Startup SWG chlorinator salt for new pool

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hi, i added another 10ppm of cya to my pool and waiting a few days till testing, it was 50 , looking for 60 ..then 70, just taking it slow....

just a question on swg, i am confident i have kept PH at 8 maximum, mostly around 7.6 to 7.8, but i will be more onto this as my 13 yr old boy has complained of sore eyes, i though as long as it stayed under 8 i was ok, what do u guys aim for? should i be more serious on keeping level at 7.4, i read that 7.4 is same PH as in our eyes

also when my boy was in pool the other day with 3 friends i ran SWG to filter and clear pool surface and i thought running SWG was a good idea to add chlorine to keep levels up , i target 5 but often see it drop to 3 or mid 3 during the day, ( still working out CYA ) i usually only run my SWG overnight at 50% for 6 hours, but it don't hurt to run a few hours during day when kids are in pool swimming does it ?
 
You could add some LC and run the pump for 20 to 30mins to mix prior to the pool being used instead of using your SWCG for a few hours to top up the FC. I always keep some LC around just in case.
 
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Unless there is some hyper-sensitivity to chlorine, FC 5, or more, shouldn't be felt in the eyes. I think pH out of range would affect soft tissues, and maybe each person has their own sensitivity to that. So maybe lowering pH would help. But you'll find it difficult to maintain 7.4. A saltwater plaster-based pool likes to live in the upper 7s, as you've discovered. Forcing the pH down to 7.4 is going to take significantly more acid, more often, and could at some point tank your TA.

Chloramines (CC) might actually be the culprit for the eye irritation. That's what bothers people (smell and irritation) more than chlorine. So if there are a lot of organics in the water while he's swimming, the chlorine attacking those organics produce CC and that could be the source of the irritation.

Using your Taylor kit, see if there's a correlation between FC or pH or CC and your son's irritation. Then adjust your chemistry accordingly. Not much you can do about CC, except to do what you can to start the day at CC:0 and get the kids to stop peeing while they're swimming. (Oh, if only the purple-blue pee dye was a real thing!)

Or swim goggles might help. A decent pair, not the 5 for $5 ones from Walmart.

Or this: when I was complaining here on the forum about my own eye irritation, a TFP expert explained the problem wasn't the water chemistry, but the way I was squeegeeing my eyes after getting them wet. The act of rubbing my eyes to rid them of pool water was pushing that water back up through my tear ducts and causing the irritation. He explained I needed to blot my eyes carefully, or better yet just let them "air dry." I think I can attest to that, as I tried it, but it's very hard for me to remember not to rub my eyes after a swim ('cause it feels so good, like scratching poison oak even though you know you're not supposed to)! Point was: monitor your son for the eye-rubbing behavior as a possible cause of the irritation. See if you can get him to stop doing that (good luck)!
 
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FIESTA62 said:
also when my boy was in pool the other day with 3 friends i ran SWG to filter and clear pool surface and i thought running SWG was a good idea to add chlorine to keep levels up , i target 5 but often see it drop to 3 or mid 3 during the day, ( still working out CYA ) i usually only run my SWG overnight at 50% for 6 hours, but it don't hurt to run a few hours during day when kids are in pool swimming does it ?
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I run my SWG during the day for a few reasons, one of which is so the FC is replaced when it is being depleted (by humans or the sun), so that the level better stays closer to target, rather than dropping way below by day's end and only being replenished at night. I believe running at night is a less effective way of maintaining FC at or above target level. It's not harmful to people to replenish FC while they're in the pool, as long as they're not swimming through a liquid chlorine dose, or staring into the pool return as the SWG is producing. It mixes in very fast.
 
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Dirk said:
Chloramines (CC) might actually be the culprit for the eye irritation
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i just read about CC, i have only been testing FC, i knew nothing about CC till now, so i will test tomorrow to see what CC level is, and if its high i understand i need to shock pool , another thing i have never done, but i will test and check back in here before doing any shock if it is needed,
pool hasn't been open for long its only been 3 or so weeks since kids started swimming do CC's build up this fast? and if so then i will be shocking often, anyway i guess i better test before worrying too much about what's going on.....
 
FIESTA62 said:
just a question on swg, i am confident i have kept PH at 8 maximum, mostly around 7.6 to 7.8, but i will be more onto this as my 13 yr old boy has complained of sore eyes, i though as long as it stayed under 8 i was ok, what do u guys aim for? should i be more serious on keeping level at 7.4, i read that 7.4 is same PH as in our eyes

also when my boy was in pool the other day with 3 friends i ran SWG to filter and clear pool surface and i thought running SWG was a good idea to add chlorine to keep levels up , i target 5 but often see it drop to 3 or mid 3 during the day, ( still working out CYA ) i usually only run my SWG overnight at 50% for 6 hours, but it don't hurt to run a few hours during day when kids are in pool swimming does it ?
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3 boys, and how often did they get out to use the toilet
i would bet your chlorine level was not high enough for bather load
with my cya at 70 i target never dropping below 7fc chart shows my range as 3-5fc
also it takes a bit of training not to rub your eyes after you swim, just blink several times
 
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FIESTA62 said:
i just read about CC, i have only been testing FC, i knew nothing about CC till now, so i will test tomorrow to see what CC level is, and if its high i understand i need to shock pool , another thing i have never done, but i will test and check back in here before doing any shock if it is needed,
pool hasn't been open for long its only been 3 or so weeks since kids started swimming do CC's build up this fast? and if so then i will be shocking often, anyway i guess i better test before worrying too much about what's going on.....
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I'm not the expert on this stuff, but this is what I think I know...

Unlike how CH, or salt, can take months or even years to accumulate to excessive levels, elevated CC can happen in days, or less. All it takes is the introduction of enough organic material and enough chlorine to chew on it, and CCs are the result. I test for CC every time I test FC. It's easy, and fast, and a good indicator of the general health of my water.

"Shocking weekly," or often, is pool store mumbo jumbo. Great for sales, but it doesn't work a lot of the time, or more accurately doesn't work permanently, so more shocking is needed. Which is great for more sales! Controlling algae, and CC for that matter, is about maintaining FC. Shocking once a week is not nearly as effective as maintaining enough FC all week long. The M in SLAM stands for Maintain. If your CC is too high, you probably need to SLAM. A SLAM is similar to shocking (the S stands for shock, after all), but instead of just dumping in a lot of chlorine and then forgetting about it, you also maintain that high level of chlorine until all the algae is gone and CC is eliminated.

Shocking, or SLAMing, shouldn't be a part of a pool's regular maintenance routine. If you have to do either often, you're doing it wrong. I've never shocked or SLAMed my pool, not in three years. Many of us here at TFP can make the same claim, for even more years. And we do that by maintaining a constant, sufficient level of chlorine (FC) every day. If you do the same, you'll never need to shock either.

If after testing for CC you find it elevated, then you'll do a SLAM to rid yourself of the algae (or whatever is causing your elevated CC). After the end of the SLAM, you'll go back to maintaining a constant, sufficient level of FC. Sufficient being key. And that may be more than what you've been using. Enough to protect your pool from whatever created the CC issue in the first place (such as some boys not following the rules, or whatever happened).

The keys to a healthy, safe, comfortable pool is (1) keeping enough FC and CYA in your water to never need to shock, or SLAM, and (2) minimizing as much as reasonably possible the introduction of organic matter in the water. That means no peeing, not using the pool as a bath tub, keeping the skimmer and pump baskets free of leaves and bugs, etc, cleaning the filter often enough, keeping leaves off the bottom, and from falling into the pool in the first place, skimming bugs off the surface, letting suntan lotion soak in for a while instead of slathering it on and jumping right in, etc. Not to the point that pool use or pool care becomes an overbearing amount of rules and chores, but also by not ignoring what a pool needs to stay healthy.
 
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i would bet your chlorine level was not high enough for bather load

i think your right the boys were in and it was probably around fc3, i am finding during the day FC is mid 3, obviously drops from 7am as that's when SWG goes off for the day until turning back on at 10pm, i am still sorting CYA so i can set levels, but i know i need to start checking where FC is in morning compared to late afternoon, but i am waiting till i get to 70 CYA so i can set levels then
 

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FIESTA62 said:
....my 13 yr old boy has complained of sore eyes, ....also when my boy was in pool the other day with 3 friends ....
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Lets see 13 year old boy with 3 friends.. did they ever get out of the water? Yeah, the most likely cause of eye irritation is often high CC's, It could also just be over exposure to fun. I know when my 3 boys were 13 and had their three friends each over .. they NEVER came out of the water. Often the eye irritation was from sustaining multiple blows to the head from pool noodles, blasting each other in the face with soaker guns, and playing that under water hide and seek game with a match stick.... just sayin' ;)
 
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mguzzy said:
Lets see 13 year old boy with 3 friends.. did they ever get out of the water? Yeah, the most likely cause of eye irritation is often high CC's, It could also just be over exposure to fun. I know when my 3 boys were 13 and had their three friends each over .. they NEVER came out of the water. Often the eye irritation was from sustaining multiple blows to the head from pool noodles, blasting each other in the face with soaker guns, and playing that under water hide and seek game with a match stick.... just sayin' ;)
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According to the Occam's Razor scientific principle: usually the simplest explanation is the correct one!
 
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CRAD_oz said:
Do you have a smart meter with different rates
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HI, i been meaning to check with my supplier on the electricity, as the plan was 10pm to 7am off peak.....7am to 2pm shoulder....2pm the 10pm peak.... so i been running heat pump and filter from 10pm to 7am.....
But your question prompted me to call energy Australia, and its all the same no off peak, so i have no benefit running it at night, i been reluctant to call the provider as u know the hours on hold all that, but now i called i know the facts

so i guess i should now run heat pump during the day as it should work better heating with the warmer air during the day, with blanket to keep heat in over night, and i been running SWG overnight but may as well run it during the day now to chlorinate during the hotter part of day rather than night, i dont know how or when my plan changed.....i can see solar panels on my roof in future are the next step
 
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got a question that may be way off pool stuff , my 13 yr old boy has what doctor says are burns on his feet, like white blister looking skin, there is no reason we can think of how he got this but the question has been asked is it from the pool, its a brand new pool with the fine small pebble crete i dont think its the surface, i dont let them in pool if i put acid in thats for sure, is there any other possible reason from the pool that could cause this, i guess not but who knows asking anyway....
 
I was going to say... I think walking around on a hot deck could get pretty bad. Tenderize and maybe abrade your skin a little in a pool for a few hours and then walk across hot concrete or stone... that'd do it... I think your kid is having too much fun (literally) and is just overdoing these first weeks of swim season in a new pool... He'll acclimate soon enough and his body will catch up. Maybe he just needs to dial it back a bit until it does...
 
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