Shock. Common unscented household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) works well to shock a pool. To increase the chlorine level by 5ppm in a 10,000 gallon pool, you would need 1/2 Gallon of basic household bleach.
2. Bleach. Also known as sodium hypochlorite, simple household bleach (which contains 5.25 percent of sodium hypochlorite, the active ingredient in bleach) can get stains out of grout that the baking soda couldn't. Bonus Tip: Bleach can also be used to shock a pool.
There are four main types of pool shock: calcium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite, sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione, and potassium monopersulfate. Calcium hypochlorite is the most commonly used pool shock with a typical chlorine level of between 50 to 80 percent.
Using Bleach as a Shock
You need to use less of such products per volume than you do if you simply add chlorine, and if you opt for chlorine alone, you need more bleach than you do pool chlorine. Bleach contains the same chemical -- sodium hypochlorite -- as pool chlorine, but the concentrations are different.
Short answer: yes. Longer answer: it depends on the formulation. The label on every bleach bottle should tell you the ratio of sodium hypochlorite (and available chlorine) in the bottle to everything else. A higher percentage is generally better, as you'll need to use less bleach to treat your pool.
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.
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.
So, how much liquid chlorine to shock a pool with algae? A minimum amount of 30 ppm is what needs to be considered to resolve the problem.
A rule of thumb is 1.5 lbs. of baking soda per 10,000 gallons of water will raise alkalinity by about 10 ppm. If your pool's pH tested below 7.2, add 3-4 pounds of baking soda. If you're new to adding pool chemicals, start by adding only one-half or three-fourths of the recommended amount.
To mix chlorine bleach combine 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite and 94.75 percent water. To mix non-chlorine bleach, combine equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water. Pour mixture into the plastic container, and secure tightly. Shake to mix ingredients.
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.
At a 12.5% concentrate, liquid pool shock is approximately 2x's stronger than Clorox bleach. The recommends 5 tablespoons of regular bleach per gallon of water to properly disinfect a surface. When using liquid pool shock, dilute it at a rate of 2.5 to 3 tablespoons per gallon of water.
Bleach is sodium hypochlorite and I was reading I can make my own bleach using a formula of 2 tablespoons of calcium hypochlorite (shock 70%) and 3 cups of water to make the concentrate. The add 8 drops of this concentrate to a gallon of water to create the standard 6% off the shelf bleach.
Shock Your Pool with Chlorine to Kill Algae
This is the main event in clearing a green pool—killing the algae. Pool shock contains a high level of chlorine that will kill the algae and sanitize the pool. For the best results, use a shock that contains at least 70% available chlorine, and shock the pool twice.
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.
This means super chlorinating the water to kill off any bacteria and algae. If your pool is very dirty, it may need MANY gallons of liquid chlorine (shock) over a period of days before the water clears. Start off by adding 3 or 4 gallons, and if you see no results overnight, add 3 or 4 more gallons the next day.
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!
However, it's important to note that you can't shock your pool with regular chlorine tablets. While pool shock is usually made from chlorine, pool shock chemicals are much more highly concentrated. Proper shock treatments are designed to literally “shock” your pool and raise the chlorine level quickly.
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.
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.
Pool pumps typically disperse chlorine into the water for you, but it is possible to add chlorine without a pump. The easiest way to do this is with chlorine tablets. They go in a designated floating container and slowly dissolve while floating around the pool. You can also use inline chlorinators.
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.
High concentrations of chlorine (above 1.5 ppm) will attack the liner and bleach it, thus damaging it. Any level below this range will weaken its ability to kill off bacteria.
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.