Spitball Army

I realized, at some point this summer, that if I swam six times a week, on average, that I would “use up” a pair of swim goggles about once every three months.  It’s the chlorine effect.  The damage would begin its work by yellowing the head strap, then the rims around the eyepieces.  By the time the eyepieces began to turn yellow, they would also start developing a permanent fogging, and what once was seen clearly through the lens would turn milky, as if viewed through a semi-mature cataract.  After a couple of goggle replacement runs, I figured out the TPD (temporal pattern of degradation).  I then went ahead and bought five pairs of goggles at once, rather than having to go out and find my preferred goggles every three months.  (I really hate shopping.)

About a month into the first new pair of goggles, my swimming pool switched from a chlorine filtering system to a saline system.  I knew it was coming, as there had been notices posted around the building, but if any of the pool staff knew when it was coming, they were keeping that secret well under wraps.  So, the Monday after Labor Day, I went for a swim and was surprised upon submersion with a mouthful of briny water.

Thrilled, I think I swam an extra few laps that day.  I told myself that the salt water made me faster in the water, that my hair was soft and happy with its new lease on life.  I imagined myself to be swimming at the ocean on a particularly calm day with no waves.  Was it my imagination, or was I floating easier (though floating’s not a particular problem of mine)?

I came home from my swim and dove in headfirst to the interweb, hoping to find the pros and cons of the new saline system.  I came across some whopping falsehoods.

Falsehood #1: Salt water doesn’t sting the eyes.  Wrong!  If you have done any swimming at the beach, you know this just ain’t true.  And that morning, thinking in the back of my mind that I could now swim without goggles, I went halfway across the pool underwater with my eyes wide open.  OUCH!  I’d call that a sting.

Falsehood #2: Now the pool is chlorine-free!  Apparently not.  A saline pool requires the use of a stabilizing chemical that holds chlorine in the water.  Remember, chlorine is one of the two parts of a salt molecule (NaCl: sodium chloride).  The resultant chemical that’s pushed into the pool water, sodium hypochlorite, is the same as that produced from a traditional chlorine system.  Keeping a pool’s chemical balance is an art, in fact, and the widely fluctuating pH levels in a pool, be it a chlorine or saline environment, are what generally cause eye irritation.

Some webbers mentioned that a saline system can destroy metal pipes with corrosion, and that the salt eats away the grout that holds the pool tiles in place.  I guess it is just a matter of time before we see if these claims are true.  Another internet writer mentions that he was considering installing a saline system at his home pool but, as his next-door neighbor is a beekeeper, he will probably opt out.  Turns out that all of that salt in the pool attracts bees!

The Downtown Y where I swim is the second YMCA pool in the greater Birmingham area to switch over to saline (the first being at the Mountain Brook branch).  I do hope this proves to be a successful venture, and that the other pools are able to follow suit.  It’s truly quite refreshing.  And I like the idea of possibly saving money on swimming accessories, though it appears that I’m set for awhile with my supply of goggles.

Epilogue:
Driving home, later that week, I received a text message on my phone:  I think we passed in the locker room just a few minutes ago!

I replied (at a stoplight): What?!  And you didn’t say Hey?

The response:  You were wet, like a dog, and you were engaged in a conversation with someone.

Correction:  Like a salty dog.