Conversations about "shock" and the act of "shocking the pool" are amongst the most confusing topics for pool owners; they may be the most confusing overall topic, especially the topic of when to shock the pool. Additionally, there is so much debate and inconsistency about shock and shocking the pool amongst industry professionals; the debate and inconsistency is primarily about when to shock the pool. If the pool industry cannot come together with clear and concise answers, then how can you truly understand shock and the act of shocking the pool. In the industry's defense, there is no clear and concise answers for shock and shocking the pool, primarily when to shock the pool.
The question of "when to shock" is difficult to explain. In fact, the question of "when to shock" has been a constant issue of contested debate within the national swimming pool industry; some say to shock the pool once a week, some say to shock the pool twice a month, some say to shock the pool once a month, and some say to shock the pool just whenever it is needed. If the national swimming pool industry cannot figure out when to shock the pool, how can you? You won't. You simply will not come up with an all-inclusive gameplan and schedule as to when every pool owners needs to shock their pool as part of routine pool maintenance. Most aspects of pool ownership are as straightforward as 2+2=4 but the concept of "when to shock" is a concept with some real gray-area.
You will often hear or see the phrase "shocking the pool as part of your routine maintenance schedule" when discussing pools. Every pool professional knows that it is important to shock the pool as part of your routine maintenance schedule, but the "routine" part of that statement is going to differ from pool to pool. Nobody has ever been able to say exactly when to shock the pool; we won't either. The need to shock the pool will fluctuate on a constant basis due to many variables, which we will explain and discuss in the Pool Manual.
Again, the topics of "shock" and the related "shocking the pool" are topics will real gray-area.
Two things are clear, though:
- You need to shock the pool
- You need to use the right amount of shock when you shock the pool - otherwise you will waste the shock that you did use (and the money that the shock cost you).
Do not neglect shocking the pool.
Where too many pool owners get into some trouble is that they just add a pound or a few pounds of shock whenever the water looks a little hazy, murky, or cloudy. Whether the water is generally clear or whether it is hazy, murky, or even cloudy, if this pound or a few pounds is not enough to revive the chlorine, then what you added will be used instantly and the effort (and money per bag of shock) would have been wasted.
Where too many pool owners get into a lot of trouble is when they neglect shocking the pool.
You can read the Pool Manual for more information about shock, shocking the pool, breakpoint chlorination, when to shock, and much shock to use.