To maintain pool water clarity and keep your pool safely sanitized, it's important to shock the water weekly. Shocking allows you to quickly raise chlorine levels, which will rid the pool of organic contaminants.
When you're shocking a pool, the goal is to raise the free chlorine level of the pool water to roughly 10 times the combined chlorine level.
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.
The ideal time to shock your pool is in the evening after all swimming is complete. In the evening because the sun will not be boiling the chlorine out of your pool, and after everyone is done swimming because shocking is going to bring the chlorine level up to a level that may be irritating to skin and eyes.
There are several reasons why your free chlorine levels are still low after shocking your water: Other pool chemicals are out of balance: Without the right amount of pH or cyanuric acid in your water, your chlorine levels can fluctuate. So make sure these are balanced before shocking your pool.
To raise the free chlorine level, add chlorine to the pool water. Chlorine tablets, granular chlorine or chlorinated shock will do the job.
The term, "Shocking” refers to the process of adding chlorine or non-chlorine chemicals to your pool in order to raise the "free chlorine” level to a point where contaminates such as algae, combined chlorine (also known as chloramines) and bacteria are destroyed.
It is essential to regulate chlorine levels in a pool between 1-3 ppm, as levels exceeding 5 ppm can be hazardous. Swimming in a pool with high chlorine levels should be avoided. The highest safe chlorine level for a pool is 3 ppm.
You should then run the pool pump for a few hours (to circulate the shock), then switch it off and leave the pool overnight. Adrian explains that you may need to repeat this process another 1-3 times, especially if your pool is particularly dirty. 'This is where most pool owners go wrong – they shock only once.
When added to chlorinated water, baking soda increases the pH level so other chemicals can react faster. So, directly, it doesn't reduce bromine or chlorine levels in a hot tub, but it helps other chemicals neutralize it.
While this high level of chlorine is effective at killing off unwanted organisms, it can also cause your pool water to become cloudy. The water may also have a strong chlorine smell. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should stop shocking your pool and contact a professional.
The typical chlorine-based shock raises the level of chlorine to 10 ppm. The potential disadvantage to this method is that there could be a long waiting time before it is safe to swim. It could take a full day or more for the chlorine level to drop down to a safe 3 to 4 ppm level.
How Long Does it Take to Shock a Pool? The actual process of shocking your pool should not take longer than an hour, depending on the product used. However, it could be up to 8 hours before your pool is safe enough to swim in.
Ensure the pool pump is running. Pour the mixture from the bucket into the water around the edges of the pool. Let the pump run for about 6 hours or more and test the water. Don't use the pool right away – wait for the free chlorine levels to drop to 1 – 3 ppm before it is safe to swim.
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.
Answer: The ideal level of free chlorine in the swimming pool is 2 to 4 ppm. 1 to 5 ppm is acceptable and 9 ppm is on the high side. 9 ppm would likely be safe to swim, but could be more of an irritant.
Exposure to over-chlorinated water can provoke eye and skin irritation, lung irritation, and asthma. In addition to being bad for your health, the excess-chlorinated pool can eventually become dangerous. High chlorine levels tend to lower the pH level of the water, making it more acidic.
Regardless of how frequently or what system you use to add chlorine to the water, the chlorine level should stay between 1.0 and 3.0 parts per million (ppm) to maintain a healthy pool. Anything higher will make you run the risk of red eyes and swimmers itch.
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.
Improper Water Chemistry
Each chemical in your pool water affects the other. If they're not correctly balanced, the sanitizer can't work properly, and bacteria and algae can grow, consuming free chlorine. Balance your pool water regularly to prevent low free chlorine from improper water chemistry.
Raise the Level of Pool Chlorine
Simply adding chlorine in the form of chlorine tablets, granular chlorine, liquid shock or powder shock will increase the total amount of chlorine within the pool.
Add A Chlorine Neutralizer, like Sodium Thiosulfate (THIGH-A SULFATE). This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to lower your chlorine levels. But it's easy to overdo it and it will significantly lower your pH. Start by adding smaller amounts to your pool and testing your chlorine levels as you go.