Okay, Im really new to the whole pool chemistry and maintence thing, but after being on this site frequent for the past couple months. I have a quick question before I take off and hope someone may have a simple responce when I get home. What exactly is done by shocking your pool, and what is needed to do it. also when and how often does it need to be done. are there tests you can take to determine if your pool does need to be shocked. Thanks.