i shock::First, it helps to understand what a shock treatment is and why we need to do it i shock

i shock::First, it helps to understand what a shock treatment is and why we need to do it.
These include sweat, saliva, skin cells, body lotions, deodorants, soil, urine, loam, and a host of other things.
Mother nature also contributes by blowing leaves and other debris into outdoor pools.
These organics provide a food source for bacteria to live on.
Although there are both good and bad bacteria, the health department generally insists that we get rid of all of them.
So we add sanitizers to the pool.
Just as oxidation can turn metal into dust, it will also break down the organics in the pool water.
Killing bacteria is fairly quick and easy, but dissolving the contaminants takes a bit more time and muscle.
If there is a choice between a live bacterium and the organic food source, the oxygen molecule will tend to attach to the food rather than the bacterium.
So your sanitizer ends up working on the less important task.
If your water is cloudy before a shock treatment, but clears up afterwards, this is probably what is happening.
You could avoid shock treatments almost entirely by increasing the level of an oxidizing sanitizer so that it never falls behind.
This makes sense if contaminants are coming into the pool at a fairly steady rate, but it is wasteful if the problem is just the occasional exceptionally dirty dog.
The purpose of a shock treatment, then, is to remove the organics and other contaminants from the pool.
It is not intended as a replacement for sanitation, but it will help sanitizers be more effective.
Your test kit should include tests for both free and total chlorine.
The free chlorine is what is available for killing the bacteria.
It might surprise you to learn that this was probably the result of not enough chlorine, rather than too much!
The level of organics has gotten out of hand, and what you smell is the byproduct a combination of chlorine and ammonia, or chloramines.
A shock treatment is needed to deal with the organics, followed by an increase in chlorine on a daily basis to prevent the buildup in the future.
No matter what sanitizer you are using you can certainly schedule regular shock treatments, but there is no single formula to determine how often.
The smaller your pool, the more often you will need to shock.
An 800 gallon spa may require daily shock treatments.
After exceptionally heavy use.
After a heavy rain or a windstorm that blows debris into the pool.
After a water change.
It probably is safe from live bacteria, but there may still be organics.
I always shock after a water change.
What kind of shock?
There are two main categories of shock treatment: chlorine and nonchlorine.
The former is simply raising the chlorine to a very high level typically around 10 ppm.
This provides enough oxidation to dissolve the organics and rid the pool of bacteria that may have been busy multiplying during the imbalance.
The trouble with chlorinated shocks is that you cannot use the pool until the chlorine level drops back to normal levels around 3 ppm.
This can take some time, and you must test the pool water to ensure the level has dropped.
In addition, if you are using an alternative sanitizer, it may not be compatible with the chlorine shock treatment.
Nonchlorine treatments generally use potassium monopersulfate.
This will not kill bacteria, but it is very effective at oxidizing the contaminants.
The labels claim you can swim 15 minutes after treating, although i still prefer to wait overnight.
You should leave the cover off the pool during a shock treatment.
This is because nitrogen gas is expelled as a byproduct, and you want to let it escape.
Certain sanitizers may reduce or eliminate the need for shock treatments, but shock treatments do not replace sanitizers.