"Most pool professionals are aware of the fact, but it bears repeating that the smell of chloramines ā far from indicating an excess of chlorine ā indicates that not enough good, free, ready-for-action chlorine is present in the pool. It also indicates that the pool is not being maintained properly."
That line and that story turned out to be a record-breaker for feedback. I've never gotten this many calls or emails for one story.
One person wrote: "This statement is extremely misleading and perpetuates the age-old myth that advises 'if you smell chlorine, it doesn't mean you have too much chlorine, it means you don't have enough chlorine.' This kind of thinking was born in the days when chlorine was the only game in town, and the logic at the time was that if there were contaminants in the water, more chlorine was required to get rid of them."
Another one said: "I'm surprised that you didn't mention ozone or potassium monopersulfate as items to reduce chloramines."
These were excellent comments, which I addressed in a follow up story on page 41 of this issue. At the same time, I'm very happy to announce there's a great new place to lodge commentary on AQUA stories or any other topic that crosses your mind; it's the AQUA forum, part of the new AQUA website.
The forum works better than just writing one of the editors because it's public; everybody can see it and comment on your comment. The editors will get in there, too, if you've got a bone to pick with something we've written. Or just to get our two cents in.
This will be a lot more fun than just firing off a private email. More like a big group discussion, only you don't have to wait your turn to speak. Just punch in http://aquamagazine.com/forum/. I'll see you there.
