Itchy!

[tnthudson]

I put my new pump motor on my Pentair pump this weekend, then realized that my booster pump has seized up over the winter. :x
At any rate, when I was finished handling the pump motors, my hands and forearms were ITCHY! Almost like insulation-itchy. I noticed this happened the last time I messed with my pool pump motor...any ideas what could cause it? Just trying to figure out how to avoid or treat it in the future.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Most likely the pump itself is glass filled composite and over time the glass fibers become exposed on the surface and therefore will cause you to itch just like fiberglass will. You can spray it with clear coat or coat it with fiderglass gel or you could just wear gloves and sleeves whenever you're working in it.

 

[anonapersona]

Or spray your arms with hairspray to seal your arms instead.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Or spray your arms with hairspray to seal your arms instead.

I've heard of that but never knew anybody that tried it.

 

[tnthudson]

wow, who knew? Thanks!

 

[denisbaldwin]

Whenever I'm around my pool gear, I notice I'm itchy too. I also notice lots of little bites. Turns out my whole friggin pump area is covered in fleas and mosquitos!

 

[charlesd]

Taking a bath in epsom salts can help draw out fiberglass. I used to do a lot of body work on fiberglass semi tractor hoods, usually grinding/cutting in a t-shirt due to heat/laziness. No, not real smart...

I recently got some poison ivy from my equipment area (luckily none on my equipment area). Darned vines were incognito with no leaves yet.

 

[Thinkly]

Any chance you have a DE filter? I am a relative newbie, but last Fall when I disassembled my DE filter and cleaned the grids i immediately began to itch. Even my kids itched and one broke out in a very slight rash even though they really weren't in close proximity to where i was working.

I don't know if it is the DE or the contaminants trapped within the DE but something was very irritating. I have noticed other slight re-occurrences of this when working at the pool pad, such as when opening air valve to bleed air etc.

I have been told that DE shouldn't irritate the skin but I can assure you that something in that filter irritates the skin.

 

[smc]

Thinkly - Do you and/or your kids have allergies to shellfish? DE is basically diatoms - little microscopic shellfish-like creatures fossilized over time. Their shells have been know to slice through the bodies of macroscopic bugs like ants.

tnthudson - Pentair and many other brands use glass-filled composite resin to form their parts. You have fiberglass stuck in you. Won't hurt, but will irritate your skin. Try the hairspray, or use baby powder or lotion before you touch those parts. You might want to sand and paint the parts - that should help; I still haven't had the time to do mine. I work with fiberglass making custom auto panels and subwoofer boxes. Neat stuff, but messy and itchy!

 

[Pacifica]

Make sure you wear a long sleeve shirt and pants when around the pool equipment and if you're gonna be leaning over the equipment while cleaning the filter or servicing a pump. The fiberglass will stick in your skin and I have found no good way to get rid of it then to just wait it out. Your skin will eventually push it out and it usually only takes a day or two.