Mommamia Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 :tongue_smilie: I'm not a big fan of town pools. Growing up we have always had a family pool, it's all I've known. We recently joined our town pool and we were pleasantly surprised. Everything was going great, my germ-phobia about large, public pools was fading....and then....someone pooped in the pool. We went to go swimming on Sat and found the pool closed due to the recent "poop finding". They did a shock treatment and were opening again within the hour. We have chosen to avoid the pool for a week. Now I'm totally grossed out, but I realize this is life and things like this happen all the time. Though they shouldn't:tongue_smilie: When would you feel safe to return? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Jenny Flint Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Go on back. They are required to shock the pool and wait a period of time- at our pool it's at least an hour. As long as your kids are old enough to understand not to drink the water, you should be fine. It is completely disgusting. We've had similar occurrences here, though, and lived to tell the tale. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 There really is no safe length of time to wait, beside the hour the staff suggests. How would you know if someone has fouled the water during your week off? Then you'd have to start a new week...if you even knew about the incident. KWIM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 This happened at our local public pool last week. They closed the pool for 12 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 This happens a couple of times a year at our neighborhood pool. The wait time is more like 8 hours though. The reason for the wait is that they dump so many chemicals in the pool it isn't safe for people for quite a little while. One hour doesn't sound long enough for the chemicals to disperse at all, so they must be using a different shock treatment. The city should have records you can look at to see the history. Ours are kept at the pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Thankfully it has not happened at our town pool this year. I blame the parents that do not use swim diapers with rubber underpants over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeanestMomInMidwest Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 This happened while we were swimming at our local indoor pool. They closed the pool for an hour. We were done for the day. I am grossed out, but I tell myself: We swim in the lake and it is not chlorinated at all. It is one of those things I just push out of my mind and will myself not to think about at the time. My kids are all old enough to know not to swallow the water, but I remember when I was a kid and I always managed to swallow what felt like half the pool. So far, we've never gotten gastroenteritis from swimming water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 *doing the 'icky gack' dance* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 I blame the parents that do not use swim diapers with rubber underpants over it. This happened at our indoor pool this spring. The culprit was about 10! (We saw it.) I think they closed the pool overnight (I know practice was over!) When I was a kid, they used to DRAIN the pool every time! They also used less chlorine on a daily basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommamia Posted July 21, 2010 Author Share Posted July 21, 2010 It's funny....I had just been thinking to myself "wow, this pool is great. Things are going well here" and then wham....we get pooped on. It seems like everytime I start to think positive about anything...we get "pooped on". :glare: I guess I just have to suck up my germ-phobe thoughts and get back in the pool. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brilliant Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 The wait time is more like 8 hours though. The reason for the wait is that they dump so many chemicals in the pool it isn't safe for people for quite a little while. ... This is the reason I would wait a day. I'd be more worried about the chemicals than the poo germs, b/c the chemicals kill the germs. We have a pool and find dead stuff in it periodically. It is so gross. Usually it's a tiny field mouse. But we've also found a rat, a vole, a toad, and a very large black bird (a raven or crow, I think). Every time we find one, I think, "I'm never swimming again." But then I do. Because we have a lovely chemical balance to kill the germs. (that's what I tell myself reassuringly) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Go on back. They are required to shock the pool and wait a period of time- at our pool it's at least an hour. As long as your kids are old enough to understand not to drink the water, you should be fine.One of our lifeguards explained to me that part of the waiting time is to ensure there are no pockets with high concentrations of chlorine, and that the overall chlorine level is safe. This would depend on a lot of things, filtration circulation, indoor or outdoor pool, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Our pool closes for at least 24 hours! The culprit is almost always a toddler that someone pretends is potty trained. Usually the swim diapers were forgotten and parents chose to "take a chance!" Ugh!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 This may not help lol, but basically there is likely to be poop in the pool that you cannot see. Babies in swim diapers often poop in the swim diaper and those germs escape into the pool. There is no escaping poop unless there is a sign that says one must be fully potty trained to be in the pool. My kids get sick a couple of times a year from the pool, but so far nothing that a few days of probiotics cannot knock out. Serious illnesses are rare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 We don't have a public pool around here....but every time we go on vacation they seem to have to close the pool due to poop! In May we went to a hotel with a nice water area, lazy river, slide, etc. We went down to the pool and it was closed...they had just closed it a few minutes before. Due to poop. Ugh. So we waited the hour and came back. We got in the pool for 5 minutes....no exaggerating....and DH looked down and saw something by his foot. More poop! ICK!! I don't even know where it came from. We told the pool workers and they had to close the pool for another hour. We gave up and walked to the smaller pool that had no slide or river. Last weekend we went to a local water park. They had to close the wave pool for an hour due to poop. I mean...seriously? This is easily avoidable!! If you have doubts about how well your child is potty trained, then put something on them! I have a question though....even if a child has a swim diaper on and the poop in contained....it still touches the water and the water goes through the diaper. So isn't the water still technically contaminated even though the poop itself is contained? I've always wondered this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Ya know, it happens. If you let your kids outside barefoot or swim in lakes, it's basically the same thing. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 I have a question though....even if a child has a swim diaper on and the poop in contained....it still touches the water and the water goes through the diaper. So isn't the water still technically contaminated even though the poop itself is contained? I've always wondered this.I'd rather just not think about it. :ack2: However, those disposable swim diapers sold at the supermarkets should be banned... they don't hold much of anything in, so what's the point? The only effective ones I've seen are the reusable ones that look like pull-up diaper covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 However, those disposable swim diapers sold at the supermarkets should be banned... they don't hold much of anything in, so what's the point? The only effective ones I've seen are the reusable ones that look like pull-up diaper covers. Our pool requires the rubber pants over the swim diaper. The lifeguards sell them now, just in case someone forgets to bring them!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 We've been lucky in that we've had to leave the pool only once because of something like that. :tongue_smilie: Lalalalalalal <sticking fingers in ears so I don't have to hear or think about it> ;) Caddyshack, anyone? (I couldn't resist! :D) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeanestMomInMidwest Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 We've been lucky in that we've had to leave the pool only once because of something like that. :tongue_smilie: Lalalalalalal <sticking fingers in ears so I don't have to hear or think about it> ;) Caddyshack, anyone? (I couldn't resist! :D) :lol: I HEART Bill Murray. And this was a classic scene! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 I would wait the hour and then go back. Honestly, how clean are kids tushies anyways LOL! There is always bound to be some level of 'debris' floating around. That is why they use the chemicals in the first place. I agree that the time is used to disperse the chemicals. I have heard that the smell at a chlorinated pool that we all associate with the chlorination process, it mostly the pee, sweat and 'debris' in the water....not the chlorine. That is why public pools must test the water throughout the day, not just at the beginning and end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in the NH Woods Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 *doing the 'icky gack' dance* :eek::eek::eek::ack2: Me too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in the NH Woods Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 When I was a kid, they used to DRAIN the pool every time! Sounds like the good 'ole days to me! I know public swimming pools aren't exactly the Ganges, but I have such a hard time with crowded public swimming areas. Gulp. Bless all you gals who don't let it defeat you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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