After a winter of being closed, it may be necessary to shock your pool before you swim in it. We know it can be hard to resist jumping in after your pool has been closed for months. And that is the question that leaves many pool owners asking, “How long after shocking my pool can I swim?”
What Is Pool Shock?
Let’s first understand what chlorine shock, or “pool shock” is and why you should wait before swimming. Pool shock is a boosted cleaning process that uses multiple times the amount of chlorine used in regular pool cleaning. Every pool is subject to daily contaminants your pool may struggle to keep up with. Chloramines such as bird droppings, perspiration, urine, cosmetics, leaves, algae, and other contaminants get added to your pool regularly. Shocking your pool every couple of weeks can help keep these contaminants under control and lowers the stress on your filtration and normal sanitization process. These stresses are also present even when your pool has been closed for the winter. When you shock your pool, it kills the contaminants and can assist in bringing the water back into balance.
When Can I Swim After Shocking My Pool?
The general guidelines are that it is safe to swim about 24 hours after shocking it. To be safe, you should always test your chlorine and pH using a chemical test kit to see if they are in balance. You want to make sure your free chlorine level has returned to 3ppm or less. If you have a serious alga bloom, you will want to make sure the algae is completely gone before entering the pool. Depending on the severity of the bloom, the time it takes to remove it will vary. Call the pool professionals at Sink or Swim for your unique situation. Once you shock your pool, your chemical products will begin the hard work of eliminating the bacteria and other contaminants. Once the algae is gone and the chlorine level has dropped, it should be safe to jump in and enjoy.
Chlorine Free Shocks
There are alternative products you can use if you can’t find chlorine in your area. These are known as chlorine free shocks. One of the best alternative sanitizer options for your pool is calcium hypochlorite, commonly referred to as “cal hypo.” For more info on swimming pool alternative sanitizer options, call Sink or Swim Pool Service today!
