First season using BBB Some concerns.

[firepilot]

Hey All,

Well the cover is back on and the pool is closed for the year. Only had the pool guy back two times this summer. The first time to fix/warranty a pump he replaced last year. Second time to Blow the lines and put the cover on. He was one for one on good service.

I had one big issue this year I could use some help on. My wife was the biggest fan of having the pool. The first year we had the pool (this was year two) She likes just floating around and reading a book. She had a great time the first year when the pool guy was using Triclor pucks.

This year using bleach she would get a rash each and every time she got in the the pool. As a result she didn't use the pool much. I looked on line and didn't find much. We also have a hot tub and I just use regular chlorine from the hot tub store and she has no problem at all. I don't understand why it is different.

I ran the pool at these levels:

FC 8
PH 7.5-7.8
TA 120
CH 300
CYA was around 65

I am wondering if maybe next year I should be thinking of using Triclor or something besides bleach. Right now we are thinking about selling the house. It has some space issues and I feel like Crud because I enjoy the pool and she can't get in it.

I realize there are Ramifications regarding the CYA level climbing using the Triclor but around here water is cheap. If I had to drain and refill half the pool each year it would be no big deal. I think I calculated it out and its like $30-50 for a half refill.

Anybody have any thought or suggestions.

Thanks

Phil

 

[4knights]

Not sure on the pool chemical issues if there are any but I am in the medical field- see if your wife has been on any medication that makes the sun or even the pool affect her skin. Some meds require you limit your sun exposure as well as some of the newer body lotion formulas can affect the skin when combined with chlorine and sun. Just guessing but something to check.

 

[firepilot]

Thanks,

She is not taking any medication right now. It only occurs where the water has touched her skin. She has tried antihistamine before getting in. She has tried putting sunscreen on before as well. We just sat in the hot tub for 15-20 min with no problem.

Phil

 

[jblizzle]

Hard to guess at this point. Would have been best to post current results when the issue occurred.

Seems that CC and pH are usual suspects.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

 

[chem geek]

When you say "regular chlorine from the hot tub store" are you talking about Dichlor chlorinating granules? If so, then it sounds like she might be sensitive to higher active chlorine levels, but if that is the case she should have trouble in a bathtub and/or the shower, unless your water district has switched from chlorine (hypochlorous acid) to chloramine (monochloramine). Based on this water report, chlorine is used at around 1.5 ppm FC (with no CYA, of course), so the active chlorine level should be much higher (over 10 times) than in the pool. Are you using anything else such as borates in the pool? What brand of bleach were you using?

Is there any particular reason you were running the FC at 8 ppm instead of something closer to 5 ppm given your CYA of 65 ppm? You could see if running the FC level closer to the minimum helps reduce your wife's sensitivity. You might also try having a lower pH target not letting it get above 7.5, assuming the pH was usually lower given the acidic Trichlor tabs.

 

[y_not]

I can say that I am very sensitive to improperly managed pools. Rashes, itching, burning, very painful sometimes. Other times, just extremely annoying and uncomfortable. Bad cases would take a week or more of dousing the effected skin /w hydrocortisone cream to clear it up. Honestly, I thought I was just done for and would have to stay out of them and just use lakes.

That is until I found BBB.
Once I started treating my pool the right way, the only way. HAHA
It was like heaven!!! But, I must say, my skin get's testy still if the pH is either too high, or too low. Eyes start to sting around 7.3 and skin starts to itch and maybe get a little rashy at around 7.8.
Other than that, the CL doesn't bother me, now that I'm maintaining a proper FC>CYA relationship.
It's less FC than city tap water. Nor does bathing with city tap water bother me. Chlorine or monochloramines.

I'm betting it's a pH thing, as this is one of the primary separators of liquid CL from pucks. Aside from CYA that is.
Pucks are very acidic, so they drive down the pH and TA.
That would be the thing that's missing from no longer using the pucks.

I'm not using borates, if you are, this could be a source of irritation for her. Although it's quite rare, burt it's possible.

Another question would be. Is your wife allergic to any; foods, chemicals, topical products, oils, particulate matter such as pollen, etc..?
Is she using any acne creams? Like a benzyl peroxide, or salicylic acid product(s)? Sometimes they're hidden in clarifying creams, washes, scrubs, exfoliators and the like.
These products make the skin EEEEXXXTREEEEMMMLY sensitive to any UV rays whatsoever, even in the shade. You get a sunburn like effect, some people just plain get an evil nasty sunburn. It doesn't take long either.

I hope you can get it figured out, having to go back to pucks would really be no fun at all.
All that water waste. What a shame.

 

[kj5kb]

"Must be something in the water" Sorry, old joke, couldnt resist.

Still consider myself a newb, 2-1/2 seasons with my 8000gal above ground pool...but you got me thinking.

My neighbor kid has a similar problem. She swims in the rec center pool, and complains about it irritating her eyes and skin. She likes my pool because it doesn't bother her. I keep my CYA around 40 and my FC 8-12, otherwise similar to yours. I've found that if I read ANY CC, it's time for a shock.

In the aquarium hobby...water changes are a common way to treat "somethings not quite right but I can't put my finger on it" issues. A big water change in the Spring may not be such a bad idea. Mine gets a 30-40% water change annually due to the pre-winter drain anyway, as well as the occasional drain in the summer after a big rain.

With an in-ground pool, could you be getting a lot of tannins (from leaves), weed killer or fertilizer runoff? That might explain the difference between the hot tub and pool. The hot tub may be covered when not in use, and it's probably above ground level.

 

[y_not]

"Must be something in the water" Sorry, old joke, couldnt resist.

I know it predates this, but Katy Perry & Snoop Dog come to mind on this. unkrock:
Good application though. HAHA

I keep my CYA around 40 and my FC 8-12, otherwise similar to yours. I've found that if I read ANY CC, it's time for a shock.

Can I ask why you are keeping your FC so high?
Your minimum at that CYA should be 3ppm and target 5ppm. Adjusting the dosing target based on depletion by UV as well as expected, or consistent bather load.
It's not bad to keep it that high, just a waste of CL and money.

Also, when you get a CC reading of <0.5. This is considered perfectly fine. In fact, if you have had a recent bather load and you see the CCs climb, so long as adequate CL is maintained it should go back down on its own just fine. UV removes CCs and they're a natural byproduct of the CL oxidizing organics. In other words, it naturally ebbs and flows with usage & weather.

You should never need to shock it, so long as the water remains clear, not cloudy or worse and you maintain adequate FC levels daily. You'll be just fine.
Shocking it periodically is something the pool industry falsely devised as insurance against algae outbreaks for users of pucks and powdered stabilized forms of CL that contain CYA. Such as di-chlor and tri-chlor products.
Users of bleach, liquid CL (same thing) and SWCGs/SWGs that maintain a proper CYA relationship as taught in this forum. Don't need to worry about this, unless one of the prior listed states of water occurs.

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

Brand of bleach could matter, chem geek swears by Clorox. 8ppm is very reasonable for 65 CYA. Have you checked for OCLT? CC?

You may want to post the hot tub test results also.

Sent via Tapatalk...

 

[Swampwoman]

I have dishydrotic eczema that chemicals typically trigger.
This is my first year of pool ownership but I have a couple of theories for your wife. My normal eczema sites were actually improved by the pool under bbb. The one time I did get a leg rash it seemed to be related to my sunscreen -- I switched and it stopped.

1. Bleach brand...try the 12.5% sold for pools -- I used cheap bleach initially and didn't have problems but I
don't really trust the components per se.

2. Borax - I read around on this, and boric acid is anti fungal and used in any skin scare preparations, but there are those minute few that react to the laundry version when their clothes are washed with it, so it is definitely suspect, even though remote. If you still want borates but were using 20 team for the 50 ppm, try straight up boric acid from a chemist shop and test it by adding it to the laundry first.

3. Ph - the only obvious difference between a trichloroethane treated pool and a bbb pool.

You could test those things, but you could also just use pucks and resign yourself to partial water changes. You now have the knowledge to manage the pool any way you like. You will have to test your cya more frequently, as it's a moving target, and adjust your dose accordingly.

The one other thing you could try would be a salt water generator. Provided your hot tub is properly sanitized with chlorine, it's proof that she's not reacting to chlorine itself (what is your hot tub's cya/chlorine ratio?)
If you manage the ph, the swg has no other components to contribute to a rash, and salt water is generally kind to the skin.

You might also want to check your wife's nutritional supplements if she takes any...St johns wort, for example, totally can cause rashes during prolonged exposure to the sun.

I hope you work it out! Allergies and chemical sensitivities are tricky, and can be a moving target. I find my skin is more prone to irritation if I get dehydrated at all (and swimming is dehydrating, and yes, that is a byproduct of sanitizing) so she might also try drinking a lot of water on days she wants to swim.

 

[y_not]

Brand of bleach could matter, chem geek swears by Clorox.

Like I said, I'm super sensitive, but in fact I use cheap bleach. Kroger brand and it's perfectly fine with me.
Mind you, this stuff is made by a major chemical company. I have even heard it's Clorox themselves, or maybe sunbelt.So that could be why. I still need to get the MSDS to verify that and the lye content. But it doesn't bother me at all, so long as pH is in check.

I would never use the Walmart brand, most of their generics I find are horribly inferior to other generics or even brand names.