First Full Summer & Salt water chlorine generator lessons

[Tatjana]

Howdy! This is my first summer with an inground 20 x 40 pool sorrounded by neighbors' mature trees, creating an ambiance of relaxation in Alexandria, VA. We have installed a salt water chlorine generator and are finding that we need to shock the pool every 4-5 days to clear it from wall-clinging pollen. I will start taking and recording readings and see if there is a trend with the free chlorine and other chemicals. I thought the salt generator was the end of the chemical balancing act! Here to learn.
Thank you

 

[chiefwej]

You should be able to strain out most of the pollen that lands in the pool. I use hairnets (see link below) in my skimmers and it strains out all but the finest debris. Anything organic that is left in the pool will begin to decay and will use up your free chlorine. You shouldn't need to "shock" the pool. You just need to maintain proper chemistry. I haven't shocked my pool in the 11 years I've had it. If you use TFP methods you can have a sparkling pool with minimal effort and never have to shock it.

I would encourage you to head over to Pool School and do some serious studying. If you don't have one of the two recommend test kits, it's time to get one.

BTW: Welcome to TFP.
Disposable Hair Net, Spun-Bonded Polypropylene, White, 100 per Bag: Science Lab Hairnets: Amazon.com: Industrial Scientific

 

[GeorgiaPoolOwner]

I'm in Georgia where the pollen is terrible, and I have a ton of trees in my yard, as does my neighbor. You should not have to shock regularly if you keep proper chlorine levels, brush the walls regularly, and keep the water circulating.

Now, you still need to monitor ph, alkalinity, calcium hardness, cya, but the swcg should take care of the chlorine part without the need to shock regularly.