New Pool - Sensitive skin

[Hadiguy05]

Moved from here.
I thought I'd bring this conversation back to life.

We are having an IG pool put in, in May of this year. Our son has sensitive skin. We have to use baby laundry detergent for him. He's been in other pools that don't use SWG and has broken out. I've been tasked with helping ensure he can swim trouble free. I've read the threads on chemical levels. Will this hold true for him, or what should I be considering. I look forward to your feedback!!

 

[mknauss]

Typical pools whose water chemistry is not managed using TFPC, and especially those using trichlor (pucks/tablets) are low pH, low FC, high CC pools. You might notice they have a smell. Some say it is chlorine, it is really chloramines, and that means they do not have a high enough FC level.

If your son can bathe in tap water, he should be able to swim in a pool with water chemistry managed using TFPC principles. A SWCG makes that process much easier, and some feel the salt in the water (even though very low level) helps make the pool better for those with sensitive skin. Most important is to manage pH, and keep CC eliminated.

 

[Hadiguy05]

@mknauss thanks for the quick reply. I'm also considering adding borates to the pool as well to help manage ph, etc. Any opinions on that?

 

[mknauss]

I have never added borates, but some do. Be sure you do not have any pets that drink the pool water. Other wise, should be fine. You need to get some kind of test for the borate levels. Dudadiesel sells Boric Acid in granular form.

 

[Hadiguy05]

@mknauss thanks for the input! I'm hoping the berates help stabilize the ph and make the water look nicer

 

[mgtfp]

I am using borates. Pretty happy with their effect on pH-stability. But the water still looks pretty, well, watery. I wouldn't put too much hope into effects on water look and feel. You already have a salt pool - I'd say that's as good as it gets.

But if you are having issues with pH drifting up too fast, or too much scale in your SWG cell, then they're worth a try. But as Marty said, you don't want pets to drink substantial amounts from your pool. Shouldn't be an issue when they just swallow a bit while swimming, but if pets use the pool to actually drink from it, then I wouldn't recommend borates.

 

[Newdude]

We have to use baby laundry detergent for him.

We started with All free and clear available in big jugs at BJs/Costco when the kids were little because Dreft (sp?) was so expensive and the All brand was the same stuff. We never went back and still use it.

 

[Hadiguy05]

@mgtfp thanks for the heads up. We don't plan to have the dogs drinking from the pool water. I'll check and see how that goes. The look was going to be something for my wife, but I'm more concerned with a very stable ph in hopes that it'll help for our little buddy.

@Newdude we have to use Deft at home. Made a mistake recently on using something else and he broke out immediately. I may have to give the All free and clear a go. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Newdude]

I may have to give the All free and clear a go. Thanks for the advice!

It’s in a white bottle and the best we could tell, All makes both or whoever makes it makes both with the same specs. The baby one is twice the price of course......

 

[AUSpool]

I have a child with sensitive skin. It’s hard, ice, antihistamines, but the best treatment has always been to jump in the pool. Shower or bath when it’s to cold. CYA @ 70ppm and FC @ 6ppm. I’ve inadvertently had my FC at 10ppm and wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t tested it. I’ve had borates and didn’t notice any difference with or without.

 

[AUSpool]

we have to use Deft at home. Made a mistake recently on using something else and he broke out immediately. I may have to give the All free and clear a go. Thanks for the advice!

This is not a parenting forum but it sounds like you need an allergy specialist.

 

[Hadiguy05]

This is not a parenting forum but it sounds like you need an allergy specialist.

Thanks mate! Already doing that . We gotta take care of our little buddy to make sure he's happy and healthy. Have a great evening there!

 

[Orion7319]

My youngest son has a severe tree nut allergy and has to carry an epi-pen. We discovered that a lot of sunscreens contain a chemical with tree nut proteins. We have to be very careful of what sunscreens we buy. He also has sensitive skin and would get mild rashes sometimes from pools. We have a salt pool and I manage the chemicals and he hasn’t had any problems in ours. Other then the PH and the salt and no CC, the water is fairly soft. He tells me he likes how our water feels.

 

[mgtfp]

My youngest son has a severe tree nut allergy and has to carry an epi-pen. We discovered that a lot of sunscreens contain a chemical with tree nut proteins. We have to be very careful of what sunscreens we buy. He also has sensitive skin and would get mild rashes sometimes from pools. We have a salt pool and I manage the chemicals and he hasn’t had any problems in ours. Other then the PH and the salt and no CC, the water is fairly soft. He tells me he likes how our water feels.

Wow, I didn't know that about tree nut proteins in sunscreen. Would your son's allergy go to that level where he'd react to other people's sunscreen contaminating a pool?

 

[Hadiguy05]

My youngest son has a severe tree nut allergy and has to carry an epi-pen. We discovered that a lot of sunscreens contain a chemical with tree nut proteins. We have to be very careful of what sunscreens we buy. He also has sensitive skin and would get mild rashes sometimes from pools. We have a salt pool and I manage the chemicals and he hasn’t had any problems in ours. Other then the PH and the salt and no CC, the water is fairly soft. He tells me he likes how our water feels.

Thanks for the feedback @Orion7319. That's crazy on tree nut proteins being in sunscreen.

A BIG thank you to everybody for your feedback. Sounds like if I manage the chemicals the TFP way, I'll be trouble free..... Fancy that.

 

[Orion7319]

Wow, I didn't know that about tree nut proteins in sunscreen. Would your son's allergy go to that level where he'd react to other people's sunscreen contaminating a pool?

Yes they use nut oils in sunscreens. His is the worst possible that someone could have. He has a life threatening allergy to walnuts, pecans and hazel nuts. The worse allergy to have is to peanuts which thankfully he doesn’t have. Peanuts are everywhere and lots of stuff is cooked in peanut oil, and so they are very hard for people with peanut allergies to avoid. He has never reacted to anyone’s sunscreen in a pool as far as I know. A pool is a rather large body of water and chlorine does what chlorine does which is oxidize organic compounds... including proteins.

Sunscreen Can Be Dangerous for Peanut Allergies – Best Allergy Sites

www.bestallergysites.com

 

[Orion7319]

Thanks for the feedback @Orion7319. That's crazy on tree nut proteins being in sunscreen.

A BIG thank you to everybody for your feedback. Sounds like if I manage the chemicals the TFP way, I'll be trouble free..... Fancy that.

You’re welcome. And also just to reiterate the point that chlorine isn’t typically the issue, chloramines are. When my son was a toddler he had eczema really bad. Eczema and severe food allergies sometimes go hand-in-hand. Our sons allergist would have us soak him in a bath tub with a half a cup or maybe even a cup of bleach (been a long time now can’t remember the exact amount) added to the bath water. Apparently the bleach was great for eczema as it dried it out.

 

[Prickly]

Interestingly, eczema can actually be improved by bleach baths so it may not be problematic. I am very sensitive to poorly maintained pools (likely the combined chlroines). I use a layer of grape seed oil on my skin as a barrier if I have to go in a public pool and it works wonders for me