Keeping pool water clean is vital for a superb swimming experience. No shocks to pool water can surely invite algae.
If the water is not shocked then it can be dangerous for the pool walls also and will in turn decrease the lifespan of the pool.
With time, pathogens become active in the pool water due to which it needs to be shocked with liquid chlorine.
Shocking helps to avoid any unwanted materials from the water and keep it clean.
In this article, you will learn how to shock a pool with liquid chlorine and some other ways to keep the pool water clean and safe for the swimmers. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What is Pool Shock Treatment?
Pool shock is a treatment in which some of the chemicals (chlorine or non-chlorine) are added to pool water to kill pathogens that are responsible for algae and bacteria growth in water.
The treatment inactive all unwanted material. This shock is also very important in dealing with combined chlorine.
What is Pool Shock Made of?
Pool shock consists of chemicals that are added to the pool water after some time to make sure the water is safe to swim in.
Mostly the chemical is chlorine that is added to increase the level of chlorine in the pool water.
There are some other pool shocks in which different ingredients other than chlorine are used.
You can use any of the pool shocks after reading the manufacturer’s instructions. Also, consider the nature of your pool.
Types of Pool Shock Treatments
As already told that pool shock is of many types but the following are the most common types of pool shock treatments.
- Liquid Chlorine: it is very fast against pathogens. It is also used to higher pH levels.
- Calcium Hypochlorite: it is very good to kill algae in the pool water. It will also take the pH level.
- Trichlor: this is mostly used in pool shock and is very effective against algae. But it will decrease the pH of your pool that you will further need to increase for balancing the chemistry of pool water.
- Dichlor: it is very good for the maintenance of a pool. A good thing about this product is that it does not lower or higher pH. If you have painted or pebble tech pool then you should surely get this product and use it for shocking your pool.
How to Shock a Pool with Liquid Chlorine?
Now when you want to shock your pool with liquid chlorine then the following steps will be beneficial for you.
- Buy a gallon of liquid chlorine from the departmental store. Check the strength level of the chlorine before buying.
- Pour chlorine in the pool when there are no sun effects. Nighttime and cloudy weather both are perfect to shock your pool.
- Be sure to pour the required amount of chlorine into the water. Like you can add 100g of it in 10 thousand liter water.
- Turn on the pump.
- Be sure that the pump and filter of the pool are working accurately. The liquid chlorine will kill algae and other containments while the pump will shock the water to kill all the algae and the filter will clean the entire residue.
How to Shock a Saltwater Pool with Liquid Chlorine?
The saltwater pool uses two plates of electricity that produce chlorine.
But with time, it also needs to shock to remove chloramines, kill algae and clear all containments.
You can use liquid chlorine to shock a saltwater pool as follows.
- First of all, you should balance the chemistry of water because the chlorine reaction lost its worth at higher pH. Take steps to balance all the ingredients and then go to the process.
- Take the exact amount of shock. You will need 5 gallons of 6% liquid chlorine bleach for 10000 gallons of water.
- Run the filter system.
- Pour liquid chlorine into the water.
- Wait for 24 hours with a running filter. You will get an algae-free pool.
How Much Liquid Chlorine to Shock a Pool With Algae?
When you notice algae build up in your pool then shocking is recommended. It will help you to remove the algae as well as prevent it.
You need to add 30ppm of liquid chlorine to the pool water. It will raise chlorine levels and kill algae.
How Long Should You Run Filter After Shocking Pool?
Shocking will help to kill the extra containments in water like algae and bacteria, but it can never be removed.
Run the pool filter to get rid of all the debris after shocking.
Run it for a minimum of 24 hours. The time can be increased if the water is still dirty.
Liquid Chlorine vs. Granular Shock
Liquid Chlorine and Granular Shock are the chemicals of the same ingredients. But the difference between them is their shape like granular is in solid form.
Granular shock is stabilized and is expensive than liquid chlorine. Liquid chlorine is available in refillable containers but granular is used only once.
How to Shock a Pool that is Green?
A green pool is the most frequent and ugly situation and you will surely not like to swim in the green pool.
It is a sign of algae build-up in the pool. So shock the pool with chlorine because it was due to a lower level of chlorine in the water.
You can get rid of the green pool as follows.
- Add chlorine, it will help to kill algae.
- Make sure the chlorine level is high.
- Maintain the chlorine level for 3 to 4 days. If it gets low then the algae will reproduce.
- Run filter for 24 hours.
- The dead algae will come up to the water and then it will cause cloudiness above the water. The filter will remove all the debris and you will soon get a clear pool.
How Often to Shock Pool?
If you want to keep the pool water clean from all the containments, then you should regularly shock it.
Make a plan of shocking at least once a week. If the pool water looks cloudy or foamy then shock it immediately.
Algae growth in water or water getting green is also a sign that your pool needs clean and shocking.
Conclusion
People living in hot areas are fond of placing pools at their pools as a source of recreation.
Over time, the water in pools gets dirty and needs to be cleaned. Else, the dirty water will lead to health issues and foul smells.
Chlorine is added to it to kill the unwanted items.
Now you have clearly known how to shock a pool with liquid chlorine.