Q My pool-service company has a new strategy of shocking the pool each week to keep the chemicals stable. I worry that this will deteriorate my pool surface prematurely.
Shocking the pool sounds severe to me. Our local pool-supply store said that shocking weekly is what it does for pool servicing as well. This sounds like a lazy (or cheaper) way for the service companies to regulate my pool. What's your feeling on this matter?
A Super-chlorinating, or shocking, a pool normally is used to oxidize wastes and/or kill algae. It is not typically a means of daily chlorination. Pools are usually sanitized using some type of daily chlorination.
The chlorine can be stabilized or unstabilized. Many times stabilized (protected from the sun) chlorine is used for daily chlorination and unstabilized chlorine is used for shocking.
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Chlorine used for shocking (unstabilized) is designed to dissipate quickly, and stabilized chlorine is designed to stay in the water for day-to-day chlorination.
"Different types of chlorine, or any type of chemicals, should never be mixed," says Steve Bludsworth, owner of All-Pool Service & Supply in Orlando, Fla.
Shocking the pool weekly should not damage your pool finish if the product is applied properly using the correct amounts. Keeping the pool water in proper balance is critical to extending the life of your pool finish.
Pools normally are shocked weekly during the hot, rainy months when the pool is getting a lot of use, then as-needed the rest of the year. Ask your pool-service company if it is shocking the pool for routine maintenance or using shock as the only means of chlorination/sanitation.