Shocking a swimming pool water is an effective pool clean-up method. But one question will arise in your mind regarding how much is too much. Meaning, can you over shock a pool? Does it clean up the pool water faster?
Overshocking does not benefit your pool water. Instead, applying a higher dose of shock chemicals can make your pool water look dull. Most of all, your swimming pool stays unusable longer than expected.
What is Pool Shocking?
It’s a process where you add chlorine or chlorine-free pool chemicals to your pool. As a result, the pool contaminants like bacteria and algae go away. Thus, your pool becomes way clearer than before. The visibility of the pool water goes higher as well.
You may want to shock your pool when the contamination is high. The process is a quick and shortcut way to make your swimming pool water clean and usable. Many people use the technique as a shortcut and affordable way to clean the pool water.
Can You Over Shock A Pool?
No, you can’t over-shock a pool Because doing so will break the balance of the pool water. The water will be unusable for longer than you may expect. Adding too many chemicals to pool water also harms human health.
Try to measure the shock chemical amount before putting it into the water. Even a slight increase in shock can damage the pool structure.
Furthermore, it would result in water leakage.
What If I Add Too Much Shock in the Pool?
If you have over-shock your pool, you must wait it out!
Ensure no one uses the pool for at least a few days. Your immediate concern should be if the pool has a built-in cover. You better open it up because an over-shocked pool requires enough sunlight to dissolve the extra chlorine in the water.
Before swimming in the over-shocked pool, check the water pH level twice because swimming in this pool might irritate the skin. In addition, it could give you red and itchy eyes after a dip.
Is Too Much Shock Bad For the Pool?
Yes, adding too many shock chemicals is certainly bad for the pool(in general). Because when you add excessive chlorine to the water, it damages the pool tiling. After a certain time, it impairs the pool structure, leading to water leakage.
If you over shock the pool multiple times, the chlorine can add up at the bottom, permanently damaging the floor tiles of your pool. Since repairing pool tiles is expensive, avoiding adding too much shock is better.
Can You Shock a Pool Two Days in a Row?
Yes, you can shock your pool for two days straight. It’s good until you don’t over-shock. Avoid adding excessive chlorine or other chemicals in any of these two attempts. Both of the attempts must have a standard amount of shock chemicals.
Moreover, in special cases, you should shock your pool twice because it will kill off all the algae and strong contaminants faster. It always works like magic. For example, if you have a swimming pool that you haven’t used for up to one year, shock the water for two consecutive days.
Things to Consider Before Shocking A Pool
You must consider your pool water pH, chlorine, and calcium hardness before adding the shock. For instance, the pool water should be within a 7 – 7.5 pH level. The alkaline element of your pool water should be around 100 and 150 ppm.
Above all, check for multiple shocking chemicals. Look for the ones which suit your current pool water characteristics. Ensure you have all the shocking equipment and chemicals before starting the shocking process.
Pro tip: Read out the shock instruction a few times. Have someone beside you to help with the mixing of the chemicals. If it still seems skeptical, you better hire an expert with pool shocking.
Why is the Pool Still Cloudy After Shocking it?
When you add shock to your existing clean and balanced pool water, it becomes cloudy. Don’t stress; it will disappear as a few days pass by. Meanwhile, wait and don’t use the pool as the water clears up. Once the pool water becomes clean and clear, you can swim in.
It might also happen if you use a cheaper version of shock. Sometimes faulty shock chemical companies use harmful ingredients, which may result in cloudiness in your pool water. In such cases, go to the store, buy the good quality shock, and apply it to your pool. Or wait for a few more days.
Here are the other reasons why your pool is still cloudy after shocking it.
1. Higher Ph Levels
If the existing PH levels of your pool water are more than 8, it might cause cloudiness in the pool water. Higher pH levels will cause cloudiness in the water, making the shocking process unsuccessful. As a result, you may have to repeat the process once again.
This is why I always try to fix the pH level of pool water beforehand. To do so, first, examine the current pH level of your pool water. Once you find the pH level, try bringing the pH level near the 7 to 7.5 mark. It would do the work.
2. Due to Metal Sequestering Products
Have you recently applied metal sequestering products in your pool? Then it could be why your pool is cloudy and unclear because these products block the shocking process of pool water. Instead of making the water cleaner, it gets murkier.
As a solution, you should turn on filtering on your pool. Turning on the filtering will slowly but surely clear off the water cloudiness. A few seasons of filtering every day will work great. Within a few days, water cloudiness will go away, and you could start using your pool again.
3. Lesser Filtration
There’s a high chance that your pool has lesser or ineffective filtration. If the pool filtration is not working, fix it with the help of a technician. With a broken filtration system, the pool might not be clearer.
Once you fix the filtration, the cloudiness will start disappearing. Fixing up the pool’s filtration is the most efficient way to clean the water. Try to check the pool filtration before you begin the shock process. Once you are done with filtration, then proceed to the next step.
4. Unbalanced Calcium Hardness
First, check out whether your pool has a high level of calcium hardness or not. If your pool water has these kinds of issues, you should select a special shock treatment package. Simply put, go for shock chemicals that do not use calcium hypochlorite.
General shock treatment chemicals contain ample amounts of calcium. When it mixes up with the existing high level of calcium, it makes the water cloudy. Your pool will stay clean after the shock if you choose the calcium hypochlorite-free solution.
How Long to Wait Before Shocking the Pool Again?
To be honest, you could shock your pool right the next day on the first dose. But, the chemical should be used in a limited amount. Doing double shocks is an effective way to clean up your heavily contaminated pool water. But don’t go for another shock treatment for at least a week.
The answer is every two weeks. It’s that simple. But if you spotted strong contamination before the 2-week timeframe, you could go for another shocking round again.
Is it Bad to Add Too Much of Shock to a Pool?
Yes, it’s not good for the health of swimmers. Anyone who swims into pool water that is over-shocked will get some skin problems. First off, the swimmer starts feeling itchy on the skin. As a result, it will cause a rash on the skin. Red spots on the skin might appear as well.
More so, too much shock will unbalance the pH level of the water. Depending on your pool water type, it will either go high or low, which is unsuitable for human health. You should avoid adding too many sock chemicals in the first round of shock.
What Happens If You Over-Shock a Pool?
First, all the algae, leaves, and other contaminants get killed immediately.
Most importantly, the shocking effect stays on the pool water longer than expected. Slowly, the pH level of the water starts to increase or decrease, affecting the usability of the pool.
Afterward, the pool water might get cloudy due to the high shock dose. But it will start disappearing with filtration. Overall, adding too much shock is not good for your pool. You always measure the shock chemical amount before adding it to the pool.
How Long to Wait For Swimming When You Have Over-Shocked the Pool
According to the general safety rules, after 24 hrs of shock, the pool becomes suitable to swim. But, in case of an over-shocked pool, try not to use the pool for at least three days.
Even before you jump into the pool, test the water. Buy a chemical test kit to check chlorine and pH level. If the chlorine level is within three ppm or less, it’s safe to start swimming in the pool.
Conclusion
To summarize, you should not over-shock your pool due to the various reasons explained above.
Instead, measure the chemicals, and determine the imbalances before shocking your pool. Applying the chemicals adequately will effectively clean your pool water. Overshocking may backfire, often making pool water cloudy, leading to numerous permanent damages.
