Although the word Shocking sounds somewhat extreme, its refers to a useful treatment to prevent and correct most of the problems that affect the pool water. Shocking is also known as super chlorinating.
Shocking It’s a way to keep pool water safe and clean by either chlorine or non-chlorine chemicals that you add to the pool to destroy any contaminants in the water. The goal is to raise the free chlorine levels to a point where it will destroy any algae or bacteria growing in the pool.
There are 3 different types of pool shock on the market today:
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Calcium Hypochlorite Shock
This chlorine pool shock contains about 65% available chlorine and is cheaper than the rest. This type of shock is slow dissolving, so it will not completely dissolve before it hits the bottom of your pool. Once added, you will need to wait 8 hours before swimming.
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Lithium Hypochlorite Shock
This type of shock is commonly used in areas that have a high amount of calcium in the water since this shock doesn’t use calcium. It contains about 35% available chlorine and is more expensive than using calcium hypochlorite.
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DiChlor Shock (Grandular chlorine)
It is simply 60% chlorine that you can pour directly into the water. You also need to wait 8 hours before swimming again, but it contains cyanuric acid (chlorine stabilizer) that protects the chlorine from being burned off by the sun. It’s more expensive than calcium hypochlorite, but you can use it for regular chlorine dosages and shock treatments
When Should You Shock? you may not need to ever shock your pool if you practice good water care at all times. However, even if you take great care maintaining the proper chlorine levels in your pool, there are still other times when you may want to shock your pool anyway to be sure the water remains clear and safe for swimming. Some of the most common times are:
After heavy pool use
After a heavy rain or windstorm
After a water change
The best indicator to know when you should shock your pool is to monitor the results of home chlorine tests; when the test results show that combined available chlorine and free available chlorine are below their recommended ranges, then it’s time to shock the pool.
For this or any other pool maintenance services, leave it to the hands of Urban Pool Services. We are committed to providing you with long-term maintenance that keeps your pool in stellar shape. Request your FREE QUOTE now!
