My son has been having extremely painful rashes in reaction to swimming in our pool. I am not sure what the problem could be because everything is balanced, and no one else has any issues in the pool. We have tons of kids and adults over almost every week, and he is the only one having the issue. He has some minor eczema occasionally, and I believe the chlorine is causing that to flare up. I read some suggestions to try a light coating of oil prior to swimming to prevent chlorine absorption, but I am concerned about it causing issues in the pool. We cannot switch to a saltwater system at this time, and if I understand it correctly, that wouldn't help either. It's just a different source of chlorine. Any help and advise would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.
Will using coconut or baby oil prior to swimming throw off my pool balance?
- Thread starter cjczmommy
- Start date
- May 3, 2014
- 62,625
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Welcome to the forum!
I am sorry to hear your son is having problems being in the pool water. What a bummer during the summer!
You say 'everything is balanced'. Is that from your own pool water testing? This forum generally does not like to give much guidance or feedback based on Pool Store test results.
Please consider getting your self a proper test kit. I use the TF100 from TFTestkits.net.
You surely can use the items you state. They will coat your water line and your filter. You will need to clean them thoroughly more often.
However, it is unusual for properly buffered chlorine to cause skin issues. Are you following the chlorine / CYA chart to maintain your water? Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
Take care.
I am sorry to hear your son is having problems being in the pool water. What a bummer during the summer!
You say 'everything is balanced'. Is that from your own pool water testing? This forum generally does not like to give much guidance or feedback based on Pool Store test results.
Please consider getting your self a proper test kit. I use the TF100 from TFTestkits.net.
You surely can use the items you state. They will coat your water line and your filter. You will need to clean them thoroughly more often.
However, it is unusual for properly buffered chlorine to cause skin issues. Are you following the chlorine / CYA chart to maintain your water? Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
Take care.
Mom,
Welcome to TFP... A Great resource for all your pool care needs, "Advanced" or not...
Most people who think they are having a reaction to chlorine are really having a reaction to the Combined Chlorine (CC) which is an intermediate breakdown product created in the process of sanitizing the pool. CC causes the "chlorine" smell many people associate with chlorine pools.
Do your swimsuits smell like chlorine? If so, using the TFP process will eliminate that smell and I suspect your son's problem with the pool water.
Our process starts with testing our own pool water and understanding what we need to do to keep our water properly balanced..
Please read this... ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
If you are interested, please look through our Pool School link... Pool School - Pool School
You are correct that a saltwater pool is a chlorine pool....
Thanks for posting,
Jim R.
Welcome to TFP... A Great resource for all your pool care needs, "Advanced" or not...
Most people who think they are having a reaction to chlorine are really having a reaction to the Combined Chlorine (CC) which is an intermediate breakdown product created in the process of sanitizing the pool. CC causes the "chlorine" smell many people associate with chlorine pools.
Do your swimsuits smell like chlorine? If so, using the TFP process will eliminate that smell and I suspect your son's problem with the pool water.
Our process starts with testing our own pool water and understanding what we need to do to keep our water properly balanced..
Please read this... ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
If you are interested, please look through our Pool School link... Pool School - Pool School
You are correct that a saltwater pool is a chlorine pool....
Thanks for posting,
Jim R.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,678
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I agree with the previous two posts - we need to see some test results from a reliable test kit and pool stores are generally not reliable. I realize that with a smaller Intex-type pool that you may or may not keep up all year, it seems like a waste to not avail yourself of free testing at the pool store but that is exactly the reason why you should do your own testing - pool stores are motivated by profit, they need to sell you something to pay for all those free tests. You are motivated by the health and safety of your family and the cleanliness of your pool. Therefore you, and only you, care the most about that bucket of water in your backyard.
Get a good test kit (one of the ones we recommend) and you'll be able to solve your son's rash issues. Also, just as aside, dermatologists have been known to prescribe mild bleach baths (couple of tablespoons of regular bleach in a bathtub of lukewarm water ... about 40 gallons roughly) to help people with eczema and psoriasis relieve inflammations....And your intuition is correct, coconut oil will likely do very little to help your son once it washes off in the pool and it will leave behind an oil slick on the surface that will cause lots of dust and bugs to accumulate around the perimeter water line (dirty "bathtub ring").
Get a good test kit (one of the ones we recommend) and you'll be able to solve your son's rash issues. Also, just as aside, dermatologists have been known to prescribe mild bleach baths (couple of tablespoons of regular bleach in a bathtub of lukewarm water ... about 40 gallons roughly) to help people with eczema and psoriasis relieve inflammations....And your intuition is correct, coconut oil will likely do very little to help your son once it washes off in the pool and it will leave behind an oil slick on the surface that will cause lots of dust and bugs to accumulate around the perimeter water line (dirty "bathtub ring").
I have been using the TFP methods for a few years now.
My wife has psoriasis, it is always better after a swim, in my well balanced pool.
My wife has psoriasis, it is always better after a swim, in my well balanced pool.
