What to Do if Someone Pees in the Pool

Posted on: September 4th, 2018 by

Pool Urine Tips

As much as we’d love for it to be true, owning a pool isn’t all sunshine and rainbows all the time. There are a few classically dreaded things that occur when you own a pool, and perhaps none of them are more misunderstood or improperly handled than the overdone (but painfully accurate) trope of peeing in the pool. Whether it’s a little one who just couldn’t hold it, or an athlete completing an hour-long workout with intense laps, peeing in the pool has been happening for a long, long time. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of unhelpful information out there about what happens when someone urinates in a pool, and even less helpful information out there about what you should do to protect your pool and the people swimming in it if there is urine in the pool. As your pool maintenance team, we’re here to help clear things up a little with some pool urine tips.

What Happens When “It” Happens

First things first, let’s get this out of the way – the idea that chlorine gets rid of pee in a pool is, in fact, false. Because urine is sterile, chlorine doesn’t really do anything to sanitize it. Urine is an organic waste made up of compounds like urea which, when oxidized by chlorine, can become harmful in a number of ways. It affects water and air quality, so even though the myth has been floating around since people started peeing in pools, chlorine does not negate the effects. So, what do you need to do when there’s urine in your pool?

What Should You Do About it, Really?

A lot of the conversation around keeping your pools safe under these circumstances so far has revolved around prevention. While a certain amount of prevention may help mitigate the problem, the fact of the matter is, it’s unlikely to be fully eliminated as an issue, if we’re being realistic. You can make sure your kiddo hits the bathroom before getting into the pool, or you can try to hold it while you’re pushing through a long and grueling exercise regimen, but sometimes things happen. So when they do, you need to know your options for treating the problem fast. Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic bullet product that can manage the side effects in a single use. But utilizing a combination of chemistry, filtration, and circulation can greatly reduce the issue.

Have These Things on Hand

Specialty chemicals are needed to help increase chlorine’s efficiency in order to make it capable of fully oxidizing the organic waste. When it’s not fully oxidized is when issues with harmful byproducts arise. Enzymes help by directly breaking down the organic waste in a way that allows chlorine to do its job well, and quickly. You may also consider a secondary disinfection system like UV and Ozone. These systems are typically located in the pump room and will reinforce your primary disinfecting processes (chlorine and enzymes) as long as the circulation system in your pool is up to date.

Knowledge is really what matters when it comes to urine in your pool. Understanding the implications of the issue, as well as the likelihood that there is already urine present in your pool is an important step in order to combat the issue and ensure you maintain excellent water and air quality in and around your pool and home.

 

When searching for “pool service and repair near me“, contact Atlanta’s leader in pool maintenance, repair and renovation – Allen Pool Service.  Call us today: (770) 451-1621.

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