 | Fredrick Ongeche was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. He moved to Wichita in 1998 and graduated from Friends University in 2002 with a Bsc in Chemistry and minor in Mathematics. He is a devoted to his family, his wife, two daughters and two sons. His hobbies consist of reading and jogging. For further information please visit their web site at www.sanitech20.com or he can be reached at (316) 765-9106 |
Pool & patio
2007-05-01 13:27:00
Getting rid of ‘pool irritations’
We had our pool installed last year. Right from the beginning, my family started complaining about red burning eyes, dry itchy skin, and nasal and throat irritations. Even after ‘balancing my pool water’ and following the installer’s recommendations to the letter, we still experienced these problems. What is your advice?
Answer: First, let us examine the causes and then tackle the solution to your problem. Two of the most common causes for red burning eyes, dry itchy skin, nasal and throat irritations due to swimming are, 1) Low or high pH and 2) Chemical build up.
1. Low or High pH.
Without being technical, pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a substance is. With seven being neutral, your pool water is acidic if the pH is below seven and basic if pH is above seven. Your body (skin and eyes) are more comfortable in water with a pH range of 6.8-7.8. Therefore, waters with pH out of this range irritate the body by robbing natural moisturizers from your skin and eyes.
Major causes of low pH are pool chemicals such as Muriatic acid, pH down, chlorine tablets and may be your water source.
Common causes of high pH are pool chemicals such as chlorine shock, pH up, alkalinity increaser, your water source, dirt and algae.
2. Chemical build up in your water.
Chemically treated pools are notorious for various irritations. This is because chemicals not only accumulate in the water but also react to form byproducts that are more toxic and irritating. Chlorine in particular reacts with organic material such as sweat, algae, blood, urine and other chemicals to form combined chlorine, chloroform, TriHaloMethanes (THMs) among other chemical byproducts. The EPA and other credible institutions have linked chlorine byproducts in water to several cancers, lung damage, birth defects, preterm abortion, dry skin, asthma and low birth weight. Chloroform a common chlorine byproduct found in air around the pool is a classified carcinogen (known to cause cancer). The occurrence of such toxic chlorine byproducts in water is one reason why the EPA strictly regulates municipal drinking water. Unfortunately, no such regulation occurs in swimming pools.
Solution:
In water treatment and in particular swimming pool disinfection, there is no magic bullet. The solution mostly involves two or more strategies.
1. Adjusting pH
Fixing pH can be simple but tricky at times. Here is a secret; pH has a big brother called Total alkalinity (TA)! If you keep big brother total alkalinity in line then it is much easier to deal with little brother pH! Total alkalinity has great influence on pH, high TA usually causes high pH and low TA causes low pH. Adjust TA upwards using total alkalinity increaser or downwards using specific doses of acid spread over several days. Once the TA is within range 80-160ppm, adjust your pool water pH using pH up or down.
2. Reducing Chemical Build up.
There are two ways to reduce chemical build up in your pool A) partially draining and refilling your pool and B) eliminating or reducing chemical use.
Partially drain and refill your pool.
Partially draining and refilling is like giving your pool a blood transfusion. Fresh water injects new life in your pool. If you are using well water to refill the pool, make sure that metals such as iron are not present or are stable. However, just like blood transfusion it is time consuming, expensive and infrequent.
Eliminate or reduce the use of chemicals. The most desirable and cost effective means to solve discomforts in swimming pool water is by eliminating
or significantly reducing chemical use. There are several alternatives to pool chemicals such as Copper Silver Ionization, Ozone generators and Ultraviolet Light systems. Apart from improving bather comfort, installing an alternative has the following advantages.
1. Saves money: by eliminating or reducing chlorine use by up to 95%.
2. Healthier Water: due to reduced formation of toxic byproducts such as chloroform, THMs and combined chlorine.
3. Better Disinfection: Alternatives are more powerful and destroy even chlorine resistant germs such as Legionella bacteria, Giardia and Cryptosporidium.
4. Easy Operation: Alternatives are automatic and sanitize water 24/7 eliminating the need to handle, mix and add large quantities of chemicals.
5. Improved Safety: transporting, handling and storing chemicals on your property increases the risks of chemical spills, fires, exposure and poisoning.
6. Environment friendly: Pool chemicals contribute to environmental degradation. Alternatives have little or no impact on the environment.
7. Easy Maintenance: pool chemicals corrode and degrade pool surfaces, pumps, filter, toys and games, thus increasing the cost of ownership. Alternatives prolong the life of pool equipment ensuring maximum return on investment.
The above will help take care of most of your problems and increase your swimming experience. When considering an alternative to chemical disinfection always put your health and safety first. After all why build a pool then turn it in to a chemical dump?
