How often should you shock a pool? Here is all there is to know about this procedure.

If you’re trying to carry out the procedure or wonder how often pool shocking should be done, we’ve provided answers to that and more.

You can perform pool shocking better with the information provided, achieving desired results.

How Often To Shock Pool in Summer and Winter

Pool maintenance involves many actions, from replacing the pool’s vinyl liner, opening and closing the pool, and removing algae.

Other interventions include maintaining water levels, brushing the pool, running the pool’s pump or filter system, and balancing the water chemistry.

Pool owners also need to clean out debris and other forms of dirt. All these maintenance procedures are necessary as they help keep the pool in excellent condition.

In this article, we’ll discuss one method of sanitizing a pool known as pool shocking.

Why Shock a Pool?

Although pools typically have sanitizing agents infused in the water, they eventually break down and become less effective. Chlorine is one of those sanitizing agents added to collections to make them safe for users.

Why is it necessary to shock your pool despite sanitizing agents in the water?

There are several reasons why this action is needed. A type of pool shocking (chlorinated) seeks to introduce a significant dose of chlorine to kill all organic contaminants introduced into the water.

This is especially useful after heavy use of the pool.

If you can smell chlorine in your pool, it’s a sign that it needs to be shocked. This may sound counterintuitive because you can perceive a chlorine smell.

While it may seem so, you perceive the smell of chloramines.

Here, chloramines are formed when ammonia reacts with free chlorines. This leads to the formation of gases that float the pool’s surface.

Based on this explanation, a pool oozing chlorine smell must be shocked as it contains impurities.

  • More Reasons for Pool Shocking

Other reasons for shocking a pool include an increase in temperature and heavy rains.
Your pool should also be shocked when the water gets discolored or becomes odorous.

Again, your pool needs some shock after opening it and closing it. Also, pool shocking will be required when eye irritation is experienced.

Apart from the shocking weekly schedule maintained, it’s evident that other conditions may require a more frequent shock of your pool.

i. After Heavy Pool Usage

We briefly mentioned earlier that heavy pool usage arising from increased use (such as a pool party) would require sanitizing.

Here, all kinds of gross things happen in pools, including the introduction of urine, fecal matter, soap, oils, and shampoo, including bacteria.

Without shock, these foreign bodies contaminate the pool water. Shocking is needed to sanitize and kill all bacteria from increased human activity.

In terms of frequency, shocking will be needed each time such activity occurs, even if it means multiple times a week.

ii. When the Water Gets Discolored or Odorous

There are cases when water in a pool gets discolored. This is due to the introduction of all kinds of impurities.

Here the water may turn not only cloudy but also greenish foamy and odorous. All of these conditions are a clear sign of bacterial activity that needs to be addressed by shocking.

Chlorinated pool shocking helps achieve the singular objective of purifying your pool, making it safe for usage. The conditions mentioned can arise from prolonged non-usage of the collection.

This, coupled with little to no shock, led to the conditions above. Shocking helps revive the pool.

iii. After Opening

As the cold season steps in, you need to have your pool covered or closed. During this time, bacterial activity, including algae, can build up.

This is especially true when the pool wasn’t shocked before closing. Whether or not your collection was shocked before closing, it needs to be surprised when opening.

Shocking your pool immediately after opening helps kill all bacteria and algae, thus making it safe for use. Shocking will need to be performed weekly to maintain its condition from the time of opening the pool.

This should be continued until the next season when prepping to close the pool.

iv. Before Closing

Pools must be shocked before closing as there will be no activity during the cold season.

Shocking the pool helps limit bacterial activity when it’s out of use. This activity, though influential, doesn’t mean the collection won’t be surprised again when it’s opened.

v. When Eye Irritation is Experienced

Due to all kinds of impurities like fecal matter and urine being introduced into pools, persons using it may experience eye irritation.

When this is observed, it’s a clear sign to have the pool shocked. This situation can occur when the collection is heavily used without sanitizing it.

It doesn’t matter if the pool was shocked less than a week ago. As long as there’s heavy use, it will have to be sanitized immediately.

Now you have a clear idea of the required frequency for pool shocking. You can arrange with a pool maintenance service for frequent and timely shocking of your collection.

You also benefit from professional advice on caring for your pool.

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