when is it not safe to swim in the pool

[dalparadise]

The "chlorine smell" is chlorine reacting to things in the water. Thus, if you rinse off before going into the pool, sweat, dirt, etc. on your skin will be rinsed off and will not cause as much reaction with the chlorine in the pool.

Pool water -- even really high chlorine levels -- where there is no Combined Chlorine (reactive chlorine) present has only a faint smell. The "chlorine smell" most people remember from being kids at public pools is the result of a lot of funky stuff in the water causing the chlorine to react.

[CarlD]

I absolutely would NOT let my kids in pool water that was at all green. This is not a lake that's part of the environment, with water flowing in and out--it's more like stagnant water.

Chlorination does more than kill algae--it kills and neutralizes other stuff. The MOST important thing, to my mind, that chlorine does is sanitize fecal matter. Yeah, poop. Every person who enters your pool leaves an infantisimal amount--or more. Gross but true. Proper chlorination renders that sanitary and inert very quickly. If you have algae, you don't have that sanitation. Need I say more?

[tmmort]

I absolutely would NOT let my kids in pool water that was at all green. This is not a lake that's part of the environment, with water flowing in and out--it's more like stagnant water.

Chlorination does more than kill algae--it kills and neutralizes other stuff. The MOST important thing, to my mind, that chlorine does is sanitize fecal matter. Yeah, poop. Every person who enters your pool leaves an infantisimal amount--or more. Gross but true. Proper chlorination renders that sanitary and inert very quickly. If you have algae, you don't have that sanitation. Need I say more?

Great post! Should be a sticky.