Installing a swimming pool, whether in-ground or above ground, can add immense value and elegance to your home. However, in order to make sure you maximize your usage of the pool during the swimming months, you need to maintain it like a professional by carrying out various maintenance procedures as often as possible. One of the most important practices entails shocking the pool. Below are some tips and facts to help you understand shocking and when you should carry out this task during the season.

What Is Pool Shocking?

This is one of the most common questions among homeowners who wish to keep their swimming pool in good condition. Basically, this is the process of adding sanitizers such as chlorine, bromine and ozone in a bid to kill bacteria and break down contaminants. This significantly helps to eliminate a bacteria filled environment and protect swimmers from various ailments such as skin bacterial infections. Getting rid of bacteria is quite easy as the chemicals make the environment unfavorable for their continued development. However, breaking down the contaminants can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t apply the recommended amount. To get the best results, it is recommended to increase the level of oxidizing sanitizer that acts on the contaminants, such as organic matter, by raising the chlorine levels to “shock level” which can be different for every pool.

When To Shock A Pool?

Here are some expert tips on the different times that you should consider shocking your swimming pool:

1. After Exceptional Heavy Use

This basically refers to when the swimming pool is used continuously by a large group of people, especially during summer. As children and adults swim or take part in water sports, people (and pets in some cases) can introduce various organic materials such as skin cells, sweat, saliva, deodorants and suntan or body lotions into the pool water. The organic materials are actually a source of food for bacteria and so they have capacity to increase the rate at which they breed and multiply in number. To make sure the pool is a safe place to swim, these organic matters which act as ‘food’ for the bacteria need to be removed by shocking the pool.

2. After Water Change

There is no guarantee that the water coming from your water spigot outside or the water delivery company is free of contaminants and bacteria. To be on the safe side, it is recommendable to shock the pool after replacing the existing water to kill and bacteria that may have been introduced as it flows from water treatment plant to your premises. Before doing so, it is advisable to first take samples of the water to determine the amount of chlorine in it. From there you can have your local pool supply company check your water or you can use one of the many swimming pool water testing kits on the market. This will go a long way to ensure that you only use the recommended amount of chlorine and/or shock.

3. After Heavy Downpour

It goes without saying that heavy downpour or storms leads to soil erosion. Part of the runoff may end up inside your pool, especially if you have a low lying in-ground pool or an above ground pool that is situated lower than other parts of your property. First, to avoid such incidents, it is recommendable to incorporate drainage system in your landscape to divert rain water away from your swimming pool. This will save you time and money that would have been spent purchasing sanitizers and shocking the pool. Nevertheless, it is advisable to shock the pool after such weather conditions basically to remove organic materials. The amount of sanitizers required largely depends on the amount of runoff water that ended up in the pool. Over time and a bit of education, most pool owners will get to know the chemical makeup of their specific pool and will know when the levels are pointing towards shocking the pool.

4. After Windstorms

Windstorms are notorious for blowing all sort of debris from the ground’s surface into pools. As mentioned earlier, these organic materials that make their way into your pool act as food for the bacteria making the pool unsafe for humans and pets. Based on these facts, it is prudent to consider shocking the pool after a windstorm which very often blows dirt, leaves and many other hard-to-see organic items into your pool. To reduce your expenditure on pool chemicals, it is ideal to wait until the storms are over to shock a pool, especially if you live in areas that experiences many windstorms.

5. If you Discover Signs of Algae

Algae are living organisms that thrive in wet environments with ample organic matter. This means that your pool water is packed with organic materials if they start growing on the walls or at the bottom. There are a number of commercial sanitizers that are specifically formulated for eliminating algae. Be sure to follow the specific instructions provided by the manufacturer of your preferred sanitizer to get the best results. Normally, shocking your pool will help to control the algae growth and keeping proper and consistent free chlorine levels will control it over time.

6. After Loss of Water Clarity or Quality

Sometimes, pool water can become contaminated with soil particles and other forms of waste which can affect the clarity of the pool water. If you notice the water is not sparkling or is just cloudy or duller than your neighbor’s pool, you most likely have organic matter of some form in your pool whether that be particles blown in from the environment or dead algae from a recent issue. In these situations you have no option but to shock the pool if you discover that the water is not clean or has some sediment.

Finally, be vigilant when choosing sanitizers as there are some which are formulated using toxic chemicals that are unfriendly to both humans and environment. I’ve personally found that the “BBB Method” of using Borax, Baking Soda and Bleach to control pool chemical levels has been extremely successful, most notably the bleach which has the exact same active chemicals as found in all pool chlorinating tabs and shock. When shocking my pool, I will use my Taylor K-2006 test kit, test the levels and then pour in the exact amount of bleach required by using an online pool calculator. For me it’s simple, easy and extremely effective. Just remember that whatever method you use, give it enough time to act on bacteria and organics before using the pool again.

These are just a few of the many times you will want to shock your pool. If you have any questions please contact us here or leave a comment below.