Shocking your pool, or super chlorinating, is a cleaning method designed to keep your pool water clean and safe by adding three to five times the normal amount of chlorine. This drastically raises the chlorine level in a short period of time. Shocking your pool should not be a daily routine. Sure, there are times when shocking your pool is absolutely necessary like the times when you neglect your pool or when your pool is recovering from a terrible storm. However, if you have a salt water generator and consistently test and monitor your chemical levels, there shouldn’t be a need to shock your pool often.
Pool owners usually have a single concern when shocking their pool- How long after I shock my pool can I swim?
Unfortunately, there is no general consensus within the pool community when it comes to determining how long you should wait before swimming again. However, even with no general consensus, we were still able to discover many convincing factors that helped narrow down when the pool is safe for swimmers again after shocking. (If’ you’re a skim reader and just looking for the answer, read the last paragraph.)
