Pool shock, how to

[nathanredmon96]

Quick question... I have a new pool. Need to shock it. It's a 14,000 gallon pool. I know 1 bag is for 10,000 gallons. Do I use 2 bags or 1 1/2? Or possibly just 1? Already did 2 last night, per instructions by pool supply store, but going forward how should I handle it? I don't trust the guys at Leslie. They're constantly pushing products and upselling me.

[Denniswiseman]

Quick question... I have a new pool. Need to shock it. It's a 14,000 gallon pool. I know 1 bag is for 10,000 gallons. Do I use 2 bags or 1 1/2? Or possibly just 1? Already did 2 last night, per instructions by pool supply store, but going forward how should I handle it? I don't trust the guys at Leslie. They're constantly pushing products and upselling me.

Welcome nathanredmon96
You are on the right track to control your pool
Forget what the pool stores say, get a decent FAS/DPD test kit (Taylor K2006c or TF Testkits TF100)
Why do you need to shock? If you have algae you will need to Slam
Check your numbers
FC:
TC:
pH:
TA:
CH:
CYA:
Use these common products to balance your pool
Liquid chlorine (sodium hypochlorite or plain bleach)
Muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) to lower pH and TA
Bicarbonate of soda to raise TA
Aeration will raise pH only
Soda ash will raise pH and TA
Check the Chlorine / CYA Chart with relation to you recommended Pool Levels
Pool Maths will show you how to calculate
Come back with what you don't understand

[nathanredmon96]

Thanks for the info. I did get a Pentair testing kit from my contractor when we built the pool back in December. I've stayed on top of it really well, but the kit doesn't have a calcium tester in it. So I took a water sample to Leslie pool supply to test the calcium. It was fine, but there was NO CHLORINE in the water. Turns out that now that our temperatures have started hitting 90, I let the chlorine tabs run out. So I guess that's why they said to shock?? So I did and I'm back on track. Just have to check my chlorine more often now that it's summer.

Leslie said to shock the pool once a week during summer, which sounded extreme to me. I asked friends with pools if they do that and they said no. So I'm not sure.... But I do want to know if 1 bag is enough when I shock. 1 bag treats 10,000 gallons and my pool is 14,000. 2 bags seems like too much.

[Denniswiseman]

Forget about shocking, get a set of numbers from one of the mentioned test kits
Use the products I suggested
Pucks,tabs and powder put additional CYA and calcium into the water, excessive CYA renders your chlorine ineffective. Excessive calcium can create scale
For every 10 ppm Free Chlorine (FC) added by Trichlor, it also increases Cyanuric Acid (CYA) by 6 ppm.
For every 10 ppm FC added by Dichlor, it also increases CYA by 9 ppm.
For every 10 ppm FC added by Cal-Hypo, it also increases Calcium Hardness (CH) by at least 7 ppm
It isn't necessary to shock on a regular basis, only when you need to SLAM (Shock Level and Maintain) because of algae
I suggest you read those links to get a better understanding

[Teapot]

Thanks for the info. I did get a Pentair testing kit from my contractor when we built the pool.

A thing about pool contractors. If after spending thousands with them they hand you a packet of dip strips or two little bottles for testing, they care more about their income than your pool.
They don't understand water chemistry or don't care.

As Dennis said get a proper test kit and save yourself money on unnecessary products from pool store and a lot of sleepless nights.