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If you fail to add enough chlorine to your water, you run the risk of the chloramines building up, and you will need to replace the water. Adding this chlorine to your pool is known as shocking your pool. For that to happen, you need to add roughly 10 times the amount of combined chlorine. The breakpoint chlorination is when you add enough chlorine to shatter the bonds of the chloramines. From this, you will be able to determine your combined chlorine.
Pool shock free#
Your pool test kits will be able to determine your free chlorine and total chlorine levels. Total chlorine is simply the free chlorine added to the total chlorine. The recommended level is below 0.2 parts per million. It has actively sanitized your pool water, but it does not have the potency to do so any longer. It is recommended that your free chlorine be between 1-4 parts per million.Ĭombined chlorine is the chlorine which has been used already. Free chlorine is the amount of chlorine which is actively disinfecting your pool water. When we think about the chlorine in our pools, we need to think about various types of chlorine in the water. So, what is the active ingredient in pool shock? Well, most often, it is chlorine itself. To understand exactly how pool shock works, you have to understand your chlorine levels and shocking your pool. Most pool shock is composed of some form of chlorine. So, what is the difference between pool shock and chlorine? The difference could be a lot, or it could be irrelevant.
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Remember the smell that you thought was chlorine? You actually want to get rid of that smell by adding chlorine or other pool chemicals. When you shock your pool, you are adding enough chemical to destroy the chloramines. Let’s just hope that you are not getting a similar smell from your swimming pool! These chloramines can irritate your skin, eyes, and respiratory system, so you have to be careful to avoid them. The smell is the result of a natural chemical process. What are chloramines? They form when the chlorine in the pool mixes with sweat, oils, and, unfortunately, urine. Do you remember walking into a pool as a kid and taking in a big whiff of that chlorine? Smells good, right? Smells clean? Well, what if I told you that you were not smelling the chlorine in the water, but you were instead smelling the chloramines. Let’s get started with the question, what is pool shock? What is Pool Shock?īefore we get down to asking what does pool shock actually do, we need to ask what pool shock is.
Pool shock how to#
This article aims to clear up everything about shocking your pool, from why you do it to how to do it. Shocking your pool may sound intense, but it is rather mundane when you get down to it. In fact, there is no need to use any electricity or scares. That may sound a little scary but don’t worry it is not as frightening as it sounds.