Are swimming pool myths keeping you from enjoying your pool? We’ve all heard the myths about waiting 60 minutes after eating before swimming, or the smell of chlorine means there are too many chemicals in your pool but are these famous myths true? We are here, as your industry experts, to set the record straight with some of the most infamous pool myths out there. Listed below are the most popular 7 pool myths answered.
While a clear pool is always the goal, it does not necessarily mean that your pool water is healthy. Tested water chemistry is the only thing that can be trusted in terms of measuring a healthy pool. Whether you have a pool cleaning company caring for your pool or you care for it yourself, testing the pool water weekly is the only way to ensure that unhealthy levels of micro-organisms are not present in your pool water. Micro-organisms will not automatically turn your pool green or even make it cloudy, therefore a clear pool does not necessarily mean a healthy pool.
This myth is one that probably started by a parent trying to make sure their child didn’t pee in the pool; it was a scare tactic. Although we never encourage peeing in your pool, the water will not turn a different color in order to detect when someone has had an accident. Surprisingly, this myth is still believed by many adults as well as children.
There is some truth behind this myth, although it is partly another scare tactic used by parents. While you should wait to swim after eating, it doesn’t necessarily have to be an hour. Swimming right after eating can cause cramps or worse depending on how much you actually ate. After eating, more blood flows to the stomach in order to help in digestion which means less blood is dispersed throughout other muscles in the body and as a result, cramping can occur. This is only likely if you eat a large meal, which is where the “half-truth” assumption comes in. Lighter meals will ensure cramps don’t occur and no wait time will be required before swimming again.
When chlorine is put into your pool, it attaches to bacteria and creates chloramines. This is also known as shocking the pool. These chloramines form when chlorine attaches to contaminants brought into the pool such as urine, cosmetics, body oils, or perspiration. The strong smell of chlorine is actually the chemical reaction of disinfecting contaminants. Chloramines are actually the cause of red eyes and itchy skin, not the chlorine itself.
Kids with blonde hair who spend a ton of time in the water during the summer often get a tint of green in their hair. This has long been associated with, or rather, blamed on chlorine. We hate to break it to you but chlorine is not the cause of the discolored hair. Metals are the cause of discoloration on blonde hair. Metals can be found in all water, such as copper, which are used to control algae.
Again, this is another surprise to a lot of people. It is not chlorine that causes eye irritation or redness, but rather, water with an unbalanced pH level. If you hire a professional pool care company to maintain your pool, the water-chemicals will be balanced for you. A healthy pool is all about balanced chemicals to ensure the water is safe for people to swim in.
Saltwater pools are not made up of the same saltwater that the oceans are made up of. The electrolytic plates in the salt system turn the salt (sodium chloride) in the water into the sanitizer Hypochlorous Acid, HOCl. Saltwater pools still require chemicals and the correct pH in order to operate correctly. Correct Calcium hardness and total alkalinity are still required with saltwater pools as well. People often assume that a saltwater pool doesn’t have chemicals and therefore is easier to maintain, but that simply is not true. In fact, when a salt pool develops high phosphates (an environmental pollutant), the salt system will stop producing chlorine (HOCl). All pools require upkeep, daily maintenance, and chemicals in order to be safe for use.
Now that we have helped you decipher which major pool myths are actually false, you can go back to spending less time worrying about your pool and more time enjoying it. The most important thing as a pool owner is pool safety, which includes keeping the water healthy at all times. If you are looking for a friendly, knowledgable pool care company to take on your pool maintenance responsibilities at an affordable price, call Bright and Clear today!
