What can happen if you go into a pool too soon after it's been shocked? There are a few potential issues. "Chlorine will react with water to produce an acid," Alan says. "The effects will be different depending on whether chlorine is inhaled or whether there is skin or eye contact."
After you shock the pool — As soon as your chlorine levels reach 5 ppm or lower, it's officially safe to swim. Depending on the type of shock used, as well as the amount used, it can take anywhere from 24 hours or even up to a couple of days.
But if the cloudy water persists long after you've shocked the pool, you're likely having an issue with water balance, circulation, or filtration. Heavy use of a calcium based pool shock (cal-hypo) may increase Calcium Hardness over a period of time, increasing your odds of cloudy water.
Chlorine, either solid or liquid, is a pesticide used in pools to destroy germs, including those from feces, urine, saliva and other substances. But excessive exposure to chlorine can cause sickness and injuries, including rashes, coughing, nose or throat pain, eye irritation and bouts of asthma, health experts warn.
After Shocking Your Pool
It is safe to swim once your chlorine levels are around 5 ppm or after 24 hours.
The best time of day to shock pool is when the sun is down. So, experts recommend shocking your pool in the evening or at night, to make sure it does its job. Shocking during the day can be ineffective as UV rays from direct sunlight significantly reduce free chlorine levels.
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.
The best time of day to shock your pool is in the evening. This is because the sun's rays can affect the effectiveness of the chlorine by dissolving it too quickly, before it has a chance to rid the pool of contaminants 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.
Heavy shocking with granular chlorine will generally require 24-48 hours before the chlorine level has dropped to safe swimming levels (below 5 ppm).
Some people will tell you that it's safe to swim just 30 minutes after adding muriatic acid to your pool water. But we recommend playing it safe by waiting three to four hours and testing your water before swimming in your pool.
Wait Two Hours
According to Clean Pool and Spa, you should wait no less than two hours before swimming in a pool which has been treated with muriatic acid. According to the website, "If you pour muriatic acid in the pool and swim within 10 to 15 minutes you might get a 'hot spot' of acid that can burn you."
Answer: Yes, when using tablets they can be present in the water while you swim. Also confirm with a test of the chlorine level to be sure the sanitizer level is safe for swimming.
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.
The Bottom Line about Pools and Chlorine
As mentioned above, you could probably swim in a pool without chlorine without any major health issues. However, long-term use of a pool lacking chlorinated H2O could make you sick or, at the very least, contribute to rashes and other types of skin irritation.
Correct pH: For normal use, your pool's pH should be between 7.4 and 7.6: for shocking, it should be between 7.2 and 7.6. Shocking a pool with a too high pH will cause cloudiness.
Accurate Amounts
No matter what type of chlorine system you choose to use for your pool, remember that the chlorine level should remain between 1.0 and 3.0 parts per million (ppm) to ensure a safe and healthy pool. If the levels are any higher, you may be at risk of swimmer's itch and red eyes.
Neither will chlorination be effective with a diffuser and without a pump. The best thing to do is to apply liquid chlorine in the pool. Then, you have to circulate the pool manually with the use of a telescopic pole or paddle. This will ensure the chlorine disperse well.
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.
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.
You can also simply add more chlorine, and pouring household bleach into the pool is one way to do this. Be sure the pH is in the proper range -- between 7.2 and 7.8 -- and add the bleach in the early evening to avoid having most of it degraded by sunlight.
So, what exactly happened? In the coke there is a small amount of phosphoric acid, which acts as the reactant. When the phosphoric acid reacts with the pool chlorine, calcium hypochlorite, it releases a gas. The coke and the pool chlorine also create an exothermic reaction, which means that heat is released.