How Often Should a Pool Be Shocked in the Summer?
If you have just opened your new swimming pool, you might want to know how often to shock the pool in the summer.
In another article, we looked at how soon you can swim after shocking the pool. We agreed that waiting for at least 24 hours is advisable.
What we did not look at is how often you should shock your pool. But that is why we are writing this post today.
Shocking your pool is one of the maintenance routines for different types of pools, including endless pools, in-ground swimming pools, and above ground swimming pools.
The duration between shocks would also depend on whether it is a saltwater or chlorine swimming pool.
Keep reading!
What is pool shock, and why is it important?
Pool shock is one of the swimming pool maintenance chemicals that you should use every so often to keep your water clean and ready to swim in every day of the summer.
Shocking a pool just means adding granular chlorine, which is more powerful at cleaning the water and killing microbes than regular chlorine tablets.
You can also shock the pool if it has rained hard and runoff water has found its way into the pool water. If you see the pool water changing color, you might need to shock it because it is an indication of algae and other organic matter growing in it.
There are two types of pool shocks to use. The first one is the granular chlorine, which is slightly costlier than the regular chlorine tablets that you use for general maintenance.
One of its benefits is that it does not create any kind of buildup inside the pool, so it does not require you to do more maintenance.
The second type of shock is calcium hypochlorite (cal hypo), which is less expensive to buy, but could cause calcium buildup.
The two chlorine shocks are highly recommended, but at times, you could opt to use a non-chlorine shock. However, it is best to use chlorine-based shocks, in the advised quantities, to have enough free chlorine in the water.
How often to shock pool in summer
In another post, we discussed how to prepare your above ground pool for winter. When the swimming season sets in, you have to get it ready for swimming.
After uncovering the pool, you want to clean it! You also want to shock it and kill any organic matter it might have collected during the off-season.
When you were preparing your pool for winter, you shocked it. That is the last thing you did before you covered it up. Shocking it is also the first thing you should do when you are getting it ready for summer.
But just how many times in a week or summer should you add pool shock to the water?
Shock the pool once to twice a week
The purpose of the pool shock is to kill microbes and prevent organic matter from growing in the water. If left unattended, this can cause serious illnesses in your family.
This is why it is recommended to shock the pool at least once every two weeks. However, if you can, please shock it once a week!
When the heat starts going up in the spring, organic matter finds the right opportunity to start growing. This is why you must shock the pool at that moment.
For regular maintenance, we recommend shocking the pool once a week.
After there has been heavy rain
If there has been heavy rain, shock the pool! Rainwater can make algae start growing in the pool water, and that is going to affect the health of the swimmers.
If there has been a storm, shock the swimming pool with chlorine shock. This is going to kill any organic matter that might have come into the pool with the stormwater.
If there is a storm or heavy rain in the weather forecast, you can shock the pool heavily at least two days before it rains. That way, when the rain hits, the chlorine shock will already be well spread out through the water.
If the rain has caught you unawares, though, shock the pool after it has rained. Run the swimming pool water for 24 hours so that the chlorine spreads evenly in the water.
Shocking the pool water after it rains is not going to remove the floating debris. So you have to take those out physically with a net. Also, check the pump baskets and the skimmer and remove the debris from them too.
Shock the pool after heavy use
There are millions of microbes on the human skin, so most of that will find its way into the pool water when you have many people swimming.
Plus, some people, especially seniors and children, pee in the swimming pool. This is why you need a good shock for the pool to get rid of all this matter.
Swimming in home clothes also leaves a lot of bacteria in the swimming pool. But even if everyone was in their swimming attire, there are still many bacteria to worry about.
Imagine all that hair floating around in the water. It carries microbes that eventually find their way into the pool water.
What is the best time to shock the pool in summer?
The best time to apply your shock is in the evening when the sun has gone down or is not too hot. The heat breaks the shock and makes it less effective at killing microbes.
That is why evening is best so that the chemical can work on the pool water, running and spreading through it the whole night. You can then allow the pool to stay unused for at least 24 hours after shocking it.
In the daytime, the rays of the sun are going to break the chlorine. This means you will have more chloramines than free chlorine.
The latter is more effective at cleaning the pool water than the former since the chloramines make a nasty smell, as the chlorine bonds with organic matter.
Do I add chlorine or shock first?
The best way to go about this is to add the shock and then wait for some time, say, 24 hours, before you can add the regular chlorine.
Watch this video to see how to shock a pool:
When you are shocking the pool to kill algae, it is important that you never use the chlorine and the shock together. The reason for this is that both products might render each other useless.
The recommended approach is to add the pool shock first and wait for at least 24 hours. You can also measure the chlorine levels, and if they are below 5 PPM, you can add the chlorine tablets.
If you add chlorine tablets before you have shocked the pool, it is going to combine with organic matter and bind with it. This leaves no free chlorine to help kill the other microbes.
Can I shock my pool every two weeks?
If you have a private swimming pool that you just use with your family, you can shock it once every two weeks, and that will be enough.
Many factors can determine how often you shock the pool. If there are many people using the pool at the same time, you might need to shock it more often, sometimes even twice a week.
If you live in one of those places that receive heavy rainfall during the summer, you might have to shock the pool more often than people who experience drier summers.
The main reason for shocking a pool is to remove the bound or combined chlorine that comes in the form of chloramines.
These are responsible for causing a nasty odor in your swimming pool water. If all the chlorine that you use in the pool ends up getting bound, there will be no free chlorine left to kill microbes.
Most of the contaminants in the pool come from swimmers. Therefore, you need to enforce the bathing before swimming rule strictly to reduce contamination.
Make sure they wear swimming caps to prevent hair from trailing all over the pool. Also, do not allow anyone to swim in home clothes.
Conclusion
How often to shock your pool in the summer depends on many things, but the general recommendation is to do it once or twice a week.
However, some situations might warrant you shocking the pool out of your regular schedule. For instance, you should shock it after it has rained, after heavy use, or if your chlorine test has revealed low levels of free chlorine.
If the swimming pool water has strange odors apart from what you are used to, it indicates the presence of chloramines. This means most, if not all the chlorine is bound. It is not available freely to kill microbes.