Ozone smell

[AnnaK]

Every once in a while there is an odor of ozone hovering about 5" or so above the water surface of our pool. Why is that? Where does it come from? I use chlorinating liquid and the water is about as perfectly balanced as I can get it:

pH 7.5
FC 5
CC 0
TA 80
CYA 40


I don't notice this smell all the time but when it is there, it's kind of annoying. Is it just part of the pool chemistry?

AnnaK

[CarlD]

What does ozone smell like?

[AnnaK]

Uh . . .

Like a bad lightening storm. Like liquid metal. Kind of like a stink bug.
Silvery-green—I tend to assign colors to smells.

Anna

[CarlD]

Uh . . .

Like a bad lightening storm. Like liquid metal. Kind of like a stink bug.
Silvery-green—I tend to assign colors to smells.

Anna

Sounds metalic--like hot metal when there's an electrical short or something burning up.

I'm just guessing, wildly: What is your copper content?

[AnnaK]

I've never had the water tested for copper. How would copper get in there? There isn't any in my fill water which was tested at Wilkes-Barre University.

Do pool stores test for copper? I could take a sample down there.

Anna

[Poconos]

As I remember from years ago ozone had a somewhat sweet smell. I also remember that if the concentration gets anywhere near the hazardous level you wouldn't be able to stand the smell. I used to use an electrostatic filter in my Jersey house and there were occasional smokers and I could crank up the voltage and generate lots of ozone and get rid of the smoke odor.
Al

[CarlD]

Ozone, true ozone at a certain level is toxic. It's a weird oxygen molecule. Oxygen usually bonds in pairs, O2, but Ozone is 3 atoms, O3.

[aylad]

If you don't have copper in your fill water, then it would have to have been added, but I'd be surprised if you inadvertently added enough to create the smell. Possible sources could be copper-based algaecides, copper-added trichlor, heater coils reacting to low pH, possibly hardware like screws and stuff degrading?

Janet

[AnnaK]

I had the water tested at the store. No copper. They were very concerned about my low level of calcium though and thought I should add 18 pounds of something right away.

No heater, no dissolved hardware though the white paint on the hand rails of the steps is coming off below the water line, it's been doing that for a couple of years now.

And I realized the other day exactly what this smells like: a busy photocopy machine. It seems I notice the odor more on really humid days.

Odd.

[CarlD]

Of COURSE they said you need calcium in an above ground pool! That's what they do. You buy and another $50 goes in the register. Ask them what the calcium actually DOES in your AG pool and you'll get a lot of waffling.

Calcium is used to protect the calcium carbonate in pool walls in the cement, mortar, shotcrete, plaster, etc. It keeps it from leeching out. Therefore it's useless in vinyl pools.