Can You Run a Pool Robot While Shocking the Pool? Everything You Need to Know
Having a crystal clear swimming pool may seem like a never-ending mission, and it is more so when it is hot in summer, and your swimming pool is the most used. To clean the pools and maintain the water hygienic and balanced, pool owners tend to use automated equipment, such as pool robots to cope with debris and algae, and pool shock treatments. But this naturally leads to a question that many people quietly wonder: Can you run a pool robot while shocking the pool? We will de-science, discuss advantages and disadvantages, and discuss the best practices in order to make sure that your pool remains safe, clean, and perfectly balanced.
We shall discuss in this friendly and detailed tour what occurs when you mix pool shocking and automatic cleaning systems, how it can be done safely, and when it is better to wait. And take a cold drink, and sit by the water, and dive in.
The Fundamentals: What Does It Mean to Shock the Pool?
Shocking your pool: This is the addition of a high quantity of chlorine (or non-chlorine oxidizer) to eliminate contaminants such as:
- Lotions and oils for swimmers.
- Organic debris
- Algae spores
- Bacteria and other microorganisms.
This shock assists in the dissolution of chloramines (compounds that make chlorine smell so strong) and reinstates the performance of the sanitizers. It is a normal pool exercise, particularly when there is heavy traffic or after a downpour.
But since pool shock is a concentrated chemical treatment, it may temporarily increase the amount of chlorine to a level that may be extreme both to the equipment and swimmers.
Can You Run a Pool Robot While Shocking the Pool?
What the Experts say about Pool robots and Shock treatment
Yes – *you can operate a pool robot at the same time as you are shocking the pool; however, there are important caveats.
It is not always harmful to run your pool robot in a shock treatment, but this will depend on the kind of shock you are using, what model of a robot you have, and the amount of chlorine in the water.
Robotic pool cleaners are engineered to operate in the normal levels of chlorine, whereas shock treatments increase chlorine (or oxidizer) levels exponentially higher than normal levels (sometimes 10 times higher than recommended daily chlorine levels) used in daily sanitizing. Such a high chemical environment may have the potential to harm certain robot parts, particularly rubber seals and brushes, with time.
Thus, it is physically possible, but it is generally wiser to consider the time and circumstances when you should allow your pool robot to operate during a shock session.
Why Waiting Could Be Better: Dangers of Operating Your Robot When You Are Shocked
Though most of the robots are tough, the following are the possible disadvantages of using them to shock your pool:
Excess Chlorine may damage robot parts
High chlorine levels can:
- Wear out rubber tracks or tires.
- Waste brushes before time.
- Damage internal seals
- Electronics that are sensitive to corrosion.
Certain robots are better than others, as more expensive ones tend to be more resistant to chemicals, but constant exposure to harsh shock chemicals will reduce the life of any robot.
Shock Particles Have the ability to block Filters
Pool shock will relax debris and dead algae that will be swiftly removed by your pool robot. That may be good theory, but it may overload the robot filter cartridges or bags, and they will need to be cleaned or changed more often.
Shocks are Affected by Water Circulation
Good circulation is required to diffuse chemicals evenly in the pool shock. Operating a pool robot at such a time period may interfere with currents in a manner that either spreads shock where it is least required, or drags untreated water into the circulation not so efficiently.
Best Practices: How to Operate Your Pool Robot in Shock Treatments
When you choose to work with your robot in shocking the pool, you can be safe and efficient by following these tips:
Review the recommendations of the Manufacturer
Check the manual of your pool robot or the website of the manufacturer before proceeding to do anything. Numerous brands directly deal with the issue of chemical exposure and safe levels of shock (if any).
A majority of them will indicate the maximum levels of safe chlorine (in parts per million), and thus, you can test the water prior to using your machine.
Test Chlorine Levels First
Check levels of free chlorine using a good pool test kit or a digital reader. Preferably, you must dilute your shock back into the safe (1-3 ppm is typically the residential pool limit) and re-enable your pool robot.
Delaying your robot until chlorine levels drop to normal maintenance levels will save your robot and provide safer conditions in general.
Let Shock Do Its Job First
Rather than shocking the robot, wait a few hours, or even overnight, after shocking.
This will allow the chlorine or oxidizer time to decontaminate and evenly distribute throughout the pool before the scrubbing of your cleaner begins.
Take the Hold Option When It exists
There are hold or pause capabilities of some pool robots. When the chlorine level is high, and you have already initiated a cleaning cycle, then stop your robot and allow the shock treatment to complete before continuing.
Stick to Post-Shock Cleaning
It is common advice among many pool pros to shock your pool and then operate your pool robot. As soon as the high chlorine levels are exhausted and your pH has reached normal, the pool robot will be able to do the cleaning of the dead organic material without being exposed to harsh chemicals.
This is a method that is usually the safest and most successful for your robot and your pool balance.
Pro Tip: The Correct Type of Shock
Not every shock treatment is equally good:
- Calcium Hypochlorite (Cal-Hypo) is not a rare product but may be coarse on equipment.
- Sodium Dichlor is more soluble and less harsh on cleaners and surfaces of pools.
- Non-chlorine shock (potassium peroxymonosulfate) is good when it comes to regular cleaning, and it is not so strong chemically, which is to say that you may have a greater degree of freedom in running your robot.
Being aware of the type of shock that you are operating with will help you determine whether your robot is safe to operate concurrently.
Final Thoughts: Can You Run a Pool Robot While Shocking the Pool?
So, can you run a pool robot while shocking the pool? Yes, of course, technically, but is it a good idea all the time? Not necessarily.
To keep your pool robot longer and preserve its parts, as well as to make sure that your shock treatment is effective, it is typically better to arrange the cleaning after the shock has dispersed and levels return to normal levels.
It is to maintain your water as well as your equipment in good condition – and a little time-setting can do far.
Did you check our The Pool Cleaner 2 wheel head review?
References
- Pool & Spa Maintenance Association – Robotic Pool Cleaners and Chemical Exposure Guidelines
https://www.phta.org - National Swimming Pool Foundation – Understanding Pool Shock and Water Chemistry
https://www.phta.org/nspf - Swim University – How Pool Shock Works and When to Use It
https://www.swimuniversity.com/pool-shock/ - Hayward Pool Products – Robotic Cleaner Care and Maintenance
https://www.hayward-pool.com - Pentair Pool – Pool Chemistry Basics and Equipment Protection
https://www.pentair.com