Combined chlorine level safe to swim?

[imitchely]

Hello all,
My mother in laws pool (24ft vinyl ABG) is a mess and she will only listen to the pool store. After 2 weeks of dumping chemicals in her pool the father in law asked me to check his water.
When I got there they had suds everywhere and explained the pool store had them add multiple bags of shock.
Now to the test results...
Cya 100ppm
FC 4.4. (Im positive this is much higher)
CC 1.2 ( This is what Im worried about)

I explained the Cya results and was told they had their pool for 14years and never heard of this. They said they aren't draining 50% of thier water unless pool store says so..
Ok.. all that information to ask this question. Im sure with enough chemicals and money they will get the pool to "look" clear. What is the Maximum combined chlorine that is safe to swim in for my 6year old daughter? I shut my pool down at .4 but this isn't my pool so my hands are tied. Grandma watches her 3days a week in the summer and the pool is part of their day.
Thanks JJ

 

[dkimble]

Wouldn't a CYA that high render that level of FC useless? Thus the rediculously high CC numbers?

 

[Richard320]

Take a look through the trash for the empty packaging. If anything they added is a "non-chlorine shock" it's probably monopersulfate, and MPS reacts with the FC & CC tests and makes them read falsely high. It may not be CC, but MPS you're reading.

 

[kimkats]

I will be pushing this question out to our chemical guy. We had this same question the other day but I cannot find it again.

Another worry for you daughter is can she been seen on the bottom of the pool?

Kim

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Considering monochloramine is used in the disinfection of municipal drinking water up to 4ppm (considered the maximum allowable concentration), the levels you are measuring are likely fine. All that you're really going to detect is a bad "chlorine swimming pool smell" on your daughters swim clothes.

Here are some very dense links you can read through about the health effects of chloramines -

https://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol84/mono84-8.pdf
http://www.mawc.org/sites/default/files/page_attachments/pdf/FAQ_CHLORAMINES-2-2016.pdf

What you'll notice is that it takes very high levels of monochloramine to be problematic. Now, unfortunately, your tests indicate CC which can be any number of chlorinated organic compounds but most likely just the three big one - mono- and di-chloramine and nitrogen trichloride. Nitrogen trichloride is very volatile and irritating and doesn't hang around long in outdoor pool water. Mono- and di-chloramine last a little longer but will breakdown quick enough. As long as the pool is safe to swim in (you can see the bottom of the pool), then swimming in a lousy pool will likely just result in a smelly kid, smelly clothes and, perhaps, red & itchy eyes.

Good luck in getting the in-laws to switch, it sounds like the pool store has them hooked

 

[imitchely]

Considering monochloramine is used in the disinfection of municipal drinking water up to 4ppm (considered the maximum allowable concentration), the levels you are measuring are likely fine. All that you're really going to detect is a bad "chlorine swimming pool smell" on your daughters swim clothes.

Here are some very dense links you can read through about the health effects of chloramines -

https://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol84/mono84-8.pdf
http://www.mawc.org/sites/default/files/page_attachments/pdf/FAQ_CHLORAMINES-2-2016.pdf

What you'll notice is that it takes very high levels of monochloramine to be problematic. Now, unfortunately, your tests indicate CC which can be any number of chlorinated organic compounds but most likely just the three big one - mono- and di-chloramine and nitrogen trichloride. Nitrogen trichloride is very volatile and irritating and doesn't hang around long in outdoor pool water. Mono- and di-chloramine last a little longer but will breakdown quick enough. As long as the pool is safe to swim in (you can see the bottom of the pool), then swimming in a lousy pool will likely just result in a smelly kid, smelly clothes and, perhaps, red & itchy eyes.

Good luck in getting the in-laws to switch, it sounds like the pool store has them hooked

Thanks alot everyone! I feel a little bit better. Im going to tell them No pool until you can see the bottom clearly!