How to Properly Shock Treat a Green Pool

The green coloring in your pool occurs after a prolonged period of laxness in cleaning and maintaining the pool. Algae forms on the pool's walls and floor and gets into the water itself, turning it green and murky over time. The most effective way to treat this type of algae infestation is through the use of shock. Shock is essentially a concentrated dose of pool-cleaning chemicals, including chlorine, used when ordinary pool maintenance methods are not strong enough to get the job done.

Things You'll Need

• Bucket
• 2 lbs. shock per 10,000 gallons of water in pool

Instructions

1. Fill your bucket about ¾ full of pool water.

2. Pour a pound of shock into the bucket and swish it around to dissolve it. Do not use your hand to swirl the water around, as shock is an extremely powerful chemical compound and could cause damage to your skin.

3. Turn on your pool filter so a good current starts flowing through the pool.

4. Pour the bucket of diluted shock into the pool once the current is going.

5. Fill your bucket again and dissolve another pound of shock into the water. Repeat these steps as needed until you have 2 pounds of shock per 10,000 gallons of water in your pool.

Tips & Warnings

• Shock your pool in the evening and allow the pool to sit overnight. Shock is much more effective in the night-time hours, as chlorine burns off under direct sunlight.

References

• Swim University: How to Get Rid of Swimming Pool Algae