Shock w/o filter

[Dieter]

I had my pool guys come to open the pool yesterday and I clearly have an electrical problem. Something is tripping a breaker so I've got an electrician coming this week to figure it out so I can get the equipment running. It seems like the likely culprit is a degraded wire outside, as you could hear it audibly when power was on.

In the meantime, when they removed the large mesh cover, due to our extremely mild winter and a some pretty heated spring months, I predictably have a lovely dark green soup right now.

My question is: They recommended I put in some chlorine to shock the pool even while I wait. Without the water circulating through the system, is this hazardous to my pools health? Even walking around and very slowly dispersing it across the pool, should I worry about it pooling and damaging the surface?

 

[JasonLion]

There is no point in trying to shock the pool without the pump running. The pool isn't going to get any worse than it already is in the next week. Wait until the equipment is working before adding chemicals.

It is possible to add chlorine without a pump, but it is a project and only worth it to maintain water that starts clear. You would need to pour the bleach around the perimeter of the pool and then brush the entire pool to mix the bleach into the water.

 

[Richard320]

I wouldn't worry about damage, but I wouldn't do it anyway. You're just wasting bleach.

The shock process means killing algae faster than it can reproduce. Constantly, until it's all gone. Let's say you kill 75% of it then take a break for whatever reason. Like, work. The 25% remaining may double or triple before you can get back to it. Wasted bleach, wasted money. Plus you'll wear out your arms brushing a pool that size trying to keep it all mixed.

Get some circulation then hit it hard. You'll probably end up with a clear pool by the same date as if you started dumping bleach now.

 

[Dieter]

I honestly may undertake that project if it won't damage the pool. The only real reason is that we get a lot of chipmunks and other small animals running across the pool cover in the winter and unfortunately they don't seem to notice the first few days it's off. Last year I collected several of the poor guys off the bottom of the pool. It may be a pain in the Rear, but at least if I can see something in there, I can hopefully prevent a half dozen dead animals sitting at the bottom of my untreated pool for a week. Ugh. And hey, I can skip a day or two at the gym.

 

[swimcat]

Hi, Dieter,

I know you posted your message about shocking a pool without the pump running back in June but I just came across it now. I wanted to let you know I thought it was so kind & beautifully compassionate that you cared about the small animals that run around our yards. I hope none of them got into your pool over the summer and you were able to get the pool cleared up quickly!