Shock the pool

[slowtan]

This is a stupid question but what is meant by shock the pool.

I have had my pool for a year and I have shock and the 3" pucks. I know shock w/the shock and how to use the tablet regularly but this year I want to switch to bleach.

How would I "Shock" the pool w/bleach considering that will be my reg source of chlorine. or am I missing something?

[DavidD]

No questions here are stupid, well almost. You shock your pool to kill chloramines or CC-Combined Chlorine which is the used up chlorine (bad). You do this by bringing up your FC-free chlorine which is the unused chlorine ready to work (good) so it can kill the bad. The level will depend on your CYA (a.k.a. stabilizer) level. You need to test to find out what your CYA level is so you know what level you should keep your chlorine and what level to shock, when required. I very rarely have to shock since I (as CarlD says) stay ahead of my water. You will add enough bleach to bring your FC level up to shock level and bring your CC level to 0. Before the forum crashed, Ben had posted his “Best Guess Chlorine Levels” chart however I’ve been unable to find it on the new forum. Maybe someone else can give you this. Also, you will note that mwsmith has a link on his signature which is a fantastic little program he wrote to calculate how much bleach (and other chemicals) will change your water based on your pools size/gallons. Look for post with his response or maybe he'll chime in. I highly recommend using this. Hope this helps.

[mwsmith2]

Did someone say "best guess" table?

Ben's 'best guess' FC/Stabilizer table for algae free operation of OUTDOOR pools
-- as of July 2003 --

Stabilizer . . . . . . Min. FC . . . . Max FC . . . 'Shock' FC
=> 0 ppm . . . . . . . 1 ppm . . . . . 3 ppm . . . . 10 ppm
=> 10 - 20 ppm . . . . 2 ppm . . . . . 5 ppm . . . . 12 ppm
=> 30 - 50 ppm . . . . 3 ppm . . . . . 6 ppm . . . . 15 ppm
=> 60 - 90 ppm . . . . 5 ppm . . . . . 10 ppm . . .. 20 ppm
=> 100 - 200 ppm . . . 8 ppm . . . . . 15 ppm . . .. 25 ppm

[fog80]

i know ben's kit tests for cya, but are there any other kits that do so as well?

I am not trying to knock Ben's kit but the price is a little steep for me for something I will replace almost yearly.

If I am incorrect, can someone please correct me?

Thanks.

[Sherra]

You don't replace the kit yearly. You replace the reagents as need (some will last more than a year if stored correctly, some you will use up before the year is out). Yes, you can go to any pool supply store and pick up a CYA test kit. I was just at one yesterday and they were about $15 at that store if I remember correctly.

[VOLDADDY]

i know ben's kit tests for cya, but are there any other kits that do so as well?

I am not trying to knock Ben's kit but the price is a little steep for me for something I will replace almost yearly.

If I am incorrect, can someone please correct me?

Thanks.

The old saying "you get what you pay for" really applies here. I bought the cheaper kits at my pool store and Wal-Mart. Then, when I did my conversion from Baquacil, I bought Ben's kit. Let me put it like this; it's like going from a Yugo to a Lexus. Plus, the money you save on chemicals will pay for about 5 of Ben's kits, and in my case with Baquacil, about 20 kits. Good luck.