Stinky Water?

[EskimoPie]

What can cause the water to be smelling stronger than usual? I noticed a couple of days ago and my wife has really been noticing... its almost like a smell of something breaking down in the water... once I found a mouse in the skimmer and this kind or reminds me of that smell. Problem is there is nothing in the skimmer at the moment other than a few bugs and leaves (the usual). I don't have any combined chlorine either which I'd usually take to be a source of odor. My levels are:
FC: 4.5
CC: 0.0
TC: 4.5
PH: 7.7 (could use some acid)
TA: 90
CH: 270
CYA: 70
Salt: 3800
Temp: 85

Any thoughts? Water is clean and clear as always. The only thing I can think of is that it's been pretty windy this week and maybe lots of dust and dirt is blowing into the pool and breaking down... but wouldn't that show as CC?

 

[JohnT]

Have you checked the pump basket? Are there any lines, like a cleaner line or spa lines that don't have water flowing through them regularly? My first thought is just shock the pool and see if it clears it up.

 

[JasonLion]

You might also look for a dead animal somewhere near the pool instead of in it.

 

[EskimoPie]

Have you checked the pump basket? Are there any lines, like a cleaner line or spa lines that don't have water flowing through them regularly? My first thought is just shock the pool and see if it clears it up.

Yeah I checked the skimmer basket... it had a few leaves and bugs in it but nothing big... There is a waterfall that doesn't get a ton of use... that's a thought... maybe I should set the Easytouch controller to run the waterfall for a minute or two every day just to flush out the lines with fresh water regularly.

 

[EskimoPie]

You might also look for a dead animal somewhere near the pool instead of in it.

Thats a thought, but it's not that strong of an odor, I'm talking very faint but still noticable... My wife was wondering if the chlorine was way too high because it just smelled like strong chlorine to her, but I don't think 4.5ppm should be that noticeable. Like I said though it's not very strong so it could be just normal and we're a little extra sensitive for some reason.

 

[JohnT]

Are you smelling while in/near the pool or after getting out? The chlorine in the water on your skin will convert to CC after you leave the pool, and can have an odor.

 

[EskimoPie]

Are you smelling while in/near the pool or after getting out? The chlorine in the water on your skin will convert to CC after you leave the pool, and can have an odor.

Both actually... a few days ago while swimming I kept smelling a faint persistent odor. It seemed strongest near the water level... Then yesterday while running errands around town after swimming my wife complained of the strong odor on her skin and irritation. Normally I'd think these symptoms would be a case for shocking but with my good chemistry levels and 0.0 CC I hate to shock if I don't need to. Again, it's faint so we're probably going to give it some time and see if it persists... we have some friends coming over this weekend too so we'll see if they notice anything odd.

 

[iggy]

EskimoPie

I have the same odor problem in my new pool.
We opened it on May 31st. All water chemistry is good.
Smells like rotton eggs. Most of the adults didn't smell anything.
I smelled it and it was a faint smell on top of the water.
Could it be the gas bubbles from the SWG coming to the surface when we splashed atound in the water?

FC 3
TC 3
pH 7.6
Alk 90
CA 250
CYA 80
Water is clear as a bell.

The only thing I can think of is to clean the filters again.
Have you found the source of your smell?

 

[Molson]

rotten egg smell sounds like a sulfur problem. Did you fill with well water?

 

[iggy]

rotten egg smell sounds like a sulfur problem. Did you fill with well water?

No it was city water and had been fill in Janauary.
he smell of rotten eggs was from one of the young swimmers said it smelled like.
I peronsally think it is the outgassing of the water from the SWG.
Still not sure.

 

[AnnaK]

The rotten egg smell is a metabolic byproduct from sulfate-reducing bacteria. Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:

"The rotten egg odor of hydrogen sulfide is often a marker for the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria in nature.[1] Sulfate-reducing bacteria are responsible for the sulfurous odors of salt marshes and mud flats, as well as intestinal gas. Sulfate-reducing bacteria slowly degrade tough-to-digest materials that are rich in cellulose in anaerobic environments.[1] Rather than breathing oxygen, they "breathe" sulfate. Sulfate occurs widely in seawater, sediment, or water rich in decaying organic material."

Note especially that last sentence. Could leaves or other organic matter have gotten into the pump strainer basket?

 

[iggy]

The rotten egg smell is a metabolic byproduct from sulfate-reducing bacteria. Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:
"The rotten egg odor of hydrogen sulfide is often a marker for the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria in nature.[1] Sulfate-reducing bacteria are responsible for the sulfurous odors of salt marshes and mud flats, as well as intestinal gas. Sulfate-reducing bacteria slowly degrade tough-to-digest materials that are rich in cellulose in anaerobic environments.[1] Rather than breathing oxygen, they "breathe" sulfate. Sulfate occurs widely in seawater, sediment, or water rich in decaying organic material."
Note especially that last sentence. Could leaves or other organic matter have gotten into the pump strainer basket?

My filtering system is probably the cleanest on the planet. LOL Since the pool was finished in late Janauary 2008 I have cleaned the filters twice and plan to do it again in the next day or so. Here in Arizona we have mostly blowing fine dust. The way my back yard is very little leaves from the plants ever get into the pool.
I appreciate your research and will continue to try and figure this out.