool.
Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate is naturally alkaline, with a pH of 8. When you add baking soda to your pool water, you will raise both the pH and the alkalinity, improving stability and clarity.
There are alternatives to chlorine including bromine, ionizers, and ozonators, though with each you'll still need to use some chlorine. A fourth alternative is PHMB, which doesn't require the use of any chlorine. All four have drawbacks, including cost. Chlorine is relatively cheap.
To start treatment, shock your pool with hydrogen peroxide by adding 250 ml (1 cup) of hydrogen peroxide for every 1000 liters (250 gallons) of water. If you are currently treating your pool with chlorine, you don't have to wait for the levels to go down, you can start using hydrogen peroxide now.
In theory, if you have a cloudy swimming pool, you can add chlorine to “shock it” and clear things up. Chlorine will get the job done. But, the amounts may vary and you may have to really pound the pool with chlorine to get the water totally clear.
I think the answer to your question is about 3-6 days. The problem is that the chlorine that you need to keep the bacteria in check is used up more quickly as the temperature rises, the activity increases, and as sweat and other body stuff is put into the pool.
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.