The water in your pool is a delicate balance of chlorine and other chemicals, which allow you to enjoy crystal clean water. Every time you jump into this water, the natural oil and dirt from your body, goes into the water. Free chlorine then eliminates this dirt and oil to ensure that your water remains clear and clean. At some point however, the available chlorine in your water drops and you could be left with dirty pool water.
When this occurs, you can run into issues with algae and other water contaminants. One way to combat this issue is with pool shock. In this article we will explain pool shock, so you can ensure that your pool water remains clear year round.
What does pool shock mean?
Pool shock is the introduction of chemicals into your pool to regulate imbalance in the chlorine content. As you use your pool, chlorine is used to help eliminate pollutants. Eventually, this will cause the chlorine to diminish; leaving you with a pool that can no longer remain clean.
What causes the need for pool shock?
There are many reasons why pool shock will be needed in your pool. Most of these are natural, meaning that pool shock is a normal practice in the regular use of a home pool. Common causes include:
- Sweat
- Saliva
- Body lotions
- Deodorant
- Soil
- Leaves
- Outside debris
As you can see, the items that cause the need for pool shock are common and generally organic. While using a pool cover is one way to prevent this from happening, at some point or another the need for pool shocking will arise.
How does pool shocking work?
While a homeowner can perform pool shocking, it is always recommended to seek professional help for this service. The general idea of pool shocking is to introduce chemicals into the pool system in order to restore the balance within the pool.
One can do this by adding the mixture of water and pool shock into the lines that return water to your pool. By adding it directly in here, the chemical mixture will quickly react within your pool.
When should you shock your pool?
Part of properly maintaining your pool and keeping it clean is understanding when you need to shock it. While you may not always be able to tell, there are a few clear signs that it is time for pool shocking. For one, if the pool has undergone a lot of use, such as a party for example, it may be time to shock the pool.
Similarly, if the water looks discolored or hazy, it is time to shock the pool. You can also work with a professional company to ensure that the pool shocking is performed at the right time.
