Swimming is the perfect place to learn to swim or use swimming skills. Swimming is one of the best exercises for the human body. It increases our flexibility, strength and endurance. Besides that it is a way of refreshment. After a lot of work, you need refreshment. So you can jump in the pool with your friends and family. But the pool water must be good for yourself. There can be bacteria, chloramines, alges, etc harmful materials in your pool. To get rid of these materials you need to shock your pool regularly. Shocking a pool means adding chlorine or non chlorine chemicals to the pool water to raise the free chlorine level. Shocking a pool is a vital thing. Because if you don't shock your pool regularly, it can cause damage to your health. In this article I will let you know how to shock an above ground pool. Before that you need to know more things about it. You need to know why and when to shock a pool. Let's move on to the details.
Why Do You Need to Shock A Pool?
The pool is a great place for refreshment. After a busy day, you can enjoy a good time in your pool. But you need to shock the pool regularly. So you can ask why you need to shock a pool. Now I will tell you the reason you need to shock your pool regularly. The amount of contaminants in your pool depends on the chlorine level of the pool water. It also depends on the primary sanitizer in your pool. The sanitizer kills the harmful bacteria, algae and germs of the pool water. It makes the pool safe for swimming. The chlorine works for sanitization magic in the water. It makes bone with ammonia which forms chloramines. The waste comes from fertilizers, swimmers, bird dropping. So you need to release the chloramines from the pool water to make the pool water safe for swimming. Shocking the pool is the only way to get rid of chloramines and sanitize the pool water again. So the main reason to shock a pool is to make it safe for swimming. Now you need to know when you should do this and how many times you should do this in a certain period. I will tell you that and I will also give you some information about the type of chlorines you can use to shock your pool.
When to Shock A Pool?
To make your pool suitable for swimming, swimmingvac you need to shock your pool in a regular interval. But when you should shock your pool, now I will give you a detailed idea about this. You should test the level of chlorine of your pool. Based on that level you should oxidize the pool water once a week by using chlorine shock or non chlorine shock. When the chlorine level of your pool is very low, then use a chlorine shock to raise that level. But when chlorine level is within the range, then use a non chlorine shock, it will oxidize the contaminants of the pool water. Now you need to know when you should shock the pool. In the swimming season when you test the water, you should keep an eye on the free chlorine level and the available chlorine level. The water test will tell you what to do next depending on the scenarios given below. Then we will know the answer to the question of how to shock an above ground pool.
- Thunderstorm and Rain
Due to thunderstorms or heavy rain your pool can be contaminated with dirt, rain water, leaves, etc. So the chlorine level falls down after this kind of weather. So you can shock your pool after rain and thunderstorms.
- Opening and Closing
When you open your pool in the swimming season, you should shock your pool then. Because in the long break, the chlorine level might be low. So if you shock the pool after opening, it will oxidize organic contaminants. It will clear bacteria, algae, etc harmful things. It will clarify the water of the pool. When it is time to close the pool, you should shock the pool. Otherwise the bacteria can reproduce more.
- Heavy Use of Pool
When many people use the pool at the same time at any party, the pool water becomes contaminated. So you should shock the pool after any party to sanitise the pool water.
- Low Chlorine
When the chlorine level of your pool water is low, then you should shock the pool. It will help to get the chlorine level back on the track. The ideal range of free available chlorine and total available chlorine is 0.2-0.4 ppm.
- Remove Chloramines
You should shock the pool if the total available chlorine level is 0.3 ppm or higher than the FAC (Free Available Chlorine level. It will break the chloramines (Bond of Chlorine and Ammonia).
- Fecal Incident
You should close the pool for swimming if there is any fecal incident or unsanitary incident. Then you need to remove debris as much as you can. Then shock the pool.
Types of Chlorine
Here you are in search of a question about how to shock an above ground pool. Before telling you the answer, you should know about the types of Chlorine. You need to add chlorine to the pool water to shock the pool.
- Free Available Chlorine
Free available chlorine (FAC) is the active chlorine which is effective. It sanitises your pool water. Free available chlorine breaks down contaminants. It controls the algae and disinfects the pool water.
- Combined Chlorine
The combined chlorine is inactive. It makes a strong and memorable smell. The combined chlorine forms up, when chlorine makes a bond with ammonia in the pool water. This is also called chloramine. When the chloramines are high, you should shock the pool.
- Total Available Chlorine
It is the total measurable amount of chlorine in the pool water. It is the mix of Free available chlorine and combined chlorine in the pool water. So it means TAC = FAC + CC.
Types of Pool Shock
There are three types of pool shocks. They are Calcium Hypochlorite, Dichloro-S-Triazinetrione and Potassium Monopersulfate. Now I will tell you more details about these pool shocks. Let's dive into it.
- Calcium Hypochlorite
Calcium hypochlorite is also known as Cal-hypo. This is an effective and powerful form of chlorine. This is ideal for the pool with normal to low pH level. Because the pH of Calcium Hypochlorite is 10.8 which is high . It quickly destroys bacteria, algae and other contaminants. There is also calcium in this pool shock.
- Dichloro-S-Triazinetrione
The short name of Dichloro-S-Triazinetrione is dichlor. This is a solution which devolves so fast. It will not make clouds in the pool water and it will not raise the pH level. This contains a small amount of Cyanuric Acid (CA), because this pool shock is stabilized. So you shouldn’t use it consistently.
- Potassium Monopersulfate
Potassium Monopersulfate is a chlorine free pool shock. This pool shock quickly oxidizes the organic contaminants in the pool water and it frees up available chlorine. But this shock will not kill germ or bacteria directly. It will help you to improve to clarify the water and will not impact the pH. It allows you to swim in just 15 minutes, as it is fast dissolving.
How To Shock A Pool?
The question of this article is how to shock the above ground pool and zodiac mx6 pool cleaner. Now I will tell you the answer. You can shock the pool by following some easy steps. Let's tell you about the steps.
1. Test the Water
Before the pool shock, you need to test the pool water. You should test the water with a water test kit to ensure that all materials of water are in the proper range. If the total available chlorine level of the pool water is 2.0 - 4.0 ppm, then use the non-chlorine shock. If the chlorine level is low, then use the chlorine shock.
2. Circulate the Water and Add Pool Shock
In this step you need to circulate the water. So turn on the filter system and the pump to circulate the water. Then read the product label instruction to apply the shock. Then pour the shock around the inner part of the pool. The best time to shock the pool is evening or dusk. The pump can run overnight, if you can do it in the perfect time.
3. Wait For The Drop Of FAC Level
You should let the pump run for 6-12 hours if you use chlorine based shock. Then you should retest the water to check the free available chlorine level. It might be so high which is not safe for swimming. So you have to wait for the FAC level to drop.
4. Swim In Clean and Safe Water
After waiting, test the water again. When the chlorine level falls within the perfect level of 2.0-4.0 ppm, you can use the pool again. The pool water is now bacteria free, clean and safe for swimming. This is how to shock an above ground pool.
Final Words
Now you know how to shock the above ground pool. You should be careful in every step of your life. When you go to enjoy, make sure the place is safe. If you use a pool, make sure the pool is safe for swimming. There can be contaminants, bacteria, etc in the pool which can be harmful for you. So you need to clarify the pool water and make it safe for you.