What is the difference between shock and oxidizer

However, it requires a relatively low dose to be effective, about 1 gallon per 10k gallons of pool water. After using liquid chlorine, it is recommended not to enter your pool for 24 hours. Once liquid chlorine oxidizes, it turns to simple salt water. Calcium Hypochlorite comes as a powder and is available in different strengths.

Like liquid chlorine, it is a relatively inexpensive option for shocking your pool. It has a high pH, though not quite as high as liquid chlorine. For this reason, it should be avoided or used with care on any pool surface that is prone to bleaching, especially vinyl liners. It requires a relatively low dose, about 1 pound per 10kk gallons of water, depending on the concentration you are using.

Cal-Hypo will increase your free chlorine without increasing you cyanuric acid CYA. This can be a benefit but requires a little extra care. CYA acts as a sort of sunscreen for chlorine, protecting it from the destructive force of UV rays from the sun. If you are using cal-hypo, it is best to add it to the pool in the evening, so it has a chance to work while the sun is low and overnight. Cal-hypo also adds calcium to the water. If your pool is already high in calcium, it may be worthwhile to look for another type of shock.

After adding cal-hypo it is recommended to wait hours to use your pool, or until the pool has reached ppm of total chlorine. Lithium is the most expensive option for shocking a pool. However, the benefit is that it dissolves instantly.

This makes it ideal for vinyl-lined pools or other surfaces prone to bleaching. If you already have hard water, lithium may be a good option. However, lithium shock requires higher doses than other shocks, as much as 1 pound for every 8k gallons of pool water. Due to its price and higher required dosage, it is used almost exclusively for smaller residential pools.

Commercial pools rarely use it. As with other chlorinated shocks, it is best to wait 24 hours to use your pool after adding lithium shock. Another type of chlorinated shock is dichlor and trichlor. Unlike the other types of chlorinated shocks, dichlor and trichlor are called stabilized chlorine. That is because they have been formulated to withstand the destructive force of UV rays.

As stabilized forms of chlorine, they are often used in slow-release pucks, tablets, or sticks to sanitize outdoor pools. But they are also available in granulated form. Calcium hardness needs to be stable between ppm, once that is achieved TA total alkalinity needs to be ppm. After those numbers have been achieved your PH 7. You need at least 1 ppm in chlorine; 3 ppm being ideal. Once all that is achieved you can then shock the pool to kill what sounds like organic material or algae, this could also be caused by a filtration issue, but your water is very out of balance with the readings you posted.

Balance your water, check the filtration system and shock only after that is done. I have a 20, gallon vinyl chlorine pool. I have also heard that tri-chlor may not be good for vinyl pools. Can you explain what the difference is between di and tri and if I can use tri in my pool? I have a gallon vinyl lined in ground pool. I normally had 8 gallons of liquid sanitizer to open it and everything is good. This year however, after doing that total chlorine is 10ppm and free is 0ppm.

Everything else is balanced slightly sort. I added non chlorine shock 4 bags last night. This morning total chlorine is 5 and free is still 0. What do I do? Is your water green, hazy or clear? Water is a bit hazy. Dead algea in bottom with cleaner going. The free chlorine is nonexistent because it has been used up killing the algae.

Remove the dead algae, add clarifier, pool shock, and begin your regimen of normal chlorination. The chlorine levels should stabilize once all the dead matter is gone. Our serviceman vacuums it up on Monday and the water clouds somewhat , but by Wednesday each week the water clears and the sediment is back on the pool floor. I have asked the pool guys if we should drain pool water, as the CYA has been high since summer, but they say it should be fine, and even though I ask them not to use tabs, they still fed that chlorinator all summer long!

My question is, do you think the sediment is related to the CYA? Could the algae start to grow and then die off in the cold that quickly? Can you give me steps to take now to avoid issues in the spring? What products would you recommend?

Much thanks! Hi, I have a 60k pool with fberglass lining. I have 3 mallards who use my pool daily. I use chlorine tablets in a floater and in the skimmers. Not wanting to hurt the ducks, have problem shocking the pool. I believe the Fresh and Clean product says it is a non-chlor shock, which will not control algae. You might want to invest in an actual chlorine feeder, which would properly disperse chlorine throughout your pool, lowering the need to use shock. A 60k gallon pool is humungous for a residential pool.

Also, keeping tablets in the skimmer basket is going to make your baskets brittle and possibly harm other equipment like your pump and filter. After you clean your baskets and filters you should always bleed the air out of the tops of all equipment with the bleeders valves. It is easy to do.

Hi Matthew. Our local pool store analyzed our water and said everything was great, we just needed to up the chlorine via shocking the pool. So we added the store recommended 4 lbs of Fresh N Clear oxidizing shock to our pool this early evening and within a couple hours, our light greenish-blue pool water turned a cloudy, mucky brown. We have cleared the skimmer baskets, strainer basket, and the impeller seems clear. Thanks in advance!

If you pipes have air in them, that is not caused by the shock. Not sure why the pool store guy advised non chlorine shock because it does not directly raise your FC level per say you need to attack the algae, it just treats the organics in the pool which may help your free chlorine to do the other job of attacking the algae.

I think the approach was backwards in that you needed more bacteria fighting sanitizer too. Hi Mathew. Just wondering whether or not I should remove my chlorine pucks when adding non chlorine shock oxidizing shock?

It said to swim 15 minutes after. Is that okay? Thanks for your help! The chlorine pucks do not need to be removed when you add non-chlor shock. The non-chlor is also safe to swim with, it does not have caustic chemicals that could harm you.

I have a 40K gallon gunite pool. I put in a salt water system 3 years ago and have changed the cell. Generally i have issues with free chlorine and sometimes a very high phosphate level. I think I need to shock more often and I would like to add tablets to my skimmer. I never know which tablets or shock to buy. Should I use. Yes, you could do that, adding them separately of course. CHlorine shock is more effective on algae than non-chlorine shock, but both will help!

I have a total chlorine level at about 10 after shocking my pool with chlorine shock. The free chlorine is at 4. Should I add some non chlorine shock to bring down total chlorine or will it burn off on its own?

Trying to get swimmers in it asap. Thank you. I would test again to confirm, but when total chlorine is greater than free chlorine, the difference is combined chlorine.

You would want to shock the pool to about 25 ppm, to break apart the bonds and restore order, to where total and free are equal.

Even a difference of 0. I am adding a non-chlorine shock to a gallon pool before we leave for an 8 day vacation. Should I also add a double dose of chlorine, any algaecide, and should I cover it or not?

Hi Craig, yes to the shock and double chlorine, and algaecide and cover, yes to all that! Have a great vacation! Put it on a plug-in timer. Hi, I test my pool water often with strips and at a professional pool dealer store. This is my second season with my inground, saltwater pool. About 3 weeks ago I had some chlorine lock. The pool store professional advised me to add chlorinated and non-chlorinated shock at the same time to unlock the chlorine.

Ever since then I have had a high stabilizer reading. It is registering at now. This upsets me. I called the manufacturer of my salt cell system and they say the ideal reading for my salt cell is What do I do?

I have looked online at cyanuric acid lowering agents and they all get terrible ratings. Hi Catherine, the cyanuric reducers, seem to work for slightly more than half the people. First, I would have the cyanuric re-tested, just to be sure, sometimes test results are wrong. I am this bind at the moment.

I just used 5 pounds of Cal-hypo in a 9, gallon pool and did not break the chlorine lock.