For pool startup, it's best to double shock your pool, meaning that you add two pounds of chlorine shock for every 10,000 gallons of water. After shocking a pool, aim to have chlorine at 10 ppm. After this routine, your pool should be good to go.
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 the water is clean and clear, then add about 3 oz of liquid chlorine per 1000 gallons of water – while the pool filter is running. This should give you a chlorine level of about 3 ppm.
Boost it up to 30 ppm by adding 3 lbs of Stabilizer per 10,000 gallons of pool water, to protect free chlorine from the sun. Chlorine Adjustments: Lastly, after you have tested and added any adjustment chemicals needed, separately to the pool, you can raise the chlorine level.
Total Alkalinity (TA) is the first thing you should balance in your pool water. TA refers to the amount of alkaline material in the water. And since alkaline is a pH stabilizer, the number of alkaline substances in water will affect the pH balance. The ideal Total Alkalinity range for pool water is 80 – 120 ppm.
Generally speaking you adjust PH first, chlorine second, and worry about everything else more gradually. However, there are many situations where you can adjust two or more numbers at the same time if the correct combination presents it's self.
At first you'll add chlorine in what's called “shock” levels – an extra heavy dose to start your pool off. A shock dose coupled with extra circulation will ensure that all the water gets treated properly in the beginning.
Chlorine has a low pH level, and in order to maintain your pool water's clarity and balance, shocking weekly will allow you to quickly raise the chlorine level, which will rid the pool of contaminants, without lowering the water's pH levels.
The Short, Short Version. Test Chlorine levels at least twice per week. Also make sure to test after heavy use or rainfall, as Chlorine levels have likely been depleted. Pool chlorine is responsible for sanitizing your pool and hot tub water to make it safe to swim.
To use the right number of tablets, always round your pool volume up to the nearest unit of 5,000 gallons. For instance, your pool has a capacity of 20,000 gallons, you would add four chlorine tablets. But if your pool holds just 16,000 gallons, you'd still use four, three-inch chlorine tablets.
It takes 1 ounce of chlorine in 7,500 gallons of water to equal 1 ppm. We will divide 30,000 gallons by 7,500 to get 4. It requires 4 ounces of chlorine to raise the parts per million of this example pool by 1.
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.
Pools can immediately turn green after shocking when they have metals like copper or iron in the water. These metals oxidize when exposed to high levels of chlorine which makes the pool water turn green. Metals in the water are caused by some algaecides and using well water.
Chlorine/non-chlorine chemicals – When adding chlorine or non-chlorine chemicals to “shock” your pool after a fill-up, wait about 24 hours or until levels are approximately 5 ppm. If you'll only be adding liquid chlorine, it's generally safe to swim after about 4 hours or until levels are 5 ppm or lower.
Water pH ranges from 1 to 14. Lower numbers are more acidic, and higher numbers are more alkaline. Proper pool pH is right in the middle — pool pros recommend that pH be between 7.3 and 7.6 for optimum performance and cleanest water. If the pH gets higher than 7.8, the water is becoming too alkaline.
Check Total Alkalinity (TA) first, then adjust for proper pH range. Proper TA will buffer pH, that is, it will help to prevent pH fluctuations. Use fresh, high quality test strips. Excessively high bromine or chlorine levels can result in false pH and TA readings.