"sticky" water

Jump to latest Follow Reply
B

brasilmom

Well-known member
Jul 23, 2011
187
Brookfield, WI
Hello all,

This has been a beautiful summer and despite our difficult start with the pool this year, we are now enjoying a very clear pool and warm water to go with that. It is perfect. I have a load of swimmers on a daily basis and I am keeping the FC a bit on the higher end as the sun is shinning strong and the amount of swimmers are consuming it all. The test this morning shows:
FC = 12
CC = 0
TA = 140
PH = 8.0
CYA = 40
CH = 160

I am going to add some MA this evening to get the PH balanced. Now, we have noticed that the water feels a bit "sticky" It is leaving a residue of sorts in the skin and hair gets rather hard after swimming. What can be the cause of that?

Thanks. Enjoy the summer. Be well
 
crinkly hair is usually calcium but yours doesn't look that high.

I would assume sunscreen if you have a large bather load.

If that is the case look on amazon for "scum bug" it's a floating sponge
you put in the skimmer and it soaks up suncreen/lotion.
 
Enter all your test results in Pool math and see what your CSI is. My guess is that it will be a little on the high side. I find that slightly negative CSI feels better on the skin, between -0.3 and 0. Your PH is a bit high, lower it to 7.6 and see if that helps. I would also consider adding 2000 ppm of salt. That will help more than anything. Humans are salty and salty water feels better. A saltwater pool usually has 3500 ppm of salt, tears are 9000 ppm and the ocean has 35,000 ppm of salt.
 
pooldv said:
Enter all your test results in Pool math and see what your CSI is. My guess is that it will be a little on the high side. I find that slightly negative CSI feels better on the skin, between -0.3 and 0. Your PH is a bit high, lower it to 7.6 and see if that helps. I would also consider adding 2000 ppm of salt. That will help more than anything. Humans are salty and salty water feels better. A saltwater pool usually has 3500 ppm of salt, tears are 9000 ppm and the ocean has 35,000 ppm of salt.
Click to expand...

I never thought of adding salt to a non-SWG pool. Would that amount cause any problems with equipment/ladders and such?
 
Thank you so much for all the replies. I was having computer problems, hence me not replying. All I have added to the pool this year was chlorine and MA. I deep cleaned my sand filter and that is that. The bathers are all very fair skinned so they load in sunscreen.

As for adding salt, that sounds interesting. What type of salt should I add? how much of it should I add?

On a separate note, despite my FC being maintained level, the water sometimes has a "fishy" smell to it. Any guesses?
 
I've not sure what would cause it to smell. Do you have well water? Can you post a full set of test results?

You can use pool salt, or, I believe, water softener salt. Walmart carries it. (I used th pool salt, it disolved quickly. The other salt is cheaper.)
 
It sounds like the sunscreen is your main problem. Sunscreens contain lots of oily compounds that will not be broken down much by chlorine. In facts, most oils will made more sticky and tacky by chlorine oxidation. It's probably also the source of the smell.

You need to have the bathers apply sunscreen well in advance of swimming. Typically applying sunscreen up to a hour before swimming is ok and leaves the sunblock fully intact. They could also wear "rashies" (i.e., swim shirts) and cut down on the amount of sun block needed.

If you can see an oily film on the surface of the water, that would confirm it. You might need to consider using an enzyme cleaner/additive to the pool water to help breakdown the added bather waste. They are normally not needed but you seem to be describing an abnormally high level of pool use.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
That depends on your definition of maintaining FC. That sounds like algae to me. FC needs to be maintained based on the CYA level and the [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]. FC must be kept above minimum at all times to keep the pool sanitary and algae free. If FC drops below minimum then bacteria, pathogens and algae reproduce rapidly increasing risk of person to person disease transmission and algae blooms. Some strains of bacteria colonies can double every hour.

Scum Balls and Scum Bugs can also help soak up oils.

We usually recommend adding about 2000 ppm of salt to improve water feel. I buy my pool salt at Lowe's. Dump it in and let the kids play with it or brush it to dissolve it. PoolMath will tell you how many lbs to add.
 
Did you take the mineral cartridge out of your Nature 2? It can stain yellow hair green and can stain your pool.

Here is a thread I posted that will help you remove the cartridge: How to Remove Metal Balls from Nature 2 Fusion

In addition to the CSI, mineral cartridge, the sunscreen can also be contributing and a scum ball might help with removing the sunscreen from the pool.
 
brasilmom said:
I actually got rid of the Nature 2. I need to update my signature.

Another question: Are all MA created the same? We got one that says Kleen Green and it only mentions use for concrete, masonry, boat, etching. I got a bit scared .
Click to expand...

MSDS says it's only 20% MA but I bet if you compared it with a bottle of 31.45% MA, the Kleen Green is probably more expensive. That's how it goes with the "low fume" and "green" MAs - weak sauce and your paying for the marketing.

Most pool stores will carry full strength MA (31.45%) at a reasonable price. The big box hardware stores usually keep it in the paint section.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply