Saltwater pools have to be well chlorinated to take care of common pool problems such as algae. While a saltwater pool is a chlorinated pool with similar amounts of free chlorine levels, the cleaning system actually works slightly differently.
A salt pool changes salt from the salt cell into chlorine instead of having to add chlorine directly into the water. It is okay to shock your saltwater pool and it is important to do so.
3 Reasons to Shock Your Saltwater Pool
Here are the 3 important reasons why you need to shock your saltwater pool:
To remove algae
The most effective treatment to remove algae is using chlorine. It is best to kill algae when you first notice the bloom. It is time to shock the pool if you see small algae spots or a large overgrowth.
To remove chloramines
Chloramines are the chemical compounds that accumulate in pool water when it is not properly treated. Test the water levels of the pool to check if the total chlorine is higher than free chlorine.
If the combined chlorine is too high, it will lead to an accumulation of chloramine so it is time to shock the pool.
To remove contaminants
It is necessary to clean and remove any debris and for you to shock your pool if there are fecal or other contaminants found there.
6 Steps for Shocking Your Saltwater Pool
- Test your pool chemistry – Use test strips or your pool test kit to test for your pool’s pH, calcium hardness and alkalinity levels. An imbalance in the levels, combined with high chlorine can lead to deposits, pitting or staining on the pool’s surface.
- Adjust chemicals as needed – If your pool water levels are off, balance them back to the normal ranges.
- Calculate the right amount of shock – You have to achieve about 30 ppm to reach breakpoint chlorination.
- Turn on your pool filter – Turning on the filtration system will give you better results by distributing the shock more evenly.
- Add shock to your pool – It is good to follow the manufacturer’s instructions when it comes to adding shock to your pool. You can usually directly add the product to the pool. However, if you own a fiberglass or vinyl pool, you have to dilute the product to prevent staining.
- Turn down the salt cell system – If your pool is at the recommended chlorine level, the shock can last for many days. Therefore, you can turn down the saltwater pool system for some time.
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