Jules,

Think of "shock" as a verb...not a noun. You shock your pool by raising your chlorine to a high level (breakpoint) where a beneficial reaction occurs....getting rid of some junk in your water.

So, you can shock with anything that adds chlorine to your pool (sort of). Cal Hypo is a product that will add Chlorine and Calcium to your pool...it is frequently used for shocking because it has a high percentage of chlorine that it releases quickly. You can shock with bleach as well. Keep reading in the forum and you'll soon gain a better understanding of shocking and proper Cl levels.

Adding that "burnout" package won't harm your pool on a one-time basis. It's the extended use of Cal Hypo over a long period of time that will cause your Calcium level to become a problem. Based on your test results and your water clarity, there is no reason to shock your pool now or, perhaps, for the rest of the Summer. Normally, a visible water problem or when your CC test results are 1.0 or greater is indicative of the need to shock....you have neither and were smart not to shock.

Ben's best guess table is a guide for you to maintain you Cl ppm based on your CYA level. Since your CYA is currently 30, Ben suggests you keep your Cl between 3-6 ppm. If you ever need to shock, the table tells you that your Cl needs to be raised to 15ppm for shocking to occur.

To lower Alk, you must somehow somehow devise something to get bubbles in your water (aerate). If you can divert one of your returns so splashing occurs, that'll do it. 20 kids jumping in for 6 hours will do it as will a fountain running constantly in the middle of your pool. Reread that section carefully before you start or you will have poor results. There's no emergency in your current Alk result. Take your time and understand it and develop a strategy for how you intend to accomplish it.