Ideal FC / TA / pH for zero eye irritation?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
C

chuzie

0
May 14, 2014
50
Tampa
Is there a magic set of number by which we can keep our eyes open under water without risk of irritation? I have seen the recommended chemistry levels and the CYA chart. I also read tears have a pH of 6.5-7.6 with average of 7.0. My plaster pool is running pH:7.5 but since my CYA is mid-range at 50 ,I have to keep my FC at 6. Would it be worth my time and expense to lower the CYA so I can have a lower FC level to potentially reduce eye irritation?

Thx. :cool:
 
How does your water look Chuzie? Crystal clear, Cloudy, Hazy?

I am running 50ppm CYA, pH of 7.5, TA of 90 right now and I don't have eye irritation. I am suspecting you may have CC's.

Do you have a TF100 or K2006? If so, please give a full set of test results, including CC test.
 
CC=0

I was going by the word of my kiddos so take that FWIW. They don't seem red or anything. Pool is crystal clear.
More of a general question for future reference / planning.

FC:6
CC:0
pH:7.6
TA:85
CH:350
CYA:50
Borates:50
CSI:0.09
Temp:85F
 
CCs might be the culprit. Test for those. That's most likely cause of irritation in a pool.

I thought that the pH of tears was 7.4 on average... The low level of your FC range would be the ideal level for minimal irritation, regardless of CYA you'll have about the same level of available chlorine if you're in the target range. Lowering CYA will not help reduce irritation. You could look at adding salt to the pool. 3000 - 5000 ppm of salt would approximate a lower level of saline solution. 0.3 to 1% (3000-10000 ppm) saline solution is what hospitals put in IVs and also what is in eye drops. If salt levels are lower than that, it may cause irritation just the same as if it were higher, like sea water. But, would be a minor factor compared to CCs.
 
PoolMath uses lbs for salt in US and English units, and kg in metric units.

PH below 7.2 and CC above zero are the two most common causes of eye irritation. Some people are more sensitive than others, and are iffy about PH between 7.2 and 7.4 but that is rare. Also, there are different forms of CC that are difficult to distinguish, some of which are much more likely to cause eye irritation than others.
 
I think it is true too that if you are in the pool for hours, your eyes will be irritated to some extent regardless how well you chemistry is maintained. Ask my kids ;) Drives be nuts that they complain about their eyes hurting, but I am not sure there is anything that I can do better. Although pretty sure their eyes bother them less after hours in my pool than when they go visit their friends or grandparents house.
 
I assume you are discussing eyes OPEN under water. I NEVER find that comfortable personally.

My eyes don't "burn" but, without goggles, there is a degree of discomfort that I think would exist regardless of the pool chemistry.
 
May I assume my current salinity level is 0 if I haven't added any or do I need to go buy a tester before I calculate my salt requirement?

Will salt adversely affect my borates?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
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