- Jul 19, 2011
- 14
Hi I am on holiday in Malta, and we are having problems with the pool. The pool man is a local and a little..erm...intransigent. Last week he came, and after he left, the pool turned dark blue, and then went milky. We noticed granules floating on the surface of the water. My son developed red dot like spots between his legs, and our eyes stung when we swam. The children hid in the house from the heat for the next few days. Gradually over the week the milkiness disappeared, and the pool returned to normal, and we were able to swim - but the chlorine irritated my sons spots and he was unable to go in the water more than once a day.
This week I asked the pool man to come later in the morning to discuss the issue, but he came half an hour earlier than the agreed time, and he had already added the powder to the pool by the time I realised he had "given us the slip". He said he had tested the water and the water needed more chlorine - although my wife doesnt think he had time to check.
The granules are Niclon 70g that he adds to the basket at the end of the pool. He says he normally adds two large scoops ?500g once a week, then uses tablets which he puts in the basket. He also adds a powder to the pump which would also appear to be labelled Niclon 70g but he indicated was something different to protect the pump.
This time he added one scoop of Niclon 70g and didnt add the tablets that he usually puts in the basket at the end. He said I should add a 500g scoop of Niclon 70g in the basket every other day.
I do not think the pool man can be relied on to provide an accurate picture - and it is possible that there is something we do not know (not treating the pool when people are not around to check he comes for example - this was a problem my sister in law had with him last year when she was first out to the house).
The long term solution to the problem is surely to get a new pool man, but what to do in the short term?
My children need to be able to swim. Can anyone make a good guess about what is happening?
I wonder whether he was treating an algae problem which he allowed to build up prior to our arrival (when noone was using the pool, and noone was around to check what was happening). Is the milkiness due to killing off algae with a high dose of Niclon 70g? Why should the granules float in the pool (just after the pump came on)?
Would it be better to add half a tin (250g) of Niclon 70g every day - to avoid having times where there are particularly high doses of chlorine.
When the pool man left he said "You will have an algae problem". I wonder whether he knows more about what is happening than he is letting on, and actually we need higher levels for a while.
Any suggestions?
This week I asked the pool man to come later in the morning to discuss the issue, but he came half an hour earlier than the agreed time, and he had already added the powder to the pool by the time I realised he had "given us the slip". He said he had tested the water and the water needed more chlorine - although my wife doesnt think he had time to check.
The granules are Niclon 70g that he adds to the basket at the end of the pool. He says he normally adds two large scoops ?500g once a week, then uses tablets which he puts in the basket. He also adds a powder to the pump which would also appear to be labelled Niclon 70g but he indicated was something different to protect the pump.
This time he added one scoop of Niclon 70g and didnt add the tablets that he usually puts in the basket at the end. He said I should add a 500g scoop of Niclon 70g in the basket every other day.
I do not think the pool man can be relied on to provide an accurate picture - and it is possible that there is something we do not know (not treating the pool when people are not around to check he comes for example - this was a problem my sister in law had with him last year when she was first out to the house).
The long term solution to the problem is surely to get a new pool man, but what to do in the short term?
My children need to be able to swim. Can anyone make a good guess about what is happening?
I wonder whether he was treating an algae problem which he allowed to build up prior to our arrival (when noone was using the pool, and noone was around to check what was happening). Is the milkiness due to killing off algae with a high dose of Niclon 70g? Why should the granules float in the pool (just after the pump came on)?
Would it be better to add half a tin (250g) of Niclon 70g every day - to avoid having times where there are particularly high doses of chlorine.
When the pool man left he said "You will have an algae problem". I wonder whether he knows more about what is happening than he is letting on, and actually we need higher levels for a while.
Any suggestions?