Why Shock a Pool?
This is a subject I love to talk about.
Why do you shock? When do you shock? Everyone shocks their pool, right? Listen very carefully.
Shocking does rid your pool of bacteria, but the main reason to shock is to get rid of your chloramines.
This is organic matter floating in the pool that the chlorine is trying to kill or has killed already.
When you enter a public pool, especially indoor pools, you'll probably get that nasty "chlorine "smell.
You may think that the pool operator is using too much chlorine when the opposite is true, he's not using enough.
You have these chloramines floating around buring everyone's eyes and making their skin itch and not enough chlorine to kill them.
Get a good DPD, not an OTO test kit, and test for chloramines.
If they're .
6-.
8 or above, then shock, otherwise, you're just wasting your money.
You may hear someone say to shock if the chloramines are .
2.
If you have a heavily used indoor pool, it is nearly impossible to keep the chloramines down to 0-.
2.
Shock when your pools needs it, not because it's Saturday.
Most will say that your chloramines should be either 0.
0 or .
2.
Anything higher than that and you should shock.
If it's just the two of you, or a family that uses the pool for fun, you'll probably be amazed at the lack of chloramines in your pool, if it's balanced correctly.
If you have an outside pool, there are some things you can do to keep chloramines down:
When you do shock, you need to get the chlorine up to 10ppm or above.
Coming close won't so it.
Close is only good in horseshoes and hand grenades, so to speak.
You've got to put the hammer down with the chlorine because if you don't the chloramines will come back even meaner than before.
For a regular 25,000 gallon pool, you should use 6.
5lbs.
of chlorine to bring you to the 10ppm or above point.
You may have heard this called "super-chlorination".
I strongly suggest using Calcium Hypochloride.
The is a granular form of chlorine and is about 65%-68% actual chlorine.
Liquid chlorine, or bleach as some people use, is only about 12%-15% chlorine.
On the down-side of Calcium Hypochloride, it may increase the calcium hardness of your water, possilby by 7ppm.
If you live in places like Arizona, California, Nevada, etc...
you may want to use liquid chlorine or bleach.
Also, Calcium Hypochloride has a pH level of 12 so it may increase your pool's pH level if it's used in excess.
Shock in the early evening and allow the chlorine to do its job all night.
In the morning you may find there's a fine film of calcium on the bottom of the pool.
That's very normal.
Don't sweep just yet.
Go ahead and vacuum the bottom of the pool to get rid of the excess calcium.
If you first brush, you're going to have a huge plume of calcium throughout the pool.
Remember to back-wash your filter after vacuuming and keep your chlorine tablet floater or tab feeder full at all times.
Never put tabs in the skimmer.
Also, for outdoor pools, check your cyanuric acid level and keep it between 20-40ppm, or about 7.
5% of your Free Chlorine level.
This acid is the stabilizer for your chlorine.
An easy way to figure this out is a simple mathematical equation.
Example: Your chlorine level is 2.
5ppm, so take 2.
5 divided by 7.
5% and you get 33.
Keep your cyanuric acid level at 33.
Remember, shock your pool to get rid of those nasty chloramines and to sanitize your water, but only when the pool calls for it.
Take careful readings and be sure to chart your results day to day and week to week.
This way you'll be able to see any special patterns that may develop and you'll be prepared for the future.
Why do you shock? When do you shock? Everyone shocks their pool, right? Listen very carefully.
Shocking does rid your pool of bacteria, but the main reason to shock is to get rid of your chloramines.
This is organic matter floating in the pool that the chlorine is trying to kill or has killed already.
When you enter a public pool, especially indoor pools, you'll probably get that nasty "chlorine "smell.
You may think that the pool operator is using too much chlorine when the opposite is true, he's not using enough.
You have these chloramines floating around buring everyone's eyes and making their skin itch and not enough chlorine to kill them.
Get a good DPD, not an OTO test kit, and test for chloramines.
If they're .
6-.
8 or above, then shock, otherwise, you're just wasting your money.
You may hear someone say to shock if the chloramines are .
2.
If you have a heavily used indoor pool, it is nearly impossible to keep the chloramines down to 0-.
2.
Shock when your pools needs it, not because it's Saturday.
Most will say that your chloramines should be either 0.
0 or .
2.
Anything higher than that and you should shock.
If it's just the two of you, or a family that uses the pool for fun, you'll probably be amazed at the lack of chloramines in your pool, if it's balanced correctly.
If you have an outside pool, there are some things you can do to keep chloramines down:
- A hot soapy shower before entering the pool
- Use the restroom before entering the pool
- Fresh air
- Good ventilation
When you do shock, you need to get the chlorine up to 10ppm or above.
Coming close won't so it.
Close is only good in horseshoes and hand grenades, so to speak.
You've got to put the hammer down with the chlorine because if you don't the chloramines will come back even meaner than before.
For a regular 25,000 gallon pool, you should use 6.
5lbs.
of chlorine to bring you to the 10ppm or above point.
You may have heard this called "super-chlorination".
I strongly suggest using Calcium Hypochloride.
The is a granular form of chlorine and is about 65%-68% actual chlorine.
Liquid chlorine, or bleach as some people use, is only about 12%-15% chlorine.
On the down-side of Calcium Hypochloride, it may increase the calcium hardness of your water, possilby by 7ppm.
If you live in places like Arizona, California, Nevada, etc...
you may want to use liquid chlorine or bleach.
Also, Calcium Hypochloride has a pH level of 12 so it may increase your pool's pH level if it's used in excess.
Shock in the early evening and allow the chlorine to do its job all night.
In the morning you may find there's a fine film of calcium on the bottom of the pool.
That's very normal.
Don't sweep just yet.
Go ahead and vacuum the bottom of the pool to get rid of the excess calcium.
If you first brush, you're going to have a huge plume of calcium throughout the pool.
Remember to back-wash your filter after vacuuming and keep your chlorine tablet floater or tab feeder full at all times.
Never put tabs in the skimmer.
Also, for outdoor pools, check your cyanuric acid level and keep it between 20-40ppm, or about 7.
5% of your Free Chlorine level.
This acid is the stabilizer for your chlorine.
An easy way to figure this out is a simple mathematical equation.
Example: Your chlorine level is 2.
5ppm, so take 2.
5 divided by 7.
5% and you get 33.
Keep your cyanuric acid level at 33.
Remember, shock your pool to get rid of those nasty chloramines and to sanitize your water, but only when the pool calls for it.
Take careful readings and be sure to chart your results day to day and week to week.
This way you'll be able to see any special patterns that may develop and you'll be prepared for the future.