Shocking a pool is not a fancy option you can avoid; it's a necessity amidst rising waterborne bacterial issues affecting human bodies. You don’t need a professional to do the job; it can be easily performed at home after reading and following some important instructions mentioned in the article.
Pool shocking is a part of keeping your pool clean, the process of introducing chemicals like chlorine into the pool to increase chlorine concentration; doing this will purify your pool of bacteria, algae and other harmful microorganisms.
How Often Should I Shock My Pool?
The time gap between every pool shock should be measured from the usability of the pool; if it's getting used often, then you must shock your pool every week, and if it is used rarely, shocking it once every two weeks should be enough.
Here are some occasions after which you may consider shocking your pool off-schedule
- After a pool party or if the pool has been used heavily recently.
- After a severe rainstorm, if you don’t have a pool cover and you see dirt, debris, and other contaminating stuff.
- If you notice a bowel retreated pool.
Even if you are not using the pool, it’s better to keep it clean often to avoid any bacterial buildup at first.
What is the Best Time to Shock Pool?
The best time of the day to shock a pool is in the evening as the temperature of the sun won’t be able to affect chlorine’s effectiveness by dissolving it in the water too quickly, which means the chlorine would be dissolved even before cleaning the pool. Also, you shouldn’t use your pool for 12-24 hours after shocking it, so schedule it accordingly to prevent ruining your fun day.
While Seasonal Opening and Closing
When you don’t use the pool for longer periods, such as in winter, it is necessary to shock it before using it again in the summer because it has been closed for months, and when no one is using it, there still would have been bacterial algae buildup which is enough to make you sick.
Also, when you are closing your pool for the off-season, you should shock it.
Following Heavy Use
When a high number of people use a pool simultaneously it's more likely the water is contaminated with human sweat, urine, body oil and other unlikely contaminants such as shampoo or soap. All of it leads to a decrease in chlorine levels. So, shock your pool after every heavy use.
After Heavy Rain
During heavy rain there are chances the pool is contaminated even if you keep it covered, which can disrupt the pH level of water, shock it to restore your pool's original pH and get rid of contaminations.
After Hot Summer Days
Hot weather can lead to bacterial growth due to a rise in temperature, and you may also see a decrease in the chlorine level of your water, which diminishes the sanitary properties of the chemical, so it’s suggested to shock your pool after a hot sunny period.
After Noticing a Strong Chlorine Smell or Irritated Eyes
You may associate the smell of chlorine with sanitary water, but it’s actually the opposite. A strong smell of chlorine in the water indicates that the water hasn’t reached the breakpoint yet and the chloramine or combined chlorine level is rising, which will cause irritated eyes and skin; in such case, you’d need to replace the water.
Types of Chlorine Used for Pool Shocking
You must understand the difference between FC, CC, TC and breakpoint to know your stuff in detail.
Free Chlorine- It is the amount of pool water that chlorine is currently disinfecting. The water’s Free Chlorine level should be 1 and 3 parts per million (PPM) for the chemical to do its job properly.
Combined Chlorine- It is the amount of chlorine left in the water after pool shock, but its sanitizing power is highly diminished, and the ideal CC level should be less than 0.2 PPM in the water.
Total Chlorine- It is the sum of FC and CC available in your water; you can easily measure it with the dedicated tools available in the market. These kits can recognize FC and TC to get CC to subtract FC from TC.
Breakpoint Chlorine- It's when the amount of FC increases so much to break the molecular bonds of chloramine; if you don’t hit breakpoint, then the level of chloramine will rise; to fix it, you will have to replace partial or whole water.
