Question about shock and chlorine

[Watermom]

Instead of a magic marker, could a piece of some sort of tape work?

[PoolDoc]

Waterproof tape, like Gorilla duct tape or Scotch 33+ electrical tape -- Yes.

[donovan.lambright]

Yeah, I'm pretty excited to have the kit. LOL

I have a bit of a domestic problem and need your opinions. My wife is very uncomfortable with the idea of doing the tub tests. I've talked to her about our conversation and the BBB method you have developed. She is pushing pretty hard for me to simply drain the pool and start over again using the BBB and Intex Recipe that Ben posted. I've explained that, without testing, I can't guarantee we won't have similar problems after we start over. She says she's willing to take that chance. I told her that we would be done with the pool if that happens because I'd have no way of tracking it down.

I know you can't tell me what to do in such a thorny spot. I'm just looking for opinions.

[Watermom]

If you just start over with the pool, you are in effect still doing the tub tests but just in a very big tub! So, you aren't saving anything there. However, as you noted, if your daughter has a reaction, then you will have absolutely no idea which ingredient caused it and will never know, and you're right, you would be done with the pool. Not only would you be done with your pool, but your daughter would probably be done with pools, period. How would you ever be able to allow your daughter to swim in any pool ever? What a shame that would be for your daughter to never be able to go swimming.

Good luck. Please keep us posted how things are going. (Also, please let us know if you are going to do the tub tests before Ben goes to the trouble to figure out all those doses for you.)

[SafetyBob]

I vote with Watermom on this one.....YOU need to insist to your wife that either you guys do the alergy testing in the tub now or pay some doctor to maybe get it right in the future. Not trying to knock down allergy testing at the doctors office, it's just that you have more riding on finding the problem than they do.... It may seem your making your daughter into a lab rat, but I also have a 4 year old girl that has highly sensitive skin and since I have gotten my chemistry better and better, her rash/skin issues have gotten better too. Your case seems to be a bit more "extreme" than mine and that's why I will also formally recommend you do the tub testing.

Some of the best fun in the world as a kid is splashing around in a pool. Make sure and emphasize this to your wife.

Bob E.

[donovan.lambright]

Thanks for the input, everyone. We're going to go ahead and drain the pool to start over. So, Ben, don't worry about coming up with dose information. But thank you for being willing to do it.

I'm going to use the Intex Recipe that Ben posted as our starting point and will stick to that and the BBB system. We have a Sams Club membership and I'll get the dichlor there, as outlined in the Recipe. Is there anything else I should know at the starting point about BBB? I've read the pages pretty closely and think I understand the concepts.

There is a reference in the Recipe page about coming back to the board for help with a dosing regimen once I get through the 7-day setup process. Should that be done in a new thread when the time comes? Or are you all sick of me by now? :-)

Thanks again for all your help on this.

Donovan

[Watermom]

OK. I hope she doesn't have a reaction because you will have no way to isolate the problem. I'll let Ben know not to worry about figuring out doses.

Why don't you start a new thread whenever you are ready for help. This thread is getting pretty long. Good luck!

[donovan.lambright]

Will do. Thanks again to all of you. Listening to you and reading all the info here, I have learned A LOT and feel better equipped to proceed.

[Watermom]

Will do. Thanks again to all of you. Listening to you and reading all the info here, I have learned A LOT and feel better equipped to proceed.

Great! That's what we like to hear!

[PoolDoc]

I'm going to use the Intex Recipe that Ben posted as our starting point and will stick to that and the BBB system. We have a Sams Club membership and I'll get the dichlor there, as outlined in the Recipe.

I'm finally back from all my various gallivanting around, and can focus for awhile. I actually think simply draining and restarting has a high chance of success if you simply avoid 100% of unnecessary chemicals and 100% of voodoo chemicals. Dichlor alone is very, very unlikely to cause problems. I have not seen any data that suggest borax might be -- it's used in bath salts -- but I would try to check that in the tub, before you put it in the pool. Washing soda *is* an alternative. You'll need to use muriatic acid to lower pH, rather than sodium bisulfate.

But, if you start doing so from scratch, you can run your pool with dichlor, borax, bleach, and muriatic acid . . . and have a VERY low risk of problems.

I would also recommend taking the time to rinse out your pool, after you drain it, to make sure you've removed all of whatever the irritant was. And, you'll want to spray down the sides, as it drains, to eliminate the chance of some of the material drying on the sides. Also, flush your filter and lines, rinse them out, and replace your filter cartridges.

I just thought of another possibility: 'plasticizer'. PVC, used to make vinyl liners AND Intex vinyl pools is naturally hard (like pipe). 'Plasticizers' are added to make it flexible. They (a) instrinsically tend to bleed out of plastics, and (b) are often more expensive than the base plastics. A company like Intex probably has several suppliers of vinyl material in China. And quality control has notoriously been an issue with Chinese manufacturing. It's possible that Intex has gotten a batch of vinyl from a supplier that cut corners on the plasticizer. And it's possible that the substandard plasticizer is the source of your daughter's problems.

To test for this, I'd recommend starting up ONLY with bleach -- ignore pH. Get the pool sanitized, and filled. Operate it for maybe 3 days with NOTHING but bleach added in then evening. Then, let her keep her legs only in it for 15 minutes or so. If it IS the plasticizer, there's a fair chance it will show up as irritated legs (Not good, but better than irritation all over her body.)

It you do find irritation this way, I'd call Intex and ask for a replacement. Their customer service department has been VERY good about replacing doubtful products.

If you do NOT have a problem, I'd add things in, one at a time:

1. bleach
2. dichlor
3. borax and muriatic acid
4. Unicel cartridges (better filtration)
5. polyquat (tub test, first!)

Those 5 items should be ALL you need. And, if you also get a cover, you should be able to go on vacation without returning to a pool swamp, if you can use polyquat AND a cover.

When you add in an item, I'd recommend doing a 'leg test first' followed by swimming the next day. I'd also recommend a fresh water rinse immediately after swimming, at least until you have established that you have a 'no problems' pool. That way you'll minimize irritation if it does occur. Also, several sorts of issues can be 'trapped' in swim suits. So, I'd recommend using the smallest swimsuit your family is comfortable with, and rinsing IT carefully after each use.