Allergic salt or chlorine

[Nubs101]

Hello all,

Been lurking around here a few weeks trying to gather some knowledge before making my first pool purchase. I have a question about salt versus chlorine pools. The scenario is when going to a public pool my sons nose gets extremely stuffy, sneezing etc like allergies. We have swam in my parents pool who own a saltwater and he has zero reaction. Now I understand there is still chlorine in that salt system. My question is do you think these public pools balance is off and if we mainted one ourselves it would be better or is a salt system that much better for him ? I appreciate all the help and thank you for your time.

 

[jseyfert3]

Welcome to TFP!

Yes, a saltwater pool uses a small amount of salt in the water in combination with a saltwater chlorine generator, or SWCG. When salt is dissolved in water you get sodium and chloride ions floating around. The SWCG takes the chlorine ions and uses electricity to reactive them into chlorine. Once the chlorine does it’s job it turns back into chloride ions, which the SWCG then reactivates into chlorine and so forth.

Chemically, there is no difference between adding chlorine manually and a SWCG, except the SWCG adds chlorine automatically every day and there’s no jugs of chlorine to haul and pour.

Now, the ”chlorine smell” most public pools have is what’s called combined chlorine. It comes from having a high amount of bather waste, sometimes combined with public health regulations that are often not based on the latest pool science. I don’t know if this combined chlorine is what your son is allergic too, but I can say that by following TFP guidelines my pool had zero chlorine smell all summer and crystal clear water.

If you maintain your own pool based on TFP guidelines you should have the same results as I did, with or without a SWCG (but if you’re having a pool built, get a SWCG).

Salt Water Chlorine Generators

Salt Water Generators are designed to produce small amounts of chlorine continuously. This is perfect for day to day use and reduces work for the homeowner.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Nubs101]

Thank you for the reply. We will be looking for an above ground pool in the size of 15X27ish. Before I invest money into a certain system I’m just curious if the public pools don’t keep such a close eye on their chemicals and that’s what’s messing with it or if it’s the chemicals themselves. I know it’s hard to say but hopefully by having a better understanding I can make a decision. The other thing is locally it seems no one sells a salt above ground. The closest I found was a retailer selling a Simple Salt product but some research determined that not to be a great route.

 

[jseyfert3]

Are you looking at an Intex style soft walled pool or a regular hard-sided above ground pool? Intex pools can come with SWCG's, but as I understand they are relatively underpowered. A SWCG can be added to any regular hard-sided pool, so it doesn't have to come with one.

I don't yet have a SWCG myself, perhaps someone else can chime in on good brands to add to a hard-side above ground pool.

 

[Donldson]

The closest I found was a retailer selling a Simple Salt product but some research determined that not to be a great route.

You are correct. Simple Salt is not a saltwater chlorine generator, it instead introduces metals in to the water that prevent algae but do little or nothing to sanitize the water or oxidize bather waste in the water.

Public pools actually keep a very close eye on their levels and record it studiously as per local regulations. The problem is that the levels they are required to maintain are not especially good for swimmer comfort, instead they are good for keeping the water safe from microorganisms that are inevitable in a pool with a lot of people. The levels we recommend here are designed for private pools without hundreds of people swimming all day every day. They are much more comfortable while still providing excellent sanitation of the water keeping it safe and clear. The trick, you'll find, is properly balancing the chemicals in the water and not necessarily reducing the amounts as might seem intuitive at first.

I hope you'll find the website and all of us helpful in determining the best way to keep a clear and safe pool. We all started off where you are and genuinely enjoy helping others figure it out too. Welcome to TFP!

 

[Nubs101]

Thanks again everyone for the reply’s. To answer the question above I am searching for a hard sided above ground. Also that kinda confirmed my suspicion that a public pool may need more chemicals because the amount of people swimming in it. All makes perfect sense. My other question is do most people buy their pools local ? It seems online is a option but I’m always weary of a price that is too good.

 

[jseyfert3]

You have to be a pretty hardcore DIY'r to install a hard sided above ground pool, so you'll need to keep in mind the ground leveling/install cost for pools purchased online. Additionally you may or may not be able to find a local installer a pool purchased online. If not, and you're not willing to do the install yourself, you'll have to order locally anyway.

Let's tag some people with hard-sided pools for some more info for you. @kimkats @Casey @zea3

 

[Mdragger88]

If you have someone to install or are looking to diy buying online @ a reputable place like the pool factory is a good option. In my case I wasn’t ready to take on the dig & install myself so i went with a local place . I looked for a year for someone to install one bought separately but had no luck.

 

[kimkats]

We bought ours online BUT we already had a pool there that was here when we moved it. It was not well taken care of so we replaced it when we had the money. So our site was already there and set up. We did have someone come in to put the new one for us. It was well worth the money.

The site prep is THE most important part of putting up a pool.

Call around to your local pool stores and see who they use to install, care for, send to repair pools and take notes of their names and numbers.

Good luck and let us know what you end up doing.

Kim

 

[Nubs101]

I’m pretty good at being honest with myself and while I can typically do things myself a pool is not one I am very confident in. I have been looking at the pool factory and while the price is attractive knowing it will be done right is also a plus of buying local. A place near me is selling a 24 foot round salt water for 6900. It’s a complete resin pool and comes in a kit to include basic cleaning items and ladder. This may be the route I end up going and was happy to at least find a salt water option locally.

 

[Nikilyn]

Interesting you bring this up because our new daughter in law is allergic to chlorine. My step daughter also has really bad eczema. Because of both of them we decided on a salt water pool. Our DIL said public pools are the worst. Home pools are better but the ones with SW cause her the least amount of problems.

 

[aussieta]

Interesting you bring this up because our new daughter in law is allergic to chlorine.

very few people are allergic to chlorine
can they drink and bathe in tap water
people who think they are allergic to chlorine are actually reacting to the chloramines in a poorly maintained pool

 

[mguzzy]

Thanks again everyone for the reply’s. To answer the question above I am searching for a hard sided above ground. Also that kinda confirmed my suspicion that a public pool may need more chemicals because the amount of people swimming in it. All makes perfect sense. My other question is do most people buy their pools local ? It seems online is a option but I’m always weary of a price that is too good.

I might as well be the one to chime in on this... TFP has a very specific protocol for managing your water through a ratio of the CYA and CL... this famous chart that is quoted here often: FC/CYA Levels. To be blunt, we are the sharp end of the stick. This is something relatively new in the pool chemistry world.. it is only now starting to be incorporated into the industry's pool standards. A public pool has to use the standards of their local health department as they should. But its probably more along the lines of the older paradigm, and they don't follow this CYA/CL ratio guideline. So as the others have said, comparing how a public pool is maintained to a residential pool is like comparing apples to oranges, the are both fruit is as close as you can get. And comparing how a pool store will want you to maintain your pool and the TFP protocol is just as different... apples to bananas. @jseyfert3 explanation of chlormines is right on, and is the reason your kids are having a reaction to public pool water. So does my daughter. So when you get ready to start managing your pool, read up on the ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry and pool school and realize we will give different advice than the pool store or what a public pool requires for your pools chemistry.

 

[setsailsoon]

Hello all,

Been lurking around here a few weeks trying to gather some knowledge before making my first pool purchase. I have a question about salt versus chlorine pools. The scenario is when going to a public pool my sons nose gets extremely stuffy, sneezing etc like allergies. We have swam in my parents pool who own a saltwater and he has zero reaction. Now I understand there is still chlorine in that salt system. My question is do you think these public pools balance is off and if we mainted one ourselves it would be better or is a salt system that much better for him ? I appreciate all the help and thank you for your time.

My wife has severe allergies and asthma. She even went in to anaphylactic shock twice from allergy tests and had to have epinephrine administered twice. We followed TFP guidelines for chlorination with liquid chlorine and even then her feet and hands would begin to itch after about 30 min in the pool. After we switched to salt a couple of years ago the itching completely stopped. We swim a couple times per week this time of year and spent over an hour in the pool last night - no problems at all! Not sure why this happens but something changes with salt in the water. This time of year my swg has to be turned way back so I accidentally over-chlorinate and have to reduce swg run-time. Last 2 times in the pool our FC was 13 and 10 respectively. Still no itch problems and hopefully FC will line out to stay mid to high in the recommended range.

I hope this is helpful and please do keep us posted.

Chris

 

[Nikilyn]

very few people are allergic to chlorine
can they drink and bathe in tap water
people who think they are allergic to chlorine are actually reacting to the chloramines in a poorly maintained pool

That is probably true but for us lay people we just know it's what happens after being in a "chlorine" pool .

 

[Stoopalini]

Chloramines (also called CC, or Combined Chlorine) will cause the stuffiness you describe your son experiencing.

CC's are a natural byproduct of Chlorine disinfecting something in the water. Solar UV rays then burn the chloramines away. Are these public pools indoor pools? If so, it could be there is no way for the chloramines to burn off, especially if the public pool has a malfunctioning UV system which is intended to take care of the chloramines.

With an outdoor pool, managed through TFP methods (both salt and non-salt), the CC levels will be kept at 0.5 or below. So these side effects your son is experiencing should not happen regardless if you go with salt or liquid chlorine.

Check out this article for more detailed information:

CC - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Nubs101]

After lots of reading and research from my local retail shops A) it seems quite tough to find a SWCG pool in the size I want and B) feeling confident if I follow TFP guidelines I can have an enjoyable pool for everyone to swim in. I have it narrowed down between two different companies who will need a little bit more research in the brands they carry as their prices vary roughly 1k-1.5k in similar sizes. I’d like to thank everyone again for all their time as I’ve learned a lot just in this single thread.

 

[Newdude]

Hey Nubs and Welcome !! I was against a pool for a long time because of how harsh all the pools I had been in were. I knew that public pools leaned towards sanitary instead of swimmers comfort, But all my friends...... well they spent so much time and effort maintaining them that theirs *had* to be right, Right ? Not. Even. Close. My pool had absolutely NONE of the harshness, red eyes, chlorine smell or worse..... the occasional bumpy rashes and green hair. I kicked myself when I realized what pool water SHOULD feel like.

Eventually I landed here with equipment trouble and I learned what I had been doing right by dumb luck. You have a massive head start by being here already. Whichever way you choose will be smooth sailing with comfortable clear water.

Check out this thread. While these pools are showcased for their looks, Their smells are also nonexistent and they feel as awesome as they look.

How Clear is TFP Clear? Let's See (Pics Only Please).

How clear should my water be? A very common question. Here is mine on a calm morning where I could finally vacuum. Yes I know, I'm still manually vacuuming. It took me 7 years to finally get an SWG, I'm working on a robot. :) So now let's see your water clarity.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Nubs101]

Wanted to update this thread for everyone. Before I even start a big thank you to everyone who posted here and the resources on this page. I felt very comfortable buying a pool yesterday because of everything I learned so thanks again. We ended up buying a 27 round resin constructed pool. The brand is Trendium and model is called Elegance. We upgraded the standard package to include something’s like solar cover, self cleaner, and a 2hp 2 speed motor.

Now that bad or sorta bad. With the motor upgrade they include a auto chlorine mineral cell to take care of the chemicals. Thanks again to the board I am quite educated in the mineral business. It comes with three cells. I think my plan is to just use a cell when we first get it just to get the family going and in the meantime I can get comfortable with the test kit and be ready to go on my own end. Overall I’m very happy and just now waiting to get everything installed and for my tf100 to arrive.

 

[Newdude]

It comes with three cells. I think my plan is to just use a cell when we first get it just to get the family going

While the first 3 cells probably won’t cause immediate problems to your water, they will add metals which will increase what naturally comes in your fill water. So it will increase your baseline and get you closer to the bad threshold from the start. It’s best to just not use them.