Shocking your swimming pool is a critical aspect of routine care and maintenance. It entails adding large amounts of chlorine to your swimming pool water to kill any bacteria, germs, and algae that may be present.
Shocking your pool helps to make the water clean and safe for use. Keep reading to learn how the process of shocking a swimming pool works.
What Does It Mean to Shock Your Pool?
As mentioned above, pool shocking is adding high amounts of chlorine to your swimming pool to kill germs. Shocking your pool helps eliminate pathogens and other contaminants that may expose pool users to illness.
If you’ve ever chlorinated your swimming pool, you might be familiar with the strong bleach odor. The interaction between chlorine and nitrogen from the dissolved body sweat, urine, and other contaminants in the pool cause this pungent scent.
Generally, clean chlorinated pools don’t have a noticeable scent. So if you notice a strong bleach-like scent emanating from your pool while applying chlorine, this strongly indicates that your pool needs shocking.
When is the Right Time to Shock Your Pool?
Apart from a strong odor emanating from your pool, several other tell-tale signs indicate your pool requires shocking. For instance, if you notice your pool water turning greenish, this is a clear sign that algae are growing on your pool floor, and a shock treatment is necessary.
Another indicator that your pool requires shocking is when the level of free chlorine in your pool water reads zero upon measurement. As you already know, the lower the chlorine levels in your pool water, the greater the likelihood of germs and bacteria propagating inside it. It is therefore recommended to check your pool’s chemical levels regularly to ensure there is adequate chlorine in the water to keep the pool pathogen-free.
Many pool owners often make the mistake of waiting until their pool water gets filthy before chlorinating it. But if you want your pool to stay clean and safe for use at all times, it is recommended to shock it at least once a week. That said, other instances may require you to conduct additional shocking. These include:
- If your pool has seen heavier-than-normal usage
- Solid or liquid spills in the pool
- After heavy rains
- The presence of large amounts of debris on the pool’s surface
- If someone vomits, urinates, or defecates inside the pool
- If there’s a drastic drop in the pool water levels due to environmental factors
Choosing the Right Supplies
If you’ve realized that your pool requires shocking, you will need to stock up on the right supplies. Fortunately, there are various pool shocking products in the market that you can procure online. Alternatively, you can hire a pool service professional to perform the shock treatment for you at a fee.
Whichever option you settle on, ensure the pool-shocking products are handled and stored safely. Remember, pool shocking supplies are made from chemicals that are hazardous to humans and animals. For this reason, you should keep them away from the reach of children and pets.
Should I Shock My Saltwater Pool?
Yes. While saltwater pools don’t spread germs like the Coronavirus, it’s still recommended to shock them. Several granular shocking products are used for saltwater pools. So, if you’re planning to conduct swimming pool shock treatment, it’s best to consult a professional.
A Guide on How to Shock Your Pool
Shocking a pool isn’t as tedious as it might appear at first glance. However, if you don’t have the time to shock your pool yourself, you can always enlist a pool chemical service professional to do it for you.
As a general rule, pool shocking should be done in the evening to mitigate exposure to the sun, which can interfere with the chlorine levels.
Here is a simple step-by-step guide on how to shock your pool:
- First, test the water in the pool to determine the pH level. If you don’t have a testing kit, you can procure one from your local pool supplies retailer.
- Determine the amount of chlorine that you need to add to your pool. To do so, you need to know the size of your pool and follow the recommendations of use as indicated on the label of the shock product.
- Please turn on your pool pump and leave it running during the chlorination application process and for a minimum of 6 hours after adding the chlorine.
- Once the allocated duration has elapsed, test your pool again to ensure adequate chlorine levels. Ideally, the levels should be at least ten times higher than usual.
Wrapping Up
Once you’ve completed the shock treatment, let your swimming pool sit until the chlorine levels in the water are safe enough for swimming. Then, check the chlorine levels periodically until they drop to about 1 – 3 ppm before opening your pool for use. If you need assistance with pool shock treatment, contact Mokupuni Pool Service & Repair. We offer a wide range of pool maintenance services, including pool cleaning, repair, and shocking to eliminate pathogens and contaminants.