So as this pool fills I am pondering a few things... My youngest daughter was a huge driving factor behind taking on this project. She has some significant medical issues and one of the biggest ones is that she really doesn't produce any oil/sweat. This leaves her skin vulnerable to irritation. In my mom's pool she gets red bumps. The doctor believes it is from the high chlorine. We went with a SWG to reduce the chlorine load and have softer water in general. I am not 100% that this will be enough though since she will be more sensitive than average to parasites, bacteria, etc. Casually poking around at the UV and ozone systems to add in there as well. She also does not produce melanin anymore so she will be a heavy sunscreen user, which I will have to deal with. Would something like that help or am I just wasting money at that point? Should I be looking at something else?
Sanitizing water
- Thread starter nwardoh
- Start date
- May 3, 2014
- 58,309
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
It is very rare that properly managed FC levels based on CYA provide any skin issues.
As far as the issue at your mom's pool, how does she chlorinate the pool? Does she actively manage the FC, CYA, and pH levels? Are there any CC in the water? CC and low pH (especially in trichlor using pools) can cause irritation, be it skin, eye, hair, etc.
UV and Ozone are fine for indoor pools or spas, but an outdoor pool needs neither type of equipment.
As far as the issue at your mom's pool, how does she chlorinate the pool? Does she actively manage the FC, CYA, and pH levels? Are there any CC in the water? CC and low pH (especially in trichlor using pools) can cause irritation, be it skin, eye, hair, etc.
UV and Ozone are fine for indoor pools or spas, but an outdoor pool needs neither type of equipment.
I am pretty sure her husband just dumps a couple gallons of chlorine in it when he thinks about it. It is VERY poorly managed so I am expecting ours to be much better.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,309
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
There is your answer. Manage your chemistry to TFPC standards. A SWCG is a great method.
I will say, from having friends with varying degrees of skin conditions, that the hardest yet most important thing to come to terms with is that following the FC/CYA Levels creates the most comfortable and least harsh water in spite of it looking like high levels of chlorine. It's not easy to get the "lower chlorine is better" line of reasoning out of our heads, but it helps to remember that there's plenty of things in the water that can be irritating and keeping a good balance of chlorine in the water takes care of those. It's the balance that matters and TFP has honed that balance through a mix of research and experience for over 15 years now. I think you and your daughter will be happy with the results if you follow it.
So should I aim for the high, middle, or low end of that chart in this situation? It will be a blank slate when I start.
First thing is first: do you have a TF-100 or Taylor k-2006 test kit? If not, you're going to need one to accurately monitor and maintain the levels. You are going to want the accuracy and precision of the FAS-DPD chlorine test so you can make very minor changes if your daughter experiences any negative reactions. There is a considerable range of safe FC levels when following TFPC and you may find she prefers it a bit higher or lower. As long as it is between the "minimum" and the "SLAM Level" it is safe to swim in.
If it were me I would first of course make sure there's at least 1 ppm FC in the fresh water. There's no CYA in fresh water so this 1 ppm FC will actually be fairly harsh compared to what we will get to, but it's mostly to prevent algae from starting to take hold right away. With an SWG I would aim for 80 ppm CYA and try to keep the pool around 6 ppm FC once the SWG is up and running. That's a starting point, don't rule out that if there's discomfort raising the FC level could be the answer. I keep my manually chlorinated pool at around 40 CYA and I have one friend with severe eczema who prefers it when I have about 10 FC when he swims. Don't be afraid to experiment, but don't allow the water to drop below the minimum for your CYA level.
If it were me I would first of course make sure there's at least 1 ppm FC in the fresh water. There's no CYA in fresh water so this 1 ppm FC will actually be fairly harsh compared to what we will get to, but it's mostly to prevent algae from starting to take hold right away. With an SWG I would aim for 80 ppm CYA and try to keep the pool around 6 ppm FC once the SWG is up and running. That's a starting point, don't rule out that if there's discomfort raising the FC level could be the answer. I keep my manually chlorinated pool at around 40 CYA and I have one friend with severe eczema who prefers it when I have about 10 FC when he swims. Don't be afraid to experiment, but don't allow the water to drop below the minimum for your CYA level.
Taylor k-2006 kit will be here today. I have been giving it a shot of straight chlorine every day as we are filling. It will likely take about a week for the water to warm up enough to get in it so that will give me time to get the electric/plumbing done and get the water balanced out. I will add cya once I can reach the water and get some circulation going.