Did you think we were going to tell you that you do not need to buy pool shock? Did you think we were going to tell you that its a waste of your money to shock the pool? Well, you misinterpreted the intent of this article. You must buy pool shock. You must shock the pool.
Too many pool owners do not shock their pool enough. These pool owner are inviting water chemistry problems, perhaps even the presence of algae.
And for those of you that do shock the pool frequently enough, too many of you are not adding enough shock. When you don’t add enough shock, the shock that you did add will do nothing. You will simply be wasting that shock. So it would be like just throwing your money away. So yes, there are times when shocking the pool is a waste of money. And too many of you are doing this too often.
You must use enough shock when you shock the pool
When you shock the pool, you must use the amount of shock that is required.
If you just add 2 pounds of shock, but 5 pounds (or perhaps more) are needed, then whatever shock you added will do nothing…except waste your money.
If you add 4 pounds of shock, but 9 pounds (or perhaps more) are needed, then whatever shock you added will do nothing…except waste your money.
And if you just add a bag of shock here and a bag of shock there, then each bag is doing nothing except…you guessed it…wasting your money.
You really need a good test kit to help you determine when to shock the pool as well as how much shock to add.
Methods for Shocking the Pool
There are two methods for shocking the pool. They are regular shocking and breakpoint shocking.
Regular shocking is your regular maintenance shocking. If the water is clean and clear and the sanitizer is at it ideal level, then regular shocking, as part of your regular maintenance schedule, will suffice to revive your sanitizer. For regular shocking, you can likely use the amount of shock listed on the label instructions.
Breakpoint shocking is shocking to play catch-up. Regardless of the condition and clarity of the water, if the sanitizer is not within its ideal level, then breakpoint shocking is needed to revive your sanitizer. For breakpoint shocking, you will always use more shock than what is listed on the label instructions. If the water is unclear, you might have to use 2-3 times the amount of that is listed on the label. And if you have algae, then you might – and likely will – have to use even more shock, as much as 3-4 times the amount that is listed on the label.
Shocking the Pool
Shocking the pool is perhaps the most confusing topic of pool ownership. This particularly applies to “when to shock” the pool. There is no calendar-based answer. A good test kit will tell you if your pool needs to be shocked or not. And it will tell you how much shock to add. Every pool owner should use a test kit for all chemical testing.
We hope this helps.
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Pool Shock
Being a contractor, we operate from a shop, not a store. While we do not sell chemicals, including shock, please let us know if you have questions about them. We’re happy to help.
And if you need pool work, let us know how we can help. If we are working on your pool and you need some chemicals, including shock, we’ll bring them to you at our wholesale cost. It’s just another benefit of doing business with us.
Call us at 402-341-8132 or send us an email to [email protected] or submit a short form to discuss your pool and schedule free onsite consultation.
Or for the quickest response, you can call or text 402-250-8100 (Mike Loftus, owner).