Q&A for How to Shock Your Swimming Pool

Although you can, some chlorine will be destroyed by the sun's UV rays. You won't have the full effectiveness of the shock treatment. It would best if you do it under the shade followed by covering it. Covering the pool does help protect the chlorine for 2 days. It is best to do it at twilight hours in the evening.

Don't open anything - you pour the shock directly in the pool in front of the return so the stream carries it through the pool.

Yes, it does keeping the water moving will help spread the chlorine and kill the algae -- hence the term shock.

Distribute the shock around the pool evenly in a bucket diluted with water. Or you can pour it directly in front of the return fitting.

If the powder didn't get wet, it should be good to use. Store it in a cool, dry places, away from sunlight. It may be slightly less effective after being open, but it should last until the next treatment (especially if you're shocking the pool weekly or monthly).

You likely have metal in the pool water (e.g. iron, manganese). Your pool store will have products to remove metal from the water and brown stain from the liner if it got stained.

If you maintain the pool yourself, about $30 a month average for chemicals.

Until the chlorine level is 3ppm or less. You'll have to check chlorine level frequently until it's safe.

That depends whether you use a chlorine or non-chlorine shock. With a chlorine shock, you can swim in it about 4 hours later. For a non-chlorine shock, you just need to wait 15 minutes.

It does at first, but it should go away after a while.

You leave the pump running in filter mode so that the chlorine can be distributed all around the pool and do its job. It's best to leave the pump running for 24 hours after shocking the pool.

Shocking uses three to five times the normal amount, so double would not be sufficient.

The pump and filter should be running while adding chemicals in order to disperse them properly.

Yes. The filter clears the contaminates from the water and keeps your water clear and blue.

I would use a test strip to check your levels. It sounds to me like you need a stabilizer.

That depends whether you use a chlorine or non-chlorine shock. With a chlorine shock, you can swim about 4 hours later. For a non-chlorine shock, you just need to wait 15 minutes.

Drain the water, then shock the new water.

That depends whether you use a chlorine or non-chlorine shock. With a chlorine shock, you can swim in it about 4 hours later. For a non-chlorine shock, you just need to wait 15 minutes. Be sure to check your CL2 ppm levels. If it's 3ppm or less, you're good to go. If you shock a pool in the evening, you should be fine the next morning.

I would recommend having your water tested at a pool supply store. They often have free testing and will provide you a 'cocktail' of chemicals to clear up the water.

If there’s no algae in the pool, there’s no need to shock. In the winter when water temp is below 60°, it’s very difficult for algae to grow. Unless you live in a warm climate, odds say there’s little need to “shock.”

Keep in mind the purpose of adding the large dose of chlorine, to kill algae faster than it can reproduce. If you add it all at once, then there’s a huge chance the algae and sun will consume the chlorine well before all the algae is killed, thus leaving you with a cloudy/green pool. It took a while for the pool to go green, it’ll take a while to clear it up too.