Rash

[jonijean211]

Honestly, I have given up on dermatologists and allergists at this point because they were not helping at all so that is not a concern. I am willing to go with your suggestions because you seem to know what you are talking about. I'll order the test kit. My only concern is emptying the pool. This is an above ground pool so emptying is a major undertaking with risk of collapse. Also, our residential area does not make emptying that much water an easy undertaking that will go unnoticed by neighbors. Is there an option to emptying the pool that will work? Also, when you say to use the dichlor for a tub test, is dichlor a common chemical I can purchase at pool store or online? Thanks

[Watermom]

Many places sell Dichlor but you only want unblended dichlor and that is getting hard to find. Sam's Club and Amazon both have unblended dichlor. You can find the links for both types in the following thread:> http://pool9.net/ssr/

[PoolDoc]

No, there's no option other then emptying.

There are plenty of pool treatments that leave long term residue. There is NO way to remove those from the equation, other than to start with new water. There is a sneaky way to drain, however: just do it at night, during rainy weather! And before you drain, you'll need to fill our the pool equipment info. If you have an AG pool, or a in-ground concrete pool, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. If you have a fiberglass IG pool, you'll have to be careful. If you have a vinyl liner IG pool . . . it may be a problem.

BUT . . .

Get the test kit, and then do the tub test, first! If you DO react to fresh water in the tub, then we need to investigate THAT, before you drain.

For a small amount of un-diluted dichlor, your best bet is probably Amazon. There are links in the Super Simple recipe page: http://pool9.net/ssr/. If you need dichlor for your pool, then Sams Club is almost always the best bet if you have access. Most of the dichlor sold by Walmart and Costco is diluted and blended . . . and some of the dilutants are potential problems.

Good luck!

[jonijean211]

I finally did the tub test (many reasons it took so long but mostly wanted skin to be completely clear first) and . . . I've got the itchy rash again. Any next steps you can suggest? Thanks

[PoolDoc]

Are you saying that:
1. You have not used the pool;
2. you waited till your skin was clear;
3. you did a bleach bath (what concentration?);
4. and now have itchy red skin?

If your answer to ALL the questions above is "Yes", the next step is to
1. Wait till your skin clears,
2. Repeat the bath EXACTLY as before, but with NO added chlorine.

Just to explain -- we have to find a "no irritation immersion' starting point. Because fresh water is intrinsically somewhat irritating (eye saline is not), and because tap water sometimes contains monochloramine to which some people are sensitive, we have to rule out those out.

It's possible that your skin is dried enough by a bath, but not by a shower, to cause problems. So please duplicate conditions exactly (time, temperature, depth of tub) minus the bleach when you repeat.

Once you find a 'safe point', we can add chemicals one at a time, till we've got enough to make up a treatment system.

It would REALLY help if you had a K2006 testkit. (http://pool9.net/tk/. We'll also need measured dimension on your tub at the fill point, in order to calculate volume, so I can calculate test doses.

Regarding your pool, you need to maintain the pH between 7 and 8, and your chlorine at 10% of your CYA level (9 ppm . . . if the store test is accurate -- but it's probably not).