When and How to Shock Your Swimming Pool
No, "shocking" your swimming pool does NOT involve dropping a hair dryer in your pool or anything to do with electricity at all. Pool shock is simply a highly concentrated form of chlorine that will oxidize, or destroy, all chloramines and contaminants in the water.
This process is necessary to maintain a clean and sterile pool. Shocking a pool means adding a highly concentrated form of chlorine to your pool in order to reach its breakpoint chlorination.
Many kinds of bacteria and parasites can and will grow in your pool, including E.Coli, Giardia, and Psuedomonas. If you add enough chlorine to reach breakpoint chlorination, no contaminant will be able to survive.
When to Shock a Swimming Pool:
Some people say you should shock your pool every week, while others say that every 30 days is good enough. We recommend testing your water for contaminants before wasting money and potentially damaging your pool lining by shocking your pool. Although once in a while is fine, frequent pool shocking is not advised. Every 2-4 weeks is normal.
You can visually inspect your pool for algae growth and cloudiness, but you can't see bacteria in the same way. You will need to test your pool with bacteria test strips, found at your local pool supply store.
In addition, make sure you brush, vacuum, and clean your filter to prevent algae growth and promote a healthy pool environment for you and your family. If you don't want to worry about the chore of shocking or cleaning/maintaining your pool, leave it to the experts at Texan Blue Pool Service.
If, on the other hand, you are up to the task, hopefully we can simplify the process a bit.
How to Shock a Swimming Pool:
Materials: gloves, protective eye wear, large bucket, stirring stick
Shocking a pool may seem like a complicated task, but it is actually quite easy, as long as you follow a few specific steps:
1. Buy the right pool shocking agent. If you don't know which shock to use, your best bet would be a chlorine based shock, like Super Pool Shock or another Calcium Hydrochlorite. Here is a good pool shock guide to help you determine which is best for your pool. Whichever you choose, make sure to dilute the shock in your bucket and distribute it around the pool evenly.
2. Wait until nighttime for maximum results. The sun can reduce the effect of the shock.
It is also best to clean the pool thoroughly before beginning the shock treatment, including vacuuming, brushing, and skimming. This will help break up the algae and chloramines in your water.
3. Put on gloves, eye protectors, and clothes you don't care about. The high amount of chlorine is dangerous and can bleach your clothes.
4. Pour the shock into the bucket of water. Not the other way around. If you have a 5 gallon bucket of water, pour in 1 lb. of shocking agent. If you have 2.5 gallons, pour in half a pound of shock and stir with a stick.
Remember, err on the side of more versus less. You need to reach the pool's breakpoint chlorination ( 1lb. per 10,000 gallons). Also, if there is any shock left at the bottom of your bucket, pour in more water to dilute it before adding to your pool. You never want to add straight shock to your pool!
5. Slowly pour the diluted shock around your running pool. It is important that your pool is running so that the shock can circulate properly. Try to distribute the shock as evenly as possible. Focus on the deep end of the pool.
6. Brush the bottom and sides of your pool (optional). This helps circulate the shock, break up particles on the sides and bottom of the pool, and prevent damage and discoloration of your liner.
7. Let pool run for 8-12 hours before reentering. If you shock your pool at night, the pool should be safe to enter by the morning. It's safest, however, to wait a full 12 hours. The high amount of chlorine will be damaging and painful to your eyes and skin.
Test your pool's chemistry with chlorine test strips. The reading should be between 1 and 3 ppm. Once all the nasties perish, you can begin to enjoy your swimming pool again.
If you want a recap, watch this video:
Congratulations! You shocked your pool! Wasn't so scary was it?
If you have any questions, you can give Texan Blue Pool Service a call at 877-730-7665 or visit us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
