subject: How to Keep Your Pool in Balance – Chemically Speaking [print this page] You knew when you got a pool that keeping it in balance, chemically-speaking was going to be part and parcel of the pool experience. You need to keep the water clean and healthy for you and your family? Skin sensitivity to pool chemicals may cause concern, but you can't really stop using them, however you can make adjustments to help those with sensitive skin (or red, irritated eyes) have a more enjoyable time when taking a dip.
The way to make your pool more palatable for individuals with sensitive skin, you first need to ensure that the pool's pH and alkalinity are in the recommended ranges. If either of these balances are too low or too high it can cause skin irritation and eye redness. Making certain your pH and alkaline are in balance is the best way to minimize skin irritation. To keep the pool's pH and alkalinity properly balanced you should use an accurate test kit after adding chemicals. Remember to test the pool water at least weekly, and after a rainfall, with test strips or liquid reagents to help keep the pool in balance.
Once you've tested the water you may need to balance out the pool's chlorine levels these levels can cause significant eye and skin irritation. It's a popular pool myth that strong chlorine odor and eye irritation is caused by too much chlorine. "Free chlorine" actually has no taste or odor. When free chlorine reacts with bacteria, ammonia, or other waste products it is changed into combined chlorine or chloramines. Ammonia is released into the water from body waste and sweat. Combined chlorine free chlorine and ammonia -- has a strong odor and causes skin irritation and eye redness. There should be no combined chlorine in your pool water. Combined chlorine will prevent the chlorine from doing what it is supposed to.
The first step in cleansing your pool of these potential skin irritants, test the water for both the free and total chlorine levels. You can either do the test at home using a reliable test kit or by taking a water sample to your local pool professional. You will want to add chlorine to bring the free chlorine up to 10 times the combined chlorine; if the combined chlorine is 0.2 PPM, you will add 20 PPM free chlorine. This process is called "breakpoint chlorination" or "superchlorination," the point where the chloramine bonds break apart.
If you find that constantly balancing your chlorine is becoming frustrating and time-consuming then you should try an alternative sanitizer other than chlorine, such as bromine, biguanide, or a proprietary sanitizer from a company such as BioGuard. These sanitizers, while costing more money than chlorine, usually cause much less skin irritation than chlorine. You can also opt to hire a pool maintenance professional whose job is to make certain your pool is safe and clean they have the knowledge, skill and experience to make your pool experience an enjoyable one!
As a final measure, try using different chemicals, choose chemicals that use natural compounds and other ingredients. With these, you can get the same level of performance you need without the harsh chemicals most brands utilize.
How to Keep Your Pool in Balance Chemically Speaking
