Smelly Irritating Pool Water

If your swimming pool water smells strongly of chlorine, burns the eyes of swimmers, or causes skin irritation, it is probably a problem with high combined chlorine levels in the water. 

To check the chlorine, take free, total, and combined readings. Next shock your pool with an amount of chlorine that is 10 times the combined reading you got. If you are not familiar with the term, refer to the manufacturer's instructions for shocking your pool. 

If eye irritation is the main problem, this can also be caused by a low pH or otherwise unbalanced water. So, check the chemical levels and bring the pH and chlorine into recommended ranges.

Source: The Complete Swimming Pool Reference

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