Liquid vs Crystal Shock
What is the best Shock type to buy? When is the best time to use the liquid version and when is the best time to use the power version?
What is Super Shock?
Shock is a sanitizing chemical of water. Shock contains highly concentrated Sodium hypochlorite solutions.
Liquid vs Crystal Super Shock
There is very little difference between the two varieties. When using the Crystal Shock, most manufacturers recommend to delude in a bucket of pool water rather than pouring it directly into the pool.
Using the liquid form just makes it easier to shock the pool, Simply just pour it directly into the pool.
Liquid shock is harder to find, although most pool places do carry it. You'll find the Crystal Shock at most box hardware stores.
Best Time to use Liquid Shock
The best time to use the liquid shock is opening the pool. You won't have crystals falling to the bottom of the pool, only to be picked up by a floor vacuum.
Penalty for Over Shocking
If you over shock the pool, you get a couple of penalties:
Pool Liner Discoloration
If you put in too much Shock you will bleach the pool liner. Very soon you'll have a ring around the pool. The only way to fix this is to replace the liner!
High PH levels
The pool may look cloudy because your PH levels are off the charts. You will need to fix this by adding a "pH Decreaser" to reduce the acid levels. Once you have control of that, the pool should look much better.
Lesson Learned
Make sure to wear proper clothing when applying any type of mega shock to the pool. You could encounter unexpected backsplash which will stain your clothes. Tip: Wear light color clothing, don't forget about the shoes!
Make sure to evenly spread the shock around the pool. I find pouring near the filter. Outtake helps spread it around better.
Once Shock is added to the pool, you must wait 2-3 hours before anyone goes in the pool.
Always apply shock in the morning or early evening. Adding during the middle of the day will only burn off some of the Sodium hypochlorites. Thus losing strength and power of the shock treatment.
If you're getting the Crystal shock at the hardware store, pick up a store 5-gallon bucket to mix the shock. The bucket and cover is a good container to store the crystal shock packets.
You can always use the sand filter backwash to easily get water into the bucket.