Does shocking refer to using nonchlorine shock powder or liquid chlorine?

Answer 1

Either will work fine. Chlorine shock must be added in the correct amount to totally eliminate chloramines, NH2Cl, compounds which form when chlorine combines with ammonia when bathers are present. Chloramines are what give pool water the "chlorine smell" and cause redness to the eyes, etc. Shocking with 1.5 gals of liquid chlorine per 10,000 gals is normally recommended. Using the powdered shock in the 1lb bags also work very well. For people with large pools, the liquid is less expensive to use. Chlorine also disinfects and kills bacteria and algae. It's important to shock every 7 days without missing. Non-chlorine shocks effectively remove chloramines without raising the chlorine level in the water. To control an algae bloom: first brush and vacuum all pool surfaces. Flush out the filter(s) afterwards to dispose of the captured algae. Shock the water as above and add Stop Yellow powder- follow label directions. Vacuum and repeat in 2 days if the algae is still present. I've found that using a powdered shock which contains copper algaecide works very well at controlling algae bloom, which is the main problem pool owners have, especially in the summer. Using chlorine tablets containing algaecide is also a good idea (AquaChem Shock Extra Blue). Since I started using the chlorine tablets containing copper, I've had no algae at all. -Mike

I have a vinyl pool liner and I use the pool shock in the 1 lb bags (powder) that you can purchase at Walmart. Shocking just means to cholorinate the pool once a week HEAVILY. It helps stay ahead of any bacteria that may be growing. I also shock it after a heavy rain. My pool is about 38,000 gallons and I use 4 bags of shock a week. Each bag takes care of between 10 and 12 thousand gallons so you can see that I over shock somewhat. I put the shock in my pool skimmer after cleaning and removing the basket. [CAUTION: If you have an automatic chlorinator, adding shock to the skimmer may cause the chlorinator to explode. It is much safer to follow the instructions on the bag and add the shock to the deep end of the pool]. That saves me time and also circulates through the filter and then into the pool much quicker for better results. I have just started putting a few ounces of algeside in my pool as an alge was beginning about two weeks ago. That has happened about this time of year, for the last three years. It may be due to the farmers field behind me. When the alge was spotted it grew like crazy in 24 hours causing me to call the pool company for help. ($225 call! UGH) We poured a quart and a half into the pool and shocked it with 8 bags of pool shock to get the pool balanced. Now I am using the few ounces of algeside recommended on the bottle each week. Don't OVER use the algeside! If you have an algeside problem the algeside product MUST HAVE COPPER in it. I found one at Walmart with 3% copper which worked fine. Put it in and vaccumm to WASTE the next day. I hope this helps even this is probably more information than you need.