Chlorine is essential for pool water because it kills harmful algae, bacteria and microorganisms. Unfortunately, chlorine breaks down when exposed to the sun and chemicals from sunscreen, sweat and more. A pool should have a chlorine level between two and four parts per million (ppm).
Things you'll be testing for include chlorine, PH, total alkalinity, Cyanuric acid (stabilizer), and calcium hardness. The levels need to be properly balanced for safe and clean water before swimming in it. The free chlorine level should be between 2.0 and 4.0 ppm. The PH level should be between 7.2 and 7.8.
Add enough chlorine tablets to raise the chlorine level into the 2-4 ppm range, and strive for consistency. Most above ground pools use 2-4 of the 3" chlorine tablets per week, in a chlorine floater or chlorinator.
You simply place your chlorine tablets in the floater (based on gallons of water in your pool), and it does the work for you. The downside to a chlorine floater is that it is a passive system, so sometimes it can get stuck in one spot for a period of time.
For the greatest protection against algae, bacteria, and cloudy water, Intex pools should maintain a chlorine level of 2.0-4.0 ppm at all times. If you opted for the Intex Salt Chlorinator, you can make your own chlorine by adding the correct amount of Pool Salt to the water.
Generally, pool water needs to be replaced once every five to seven years. This should be done during mild weather so that your pool surface is not at risk from strong sunlight and heat. Your pool maintenance company can recommend when it is time to drain your pool.
It is recommended to wait at least 20 minutes to an hour after adding water balancing chemicals. You should wait 2-4 hours (or one full cycle through the filter) to swim from the moment you use calcium chloride in your pool. It is safe to swim once your chlorine levels are around 5 ppm or after 24 hours.
If your Total Available Chlorine (TAC) level is 0.3 ppm or higher above your Free Available Chlorine (FAC) level, it's time to shock the pool. This will break down the inactive Combined Chlorine (chloramines) in the water.
Do Inflatable Pools Need Chemicals? No, inflatable pools do not need chemicals to stay clean and safe to swim in. However many larger inflatable pools will use chlorine to kill harmful bacteria.
INITIAL STARTING DOSAGES :
Maintain chlorine at a minimum of 1.5 ppm and up to 3 ppm. The more swimmers you have and the warmer the water is, can double your pool's chlorine consumption. Add whatever amount of chlorine it takes to maintain a 1.5 ppm chlorine..
If a kiddie pool's water isn't going to be changed regularly, disinfecting it makes sense, and bleach will work well in that regard. Add only enough bleach to a kiddie pool to maintain chlorine between 1 and 2 parts per million (PPM), and test to ensure proper levels.
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.
Pools can immediately turn green after shocking when they have metals like copper in the water. These metals oxidise when exposed to high levels of chlorine which makes the pool water turn green. Adding a metal control product such as Zodiac Metal Remover will help to restore the pool water.
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.
BUT, if you have to shock your pool during the day in broad daylight, you can still swim after adding shock. It's recommended that you wait one hour after adding shock with the filter running, and then test the water to confirm the pH and chlorine are in the proper range before letting anyone enter the pool.
Above ground pools, like in-ground pools, need basic care and maintenance. Mainly, cleaning, filtering, water testing, chemical levels, and protecting the structure. Above ground pool care and maintenance is just as much work as cleaning your in-ground pool. Tools are all the same as are the technics behind them.
Run the Pool Pump Daily
Even if you don't plan to use the pool for a day or two, you should still run the pool pump and filter for 12 to 18 hours daily. The two run together to keep the water clean. The pool pump pulls the water from the pool and into the filter to clean the water from accumulated dirt and debris.
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.