Collection: Pool Chlorine Shock

Is pool chlorine the same as shock?

Any pool shock treatment - chlorine or otherwise - is quite different from regular sanitisers. The main difference is that shock chlorine will immediately increase water’s chlorine level, allowing effective cleaning.  This is known as raising the ‘free chlorine’ level. This is chlorine that is not yet combined with chlorinated water ie. ‘free’ to kill any microorganisms and bacteria. Shock products, in this case chlorine shock, will be labelled as such making it clear what product you are using. If you are looking to maintain your chlorine levels rather than rapidly increase it then take a look at our range of stabilised chlorine tablets.

When should you shock your pool?

Although ‘shock’ makes it sound as if this treatment is for emergencies only, our team recommends incorporating a HTH shock treatment into your regular maintenance schedule.

There are also a number of other situations where a pool shock treatment may be needed; after heavy rain or storms, after heavy use, when reopening the pool, exceptionally hot weather, if there is a very strong chlorine smell or irritation of the eyes and if you close your pool for the winter months. Many re-balancing chemicals require a pool shock treatment to be used before they are put in the pool, so you will need to be aware of your chlorine levels, use our test strips here.