New Pool - Is Shock Required?
by Shannon Power
We have an auto chlorinator. All pool levels are fine, except the chlorine, which is low. Must we shock the pool, or will the chlorine come up on its own with the chlorine being added by the chlorinator? (Temp outside is approx 75 Degrees.. temp of pool is currently 72 degrees) I do not want to add any unnecessary chemicals. Thanks very much. Shannon Thanks for the question Shannon It really depends on what the question means by "low". I had a question from another pool owner saying his chlorine was "too high". It was 4.0ppm, which is fine. Normally, at pool start up, it's recommended that you do shock the pool to get the chlorine in there, but it's important on the kind of chlorine. You need to get the stabilizer (cyanuric acid/CYA) up as well. Keep this between 30 - 50ppm and the chlorine between 1.5 - 3.5ppm. The best chlorine for a start up is Dichlor. This is a stabilized chlorine as opposed to regular liquid or granular chlorine which is unstabilized. For every 10ppm of chlorine added by Dichlor, you'll increase the CYA 9ppm. You can then use Trichlor tabs for maintenance. For every 10pm chlorine added by Trichlor, it will increase the CYA by 6ppm. You then can use liquid or granular chlorine for weekly maintenance. Be care when using Di and Trichlor as the CYA will rise and the only way to bring it down is to drain 1/3 - 1/2 of the water, refill, and balance the chemicals. Hope this answers your question. If you have any additional questions or would like to comment on your post, you can find it at the bottom of the Pool Start Up page and the Q&A page in the "Start Up/Opening A Pool" category: Pool Start Up Swimming Pool Questions and Answers Have a fun and safe Summer. Robert |
