Pool smells a bit?

[steveg_nh]

Not sure if this is the right forum, so please move it if not...

But I'm wondering if higher pool temps can cause it to start smelling a bit? I would think no, but in the pool last night, temp at 87 (a bit warm), I felt like I was picking up a slight odor, kind of like a pond/swamp smell. I did find a couple of dead frogs in the skimmer baskets, and one in the bottom of the pool. I was shocked how that little itty bitty frog could smell...Maybe that was it, but if it wasn't, could a slight odor indicate a problem? My wife thought it was a wiff, in the hot night, of the pile of composting grass about 100' behind the pool in the woods, but I'm not so sure it was.

 

[ping]

I would run a CC test to see if the pool is burning something off.

 

[RobbieH]

Yep, run a FC and CC test and see where you are. If my pool gets that swampy smell, I get a little worried. But honestly that smell to me is less concerning than a big whiff of chloramines. Usually if I test when I get a slight swampy smell I'll find the FC has dropped to around 2-3, but luckily CC stays 0. I just put enough bleach in to bump it back up to 5-6 and all is well by the next day. This usually happens to me just as pool and ambient temperatures start to increase and I neglect to bump up the SWG to meet the increased needs.

 

[steveg_nh]

I'll check. Tue night CC was 0

 

[Butterfly]

If it was my pool, I'd raise FC up near to target now; and, tonight raise to SLAM level and do an OCLT.

Noticing a smell (or a dull look to the water) is one of the first clues that something is amiss.

 

[TomBorg]

Three other things to consider:

1. If you use a pool cover, it can start to smell a bit. When rolled up, the warm water that is rolled up with it makes a nice growth area for algae. And if it is old, many of the "bubbles" may have holes, which also make cozy, protected breeding grounds for algae and bacteria.

2. Just having the cover on will trap any odors that would normally escape without being noticed. If the odor dissipates a minute after removing the cover, don't worry about it.

3. How is the sealant between the coping and the tile just below? If the sealant has eroded away, water can splash up under the coping and stagnate.

 

[steveg_nh]

First, thanks for all the tips. I just got home from a work party so didn't grab a test for OCLT.

Anyway. No cover. Caulking is brand new. CC at 2pm was 0 and FC was 4 (right on target based on my cya of 60 right now). Water is crystal clear. Didn't notice any smell today. I think it may have been the two dead frogs. Gross! I boosted FC to 6 to give some extra help but I'm thinking it didn't need it.

 

[scott.MI]

FC was 4 (right on target based on my cya of 60 right now).

Wait....What?

Cya of 60 has a target of 7 and a minimum of 5.

 

[Abigail K]

OP has SWG listed in signature.

 

[steveg_nh]

Right, SWG system.