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No, shock and chlorine are not the same thing, though they are related and both are used for pool maintenance. Regular chlorine, often in the form of tablets, is a sanitizer used for routine, day-to-day maintenance to keep a steady chlorine level. Pool shock, however, is a highly concentrated dose of chlorine used periodically for a more intense cleaning. It rapidly raises chlorine levels to fix issues like cloudy water or algae growth and also eliminates chloramines, which are byproducts of regular chlorination. Because their purposes and concentrations differ, they are not interchangeable, and proper pool care typically requires using both.

It depends. Your pool might need chlorine every day if the water is exposed to direct sunlight and you use your pool frequently. UV light and constant use will deplete chlorine levels more rapidly. Test your water regularly to see where your levels sit and adjust accordingly. Generally speaking, most homeowners need to add chlorine following a water chemical test about one to three times per week.

Yes, you can use chlorine tablets in a salt water pool. It is not the standard recommended practice, but if your pool needs more chlorine, adding tablets can help temporarily fix the problem. Only add as many tablets as needed to keep your chlorine level around three parts per million. After adding the tablets, test your water to determine the chlorine content.

Your contractor will need several days to several weeks as far as a timeline to install your semi-inground pool goes. Adapting an aboveground pool to be semi-inground by excavating and partially burying the liner, for example, will only take three to five days, while installing an in-ground pool with a poured concrete liner and building up the land around it will require several weeks. Keep in mind that the process of hiring a pool contractor and applying for permits can add several additional weeks to the total timeline.