If you’re looking for a best oxidizer for your pool, then you’ve come to the right place!
Most swimming pool owners are aware of the need to sanitize pool water through some form of disinfection. Common chemical disinfectants for pools, like chlorine, all work as oxidizers and burn away organic matter in a pool. Some pool owners, though, try to avoid using additional chlorine when it comes to shocking a pool, so they turn to potassium monopersulfate, a nonchlorine oxidizer.
When the word "oxidizer" is used in conjunction with swimming pools, it really means that potassium monopersulfate is being used to shock a pool.
The term shocking means to add enough chlorine to the pool or spa water to destroy all combined chlorine present in the water. In detail, the process of pool shocking means adding chlorine or non-chlorine shock to your pool in order to raise the “free chlorine” level. The goal is to raise “free chlorine” levels to a point that destroys unwanted contaminants, such as algae, chloramines, and bacteria.
Pool shock is an important chemical solution that’s necessary for the treatment of pool water. For best results, you need shock your pool in the evening or at night to keep the oxidizer from being destroyed by UV rays.
Instead of wasting your time researching the different manufacturers and ingredients contained in the shock, you can read our little buying reviews. We’ve pulled together our list of the best pool oxidizers:
1. In The Swim Chlorine Pool Shock
Swimming pool shock treatments are an essential aspect of spring pool opening but can also be used to give your pool a quick chlorine boost. Pool Shock is our most popular and versatile pool shock treatment, used to kill algae and bacteria and remove micro-contaminants that make pool water cloudy.
Use our Pool Shock to kill visible algae blooms and invisible bacteria, which could cause illness to swimmers. Your daily chlorination of the pool will kill most pathogenic bacteria, viruses and microbes, however to be sure that the water is sanitary, it is good practice to 'shock the pool', or super-chlorinate the pool every few weeks, to oxidize everything in the water, especially the invisible germs that may be harboring in the water.
FEATURES:
- Powerful chlorine shock treatment that is great for regular maintenance
- Quickly eliminates algae, bacteria, and other harmful contaminants from your pool water
- Main active ingredient is 68% Calcium Hypochlorite (Cal-Hypo) for quick sanitizing
- Dosage: 1 Pound per 10,000 gallons
2. Clorox Pool&Spa Shock Plus
Clorox puts out an entire line of pool maintenance products. Customers comfortable with the Clorox brand name tend to enjoy the simplicity of the Clorox products. Most of them are very user-friendly, and they work to make pool maintenance feel similar to bathroom or kitchen cleaning. The Clorox Pool&Spa Shock Plus 6 Pack is an excellent value for a pool shock.
This pool shock will save you some money while making the pool shock job quite simple. The Clorox Pool&Spa Shock will not raise your pH and can have you back swimming in the pool in as little as fifteen minutes. The shock comes in an easy to open bottle that can be poured directly into any type of pool. According to Clorox, it is best not to pre-dissolve this shock.
Each bottle of Clorox Pool&Spa Shock treats 12,000 gallons of water. If your pool is a little larger, this product will get you a bit further than the In The Swim one-pound bags of shock. After dispersing this product in the deep end area of your pool, allow your filter to run for several hours.
FEATURES:
- Easy open, easy pour bottles
- Clears cloudy water and removes swimmer contaminants
- 4-In-1 formula won't impact pH
- Improves filter performance
- Treat and Swim in 15 minutes if free chlorine is between 1 to 4 ppm
3. Doheny’s Super Pool Shock
Super Shock is the most popular and versatile pool shock treatment available that is used to kill algae and bacteria and remove micro-contaminants that make pool water cloudy. Use Super Shock to kill visible algae blooms and invisible bacteria, which could cause illness to swimmers. Your daily chlorination of the pool will kill most pathogenic bacteria, viruses and microbes, however to be sure that the water is sanitary, it is good practice to 'shock the pool', or super-chlorinate the pool every week. Shocking your pool eliminates any contaminants in the water, especially the invisible germs that may be harboring in the water. It is also smart to "Oxidize" your pool water on a weekly basis with Oxidizing shock. "Oxidizing" your pool water on a weekly basis burns off "chloramines" - or spent chlorine cells - allowing the newly introduced chlorine to work at 100% efficiency. It also eliminates all of the contaminants that your chlorine and chlorine based shock have killed in the pool water - helping ensure a safe, clear pool!
FEATURES:
- Main active ingredient is 68% Calcium Hypochlorite (Cal-Hypo)
- Powerful chlorine shock treatment that is great for regular maintenance
- Quickly eliminates algae, bacteria, and other harmful contaminants from your pool water
- 65% Available Chlorine
- Dosage: 1 Pound per 10,000 gallons
4. Aqua-Chem Pool Shocks
If you were waiting for the premium pool shock option, you have found it. The Aqua Chem Pool Shocks is a more expensive product, and some will argue that it is more than worth it. Like all pool shocks, the Aqua-Chem is good at killing bacteria and algae. This particular product has a bit of an algaecide in it as well. Even after the shock is done, there will be some algaecide left in your pool.
This product can be used in all pool types, and it does an excellent job of getting the water looking blue but also very clear. The Aqua Chem will not increase the pH in your pool. If money is not a problem for you and you want a pool shock that is guaranteed to do its job, this is a perfect option for you.
FEATURES:
- Will not alter the pH
- Contains some algaecide
- Works with all pool types
- Swim in fifteen minutes
5. Ultima Total Control Pool Shock
Not only will the Ultima Total Control Pool Shock help to clean up an algae outbreak, but it also works to prevent both green and black algae even after the initial treatment. This is a granular product sold in a three-pound easy-to-use container. Since this is not purely pool shock, you will have to use more than one pound per 10,000 gallons that most other companies advertise. To treat a 20,000-gallon pool with the Ultima Total Control Pool Shock, you will need one three-pound bottle.
The pricing on this product is a bit higher than some of the others we reviewed. That price difference, combined with the fact that you need quite a bit more than other brands to complete the job this product will have you spending more money. If, however, you are struggling with an algae outbreak, this may be worth the extra money.
FEATURES:
- Causes severe skin burns and eye damage.
- Harmful if inhaled.
- Harmful if swallowed.
- May cause respiratory irritation.
- May intensify fire; oxidizer
If you have any other questions about pool and spa products please do let us know - we are here to help!