Jump to content

Salt Water Pools And Itching


twitch

Recommended Posts

We just converted our standard chlorine pool over to a saltwater system. We have been in friends pools (more than one) that have the saltwater system and loved it. It felt so clean and didn't have that chlorine smell. We installed ours, our poolman added the salt (as he said does for numerous others in the area) but now not only does our pool still smell like chlorine, our skin itches so much after swimming it makes us crazy. Also, before we added the salt we changed the water since it had been 5 years. Any suggestions? I do trust that our poolman has experience in this but even he is stumped.

Thank you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We just converted our standard chlorine pool over to a saltwater system. We have been in friends pools (more than one) that have the saltwater system and loved it. It felt so clean and didn't have that chlorine smell. We installed ours, our poolman added the salt (as he said does for numerous others in the area) but now not only does our pool still smell like chlorine, our skin itches so much after swimming it makes us crazy. Also, before we added the salt we changed the water since it had been 5 years. Any suggestions? I do trust that our poolman has experience in this but even he is stumped.

Thank you!

Available or FC, aka free chlorine doesn't cause the chlorine odor you're experiencing - the culprit is combined chlorine or CC, aka combined chlorine. Salt water can sometimes cause a reaction to persons sensitive to it, but that's probably not the cause since multiple persons are complaining of itchy skin after swimming in your pool.

Buy a good test kit and learn to use it - test your FC, CC, pH and TA. I would wager the itchiness is due your pH levels. The chlorine odor can be corrected by shocking the pool to burn out the chloramines. You should also check your salt level, and monitor the output setting on your salt water generator - it may not be set high enough to produce enough chlorine (aim for 3-5ppm FC w/ a salt-water pool). There are tons of fact-filled posts on this forum - use the search engine. Meanwhile, take at least a couple samples to a couple local pool stores and have them test your water. Hint - you should have the samples tested immediately after taking them from the pool - levels, especially FC, can drop quickly and delay will produce inaccurate results.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We just converted our standard chlorine pool over to a saltwater system. We have been in friends pools (more than one) that have the saltwater system and loved it. It felt so clean and didn't have that chlorine smell. We installed ours, our poolman added the salt (as he said does for numerous others in the area) but now not only does our pool still smell like chlorine, our skin itches so much after swimming it makes us crazy. Also, before we added the salt we changed the water since it had been 5 years. Any suggestions? I do trust that our poolman has experience in this but even he is stumped.

Thank you!

Available or FC, aka free chlorine doesn't cause the chlorine odor you're experiencing - the culprit is combined chlorine or CC, aka combined chlorine. Salt water can sometimes cause a reaction to persons sensitive to it, but that's probably not the cause since multiple persons are complaining of itchy skin after swimming in your pool.

Buy a good test kit and learn to use it - test your FC, CC, pH and TA. I would wager the itchiness is due your pH levels. The chlorine odor can be corrected by shocking the pool to burn out the chloramines. You should also check your salt level, and monitor the output setting on your salt water generator - it may not be set high enough to produce enough chlorine (aim for 3-5ppm FC w/ a salt-water pool). There are tons of fact-filled posts on this forum - use the search engine. Meanwhile, take at least a couple samples to a couple local pool stores and have them test your water. Hint - you should have the samples tested immediately after taking them from the pool - levels, especially FC, can drop quickly and delay will produce inaccurate results.

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...