jdempsey said:
I swam competitively in high school and the chlorine was terrible on my hair/skin.
Commercial pools are quite different than residential pools in this regard. For example, in residential pools it is typical to have CYA in the water which can reduce the active amount of active disinfecting chlorine in your pool, while still having adequate FC in reserve ready to spring to action when needed. Compare this to a commercial/public pool where CYA is less common (not allowed in indoor commercial pools I believe) and therefore the line between having enough disinfecting chlorine and having too much is really close. Hence one reason why a properly chlorinated residential pools can to be much easier on skin, hair and swimsuits compared to many commercial pools. In addition, low or high ph can also cause skin and eye irritation.
jdempsey said:
Since we use well water, it seems like I have to add so much stuff
Using well water can be challenging (I use it as well) but the challenges are typically high Total Alkalinity (TA), high Calcuim Hardness (CH) and high metal content (such as iron). All of those can be managed, and the methods should not be too expensive.
jdempsey said:
.... algae control, ph balancer, chlorine (pretty expensive)...
Your are putting things in your pool you do not need, or have a much cheaper alternatives.
jdempsey said:
I guess I was thinking/hoping salt water pools had to be more like the ocean...healthier to swim in.
If by saying "salt water pool" you are refereing to using a salt in your pool in conjunction with at Saltwater Chlorine Generator (also known as a swg or swcg) then the salt level will be about ~3500 ppm and hardly noticable. If you are refering to salt in concentrations found in ocean water, the salt concentration is 10X higher. Salt concentrations this high destroys pool equipment and can be very hard on skin/hair etc.,and would still require a sanitizer. Which are you refering too?
jdempsey said:
The levels, when I test, say they are normal.
What are the levels? We cant help if we don't know them. See my sig for a discussion on test kits, I like my tf100! Also, see this link:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/read_before_you_post
jdempsey said:
I think I better go to pool school.
Great idea! Here are a couple of links to get you started:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/temporary_pool_guide
http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/pool_water_chemistry
From what you have shared with us so far, I believe this board can help you help yourself to get much more satisfaction out of your pool while spending less money. Let us know if you have questions and please post test results when you have them.