The difference between standard chlorine treatments and a pool shock product is just the dosage of chlorine. Pool shock products are intended to rapidly raise the chlorine level in the water to kill any microorganisms, while standard chlorine treatments have lower doses meant to maintain current chlorine levels.
The type of shock you should use will depend on your water chemistry and the reason you're shocking. If the water is green, you should use a cal-hypo shock. However, if you're shocking as part of weekly maintenance and your pool looks clean, you can use sodium dichlor, potassium monopersulfate or sodium hypochlorite.
What's the difference?- There are 3 main types of pool shock available on the market. They are: calcium hypochlorite (cal-hypo), sodium di-chlor (di-chlor), and potassium monopersulfate (non-chlorine/oxidizer).
In The Swim Super Pool Shock is a more concentrated version of our Cal-Hypo pool shock. It contains 73 percent calcium hypochlorite and is also a non-stabilized shock, containing no cyanuric acid to shield it from the sun. The dosage of Super Pool Shock is 1lb per 10,000 gallons.
With 99% Sodium Dichlor active ingredient and 55% available chlorine, it's a concentrated pool water sanitizer for maintenance use or super chlorination. Leslie's Chlor Brite is known as a maintenance shock, ideal for daily or weekly use for a quick chlorine boost.
Weekly use of Chlor Brite supports the sanitizing efforts of both tab and salt sanitized pools. Chlorine-Free pool shock is great for quickly oxidizing contaminants, but it will not kills germs or algae. This type of shock will improve water clarity, while complementing enzyme treatments.
High pH level
When you shock a pool, you test and adjust the pH level for a reason. With that said, if you shock a pool outside of the 7.2 to 7.4 pH range, not only will you waste a significant amount of the chlorine used, you will also end up with cloudy water.
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.
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. Chlorine sanitizers and shock are similar but different in strength.
It Should Not Be Done Together
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. Only then should you introduce algaecide to get the best results.
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.
Common unscented household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) works well to shock a pool.
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.
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.
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!
Keep your pump and filter running. Give the shock a good 12 to 24 hours to work it's magic. If the algae hasn't cleared up after 24-48 hours, clean and brush the pool and add another shock treatment.
When the chlorine has completely finished working, the algae in the pool will turn a white/gray color and will either settle to the bottom of the pool or be suspended in the water. There shouldn't be any more green color and the water visibility should be improving. Run the filter 24/7 and backwash as needed.
"Shocking” refers to the process of adding chlorine or non-chlorine pool chemicals to the water in order to raise the "free chlorine” level. The goal is to raise this level to a point where contaminants such as algae, chloramines and bacteria are destroyed.
Similarities Between Liquid Chlorine & Powdered Shock
Similarly, both forms have a higher concentration of available chlorine than those used in daily chlorination. They also both kill nearly all living microorganisms, bacteria and contaminants with ease.
Dichlor is perhaps the most “best of all worlds” chlorine sanitizer. It is typically found in concentrations of 60-65%, which is comparable to cal-hypo. It is a powder sanitizer, which makes it easier to spread or broadcast around the pool than chlorine tablets.
Brown pool water is often caused by metals (iron) becoming oxidized in the pool water. If you shocked your pool water and it turned brown you probably have metals. Oxidized iron usually turns a brown or rusty color in the water.
Causes of Rising Alkalinity
It's also not uncommon for pool owners to go a bit overboard when shocking their pool, and since chlorine-based pool shock is a high-alkaline substance, it will also naturally raise your pool alkalinity.
1) After shock - Sometimes pool water looks cloudy right after you apply shock granules such as cal-hypo, or liquid shock, but rest assured it's only temporary. This could be due to change in water balance – meaning your pool water temporarily goes off balance when adding these products.
To bring down pH, use a made-for-pools chemical additive called pH reducer (or pH minus). The main active ingredients in pH reducers are either muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate (also called dry acid). Reducers are readily available at pool supply stores, home improvement centers and online.
Fast dissolving at 55% Available Chlorine. Stabilized so it lasts longer than non-stabilized shock. Does not raise the pH level (6.0 – 7.0). Perfect for all types of pools.