Here are my numbers...........but eyes are burning

[SIHunter]

My numbers seem to all be good but my family is complaining that their eyes are burning from the pool water. Anyone have any suggestions?

FC=5.0 just added 106oz. of bleach after we got out today
CC=0
pH=7.8
TA=110
Ch=120
CYA=55

pH is usually what causes the eyes to burn isn't it?

Thanks for any help!

 

[JasonLion]

Low PH and high CC are the two normal causes of eyes burning, neither of which appear to be the case in your pool.

Has anything out of the ordinary been happening recently?

 

[JohnT]

Is the water new? Low salinity can be rough on your eyes.

 

[SIHunter]

They have been burning since the first time they swam a week ago. Nothing out of the ordinary that I can think of. Some days it seems the FC drops more than others but never below 4.5 or so and it's usually 5 to 6 then we bump it back up to 8 as our target. I did add about 3 to 4 inches of water Wednesday evening but that is rural water that is not from a well or sistern.

This is the 2nd year for this pool, year 1 of the BBB.

Thanks!

 

[chem geek]

If they are keeping their eyes open for an extended period of time underwater, then it's most likely the low salt levels, especially if the burning sensation isn't immediate but only after some time underwater. If underwater the eyes feel some pressure, then that's the osmotic pressure of water that is low in salt entering the eye which is higher in salt (probably 500 ppm or so vs. 9000 ppm). This is the primary reason some people like saltwater pools better since there is a smaller difference in salt levels (3000 ppm vs. 9000 ppm).

This is the same thing that happens if you take a long bath and get "wrinkle skin" in your fingertips. Water low in salt enters your skin that is higher in salt creating that bloated uneven water-logged effect. In a bath, however, you usually aren't keeping your head underwater with your eyes open for an extended period of time.

 

[SIHunter]

When I was in last night I noticed my nose really burned after going under also. My son says his eyes really don't bother him it's just his nose as well. Is there anything I can do to help this?

 

[JasonLion]

You might want to try adding salt to about 2,000 ppm. If chem geek is correct that salt is the issue, 2,000 ppm should be enough to take care of it.

 

[RobbieH]

I won't make this a suggestion, but I'll make a comment. I'll let Chem Geek turn this into a suggestion if he wants

If your pH swings wildly, you might consider adding borates to your pool. I will also say I can hold my eyes open underwater and I have no burning; no idea if the borates contributed to this or not.

 

[SIHunter]

So if I did this correct! According to chem geek and my pool is at 500ppm salt and I need to go to 2000 then the pool calculator tells me I need to add 215lbs. of salt. What kind of salt would be recommended?

So what exactly would the salt do in this situation to help reduce eye and nose burning?

I guess another question I have is that the poolcalculator says my target FC should be 7. However somewhere I read or was told that I should keep it at 8, so I have. Can I now go down to 7? I realize this isn't our eye and nose problem but was just wondering?

Thanks for all the assistance. My water continues to be absolutely crystal clear on about $1 or $1.50 per day!!!!! :-D

 

[chem geek]

So what exactly would the salt do in this situation to help reduce eye and nose burning?

See this post. You might want to try swimming in a saltwater chlorine generator pool (or a manually-dosed salt pool, if someone has one) to see if it helps before you make the change in your own pool.