How to Shock a Swimming Pool With Bleach

Shocking a swimming pool is usually recommended for two reasons: general maintenance and to disinfect it in the event of an emergency. The goal in both cases is a cleaner pool that is safe for everyone. Pool companies make specialized chlorine bleaches that pool owners should always have on hand. The bleach is specially-formulated to kill all bacteria. After a set period of time, swimmers can return to the pool.

Things You'll Need

• Pool test kit
• Chlorine bleach

Show More

Instructions

How to Shock a Swimming Pool With Bleach

• 1

  There are three types of chlorine bleach used for pool cleaning: calcium-based, trichlor-based and dichloride-based. Consult with a pool-cleaning specialist before choosing the one that is right for your particular pool.

• 2

  Reset your pool's pH balance by using a test kit. Most pool owners have a test kit that measures the pH or acidity level. If the reading is too low, contaminants can compromise the safety of your pool.

• 3

  Toss the bleach into the pool. This is the actual shocking process. It's called shocking because you are putting a higher concentration of bleach into the pool to kill the bacteria as quickly as possible. The type of bleach you use determines how long the wait is during the disinfecting process.

• 4

  Once you have shocked your pool with bleach, the waiting time can vary from 15 minutes to 24 hours. Most public pools have a 24-hour rule, meaning no one can enter the pool until a full day has passed. This is especially important after a fecal contamination or an oral contamination like vomit.

• 5

  Shocking also is part of regular pool maintenance. Experts recommend shocking your pool at least every 2 weeks--if not more. "I do it every 2 weeks in my backyard pool." says Anne Carter, who is entering her 45th year of teaching swimming lessons and maintaining her home pool. "Shocking eliminates the body oils and bacteria after an extremely busy week where there have been lots of bodies in the water."