Five Ways to Control Pool Odor

Posted by  on 28 August, 2015

When it comes to pool odour, chloramines are the culprit. Chloramines occur when your pool lacks enough chlorine. They are formed when nitrogen and active chlorine meet. This sounds extremely dangerous but the side effects are minimal. The smell can be potent and the lack of sufficient chlorine can cause skin irritation and itchy, red eyes. A well-managed pool is odourless and won’t affect your skin and eyes.

To keep your watery oasis from smelling foul, try these five ways to control pool odour.

  1. Ammonia-nitrogen sources need to go!

    One of the easiest ways to get rid of chloramine-forming odours is to make people shower before jumping into the pool. A short shower to remove sweat, perfumes, and other stuff we put on our bodies to smell great, can keep ammonia-nitrogen at bay so these chemicals won’t create chloramine.

  2. Get rid of even more ammonia-nitrogen!

    If you have an outdoor pool, you no doubt have a deck or treated area where you’ve placed your barbeque and patio furniture. Usually when decks are set up, a drain is placed away from your pool so storm-water runoff or cleaners don’t end up in the pool. Solvents used to clean decks contain ammonia and if not rinsed off and properly drained can end up in your pool. Make sure your deck drainage system does not lead to your pool.

  3. Add more chlorine!

    Be careful. Before you dump extra chlorine into your pool, read up on how to do it. Sometimes calling a professional is the easiest way to make sure you have enough chlorine in your pool. You do not want to overdo it, and a professional has special equipment for testing chlorine levels.

  4. Clear the air!

    This only applies to indoor pools. It would be impossible to clear the air outside. You will need a professional to remove chloramine-laced air from the indoor area where your pool sits. By removing chloramine particles from the air, the pool odor will dissipate.

  5. Keep bodily fluids out!

    Commonly, chloramine’s best friend, ammonia, enters your pool in three ways: sweat, oils, and urine. If you instate a mandatory pre-swimming shower rule you can get rid of the sweat and oils found on our bodies. However, if you have young children you may have trouble keeping them from using the pool as their personal toilet. Remind them that if they want to keep pool odour out, they need to respect the rules of the pool and do their business in the bathroom.