Are you looking for an effective but cheap way to shock your pool? Well, I often do so too, especially when I need a quick fix. Maintaining a pool is quite important, but sometimes, if possible, you need to cut costs.
So, which pool shock will help you to reduce costs?
Calcium hypochlorite is the cheapest pool shock you can use to effectively shock your swimming pool. It is very effective and easy to use. If you are looking for a quick result, can hypo is one of the products to go for.
It is very strong, usually with between 65% and 73% strength. Cal hypo is not stabilized with cyanuric acid like sodium dichlor. Moreover, it dissolves very fast in the water, and so, doesn’t last long in the pool.
Since it doesn’t last long in your pool, you will need to shock it regularly. But you have to do it at night to prevent direct sunlight from depleting the chemical quickly.
What can I use in my pool instead of shock?
If you don’t have access to chlorine shocks, you can use bleach to shock your pool. Getting the bleach from pool stores is better because the bleach you get there is specially prepared for the pool.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t use the bleach from your kitchen to shock the pool. The one you buy from pool stores works better.
Once you get to the pool, test the water to know the chlorine level and stabilizer (cyanuric acid) level. If the stabilizer is low, add more stabilizer to increase it to 20–50 ppm.
Then measure out the right amount of bleach to add to the pool. For every 30,000 gallons of pool water, 1 gallon of bleach raises the free chlorine by 2 ppm.
Add the bleach solution to the pool. Don’t dump it all in one spot. Pour the solution while moving around the pool. Then turn on the pump and filter for at least 6 hours to circulate the shock evenly across the pool.
Can I swim 12 hours after shocking a pool?
Yes, you can start swimming 12 hours after shocking your pool. But before you start swimming, make sure that you test the water. The ideal safe range is between 1 ppm and 4 ppm. Anything above 5 ppm is not safe for you.
To make the chlorine level drop faster after the shock treatment, you can keep it open and expose it to sunlight. Heating the pool after the shock treatment makes the chlorine deplete faster.
However, if you are trying to clear a green pool, 12 hours is generally not enough. You need to wait at least 24 hours. Sometimes you may need to wait for about 5 days to completely clear your pool.
Is shocking a pool necessary?
It is necessary to shock your pool. Not shocking your pool makes it unsafe for your health. Bacteria, debris, algae, chemical pollutants, and other microbes can easily invade your pool if you don’t treat it with a shock.
Depending only on your chlorine sanitizer, whether liquid or tablet, is not enough to keep your pool away from algae blooms. So, you need to shock the pool regularly. The best practice is to shock it once a week. Also, shock it when there is a heavy storm, pool party, algae blooms, etc.
Can you shock a pool during the day?
The best time to shock your pool is in the evening hours or night hours. Shocking the pool in the day makes the chlorine deplete rapidly because of the UV rays of sunlight.
When you add chlorine to your pool, you don’t want it to vanish immediately. You want it to remain active in the pool, at least until the pollutants are completely cleared.
How long does it take for pool shock to work?
It can take 30 minutes to 6 hours for pool shock to kill bacteria and microbes. However, you need to allow the chlorine level to drop to the ideal safe range of between 1 ppm and 4 ppm.
The wait time can take about 6 to 24 hours. No matter how long you wait, do your best to test the water before you start swimming.
Do I add chlorine or shock first?
First, you need to understand that it is not good to add shock and chlorine at the same time. In fact, in pool chemistry, you don’t add different chemicals at the same time. If you do so, it can render the whole process useless.
For the chlorine and shock, it is better to add the shock first. Shock releases a temporary high dose of free chlorine into the pool. This helps to bring the chlorine level up to speed.
Once that is corrected, you can then use the chlorine sanitizer to maintain the chlorine level for a longer period of time.
Can you add shock and baking soda at the same time?
No, you can’t add two different chemicals at the same time. It is better that you shock the pool first. Then when it drops to the normal level between 1 ppm and 4 ppm, you can add the baking soda.
Can you shock a pool without the pump running?
Yes, you can shock your pool without the pump running. But be rest assured that you will not get the best result.
The pump helps to evenly circulate the chlorine shock around the pool. A pool is not a bathtub or spa where you can easily circulate chemicals manually.
The pool is big and achieving uniform circulation across it manually is almost impossible. Moreover, it is a tedious task. You don’t want to go through the stress and end up not getting the desired result.
Why can’t I get my pool chlorine levels up?
If you notice that the chlorine level in your pool is frequently dropping very fast, it shows that there are a lot of things consuming the chlorine.
It could be a result of the many compounds that react with chlorine. These compounds can be introduced into your pool through debris, local water supply, skincare creams dropping from the bodies of the swimmers, etc.
When these compounds accumulate in the pool, the demand for chlorine increases. So, without shocking the pool, the compound will consistently consume chlorine sanitizer rapidly.
To solve the problem, all you need to do is shock your pool.
Why is my pool cloudy after shocking?
It’s normal to have a cloudy pool when it’s shocked. The dead algae particles or debris will take a while to clear as long as your pump and filter are running.
However, if the cloudiness is not caused by the dead algae and debris, it could be a result of copper present in the pool. When copper ions react with chlorine in the pool, the resulting compounds make the pool turn green.
So, if you run the pump and filter and the result persists, you can test the water to confirm the presence of copper in it. If there is copper in the pool water, you can remove it with chelating compounds.
Go to the pool store near you and look for chelating substances. When using it, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Should you cover a pool after shocking?
No, do not cover your pool after shocking until the chlorine level drops below 4 ppm.
If you cover the pool, it will be difficult for the free chlorine level to be reduced. When the pool is open, some water vapor will naturally escape the pool. As the vapors leave the pool, some free chlorine also leaves with them.
The UV rays from the sunlight also help to break down the free chlorine faster.
