Couple of questions (burning eyes and Borax allergy)

[PoolDoc]

My son is allergic to most things that they test for (all pollen, all grass, all animals except ragweed and dogs) but no food bourne allergies. He also has very sensitive skin, and it is very possible that rather than an allergy to borax, he is simply sensitive to it.

Sounds like my son. I would STRONGLY recommend that you get an Epi-Pen and liquid Benadryl, learn to use them, and keep them close. Highly allergic individuals can have an anaphylactic reaction to an unexpected allergen -- and the reaction proceeds so rapidly that calling 911 isn't enough! If your son goes into a full-blown anaphylactic reaction, and you don't have epinephrine, he's likely to die before EMT's arrive.

One of my pet peeves, as a Scoutmaster, is that first aid training today is what I call '911 training' because it presumes all you can usefully do is keep people stable till the EMT's arrive in 15 minutes. But for Scouts, this doesn't work, since we frequently are in places where -- at best -- it's going to be an hour before an EMT touches them (at least, till paratroop-EMTs are available in my area! ), and may be longer. In such situations, an anaphylactic reaction is LIKELY to be fatal. We need to know first aid for what to do, not in the first 15 minutes, but in the first 1 - 4 hours. However, more and more children today have severe allergies, and in those cases, even 15 minutes is too long. The protocol we follow with our Scouts (haven't had to use it, yet, fortunately) is immediate administration of Benadryl on first sign of allergic reaction, and preparing to administer epinephrine. We wait 30 minutes, and if nothing has worsened, we continue. But, if the reaction progresses at all, we proceed with immediate evacuation, and alert 911 to a possible episode (as soon as we are in cell range). That is NOT standard protocol, but it was the best I could work out, after discussing it with a couple of doctors and a paramedic.

Today's EpiPens are durable, easy to use, and not that expensive, even if your insurance won't cover them. I would VERY strongly encourage you to talk to your doctor about getting one. You may need more, if you hike and go in places where 911 response is LONGER than 15 minutes. It's my understanding that each one is good for about 15 minutes, but that it can take more than 30 minutes for Benadryl to have full effect. So, you might need 3 to cover you, while you got a prescription dose of Benadryl on board. A full response will also include either Zantac or Tagamet. But you can carry all these durably in very small camera bag or belt pack, if you get small bottle of Benadryl, and foil packed Zantac or Tagamet.

Here are some links:
How to use an EpiPen
PubMed epinephrine auto-injector guide

Practical Guide to Anaphylaxis - AAFP (I hadn't seen this article before -- it sums up a lot of good stuff, so I saved it in my first aid files for my own use.)

Wiki on Benadryl (diphenydramine

[TarheelFan]

Quick update...

Per my morning test, pH rose to 7.7 today. However, the temp also rose to ~8, so I was able to swim in the pool and spent about 5 hours in or around the pool with no eye irritation at all. Clearly it was the high pH causing me issues. Thanks again for the help on that.

We have an appointment with my son's allergist tomorrow, so if I find out anything interesting regarding Borax / borate allergies, I'll update here.

[PoolDoc]

We have an appointment with my son's allergist tomorrow, so if I find out anything interesting regarding Borax / borate allergies, I'll update here.

I'd be interested, to hear what you find out.

[BigDave]

Ask the alergist for an epi-pen prescription.

[TarheelFan]

Allergist was not aware of any Borax or borate allergies. Does not mean that there are not any, but she saw no reason to be concerned from an allergic reaction point of view. It certainly could still be the case that his skin is sensitive to it, so we plan to proceed slowly and with caution with Borax.

With regards to my pool, just wanted to ask a few more things, then I think I am good to go.

Got my Taylor 2006C kit and got my first full readings. Here is where my pool currently is:

FC - 3.0 (tested with the 25 ml, so accurate within .2)
CC - 0.0
pH - 7.4
TA - 120
CYA <30.....The dot was barely visible with the tube filled to the 30 mark, but it was visible. Considering I have used 5 Trichlor pucks this season and about a dozen more last year and the dot was almost gone, I estimate the pool is about 20 CYA. If that is an incorrect assumption or there is some way to test it more accurately, please advise.
CH - 70 .... This is low but for an AGP is not an issue, right?

Other than the questions above, my other questions are:

1) with regards to TA. It seems like 120 is on the high side of OK. Should I try to lower it, or just leave it alone for now?

2) Should I try to get CYA to 30 - 40 now, wait to see what my Chlorine usage is and then evaluate later, or just leave it be? I would like to have it at a measurable level so that I can plan accordingly, but my pool only gets about 5 - 6 hours of direct sun per day and I live in NC, so I think my environment mitigates some of my CYA need.

[PoolDoc]

1. Just hold your pH in the 7.2 - 7.4 range. Your TA will drop over time. Don't worry about trying to drop it.
2. If you have trichlor tabs, continue to use them. If you run your pump 24/7, you can put them in the skimmer. They will keep your pH down, and slowly add CYA.
3. Low CH is not an issue.
4. Low CYA + low-ish pH + sunlight is a more active combination -- in terms of breaking down any irritating pool contaminants -- than otherwise. Till you are not experiencing more eye irritation than you would in a tub of fresh water, it might be better to run that way.
5. In the "it might help, but it WILL cost money" category are Natural Chemistry's enzyme products. The two you might want to consider are "Pool Perfect" and "Pool First Aid" -- both are available at Amazon:

Natural Chemistry Pool Perfect Concentrate Pool Water Cleaner --- Natural Chemistry 03122 Pool First Aid, 2-Liter

<--------------------------------->

These MIGHT help . . . or they might have no effect, other than costing you money. Waterbear and Chem_Geek have seen some positive results in mystery situations, using these products; I've never tried them. There are some limitations on their use: the water temp has to be over 70 degrees, and the chlorine level needs to be below 5 ppm. If you want to try them, feel free to do so . . . and if you do, please tell me if you see any positive effect. If you get them, wait till all your chemical levels have stabilized BEFORE adding the enzymes. Try the pool 'on' for eye irritation, THEN add enzymes, THEN wait 2 - 3 days, and try again. Otherwise, it will be hard to distinguish any effect those products have, from other things that may be going on.

But BE CAREFUL! There are some Natural Chemistry blends, particularly with phosphorous removers that you should avoid -- they will tend to cloud your pool. Feel free to buy them locally, but use the Amazon links and descriptions to make SURE you are getting the right products. (Amazon also sells a bunch of the 'wrong' products, so use those links, if you buy from Amazon.)

[TarheelFan]

Thanks once again.

I do not want to add anything unnecessary, so I am just going to stay the course for a week or two, keep an eye on my levels and see where I stand. My pool installer gave me a bucket of trichlor pucks and a bucket of cal hypo shock, so I will probably mix those in from time to time.