Swimming Pool water

As far as pool water, or any water, isn't our discussion based on something between being pretty darned thirty to dehydrated ?

I'm not advocating using it as you first or second source, I'm talking about if it's your ONLY source, then it's viable, with usual cautions.

No matter what , all soruces should be suspect, but, shouldn't be written off unless they have plutonium floating in them, or maybe nasty turds. :eek:
oh, wait, it's just a candybar! ;)

If you boiled standard chlorinated pool water, the chlorine would evaporate very quickly. Then run it thru an activated carbon filter to sponge out any other residual chemicals. By residual, we are talking parts-per-million here...

Simple lifeforms can begin to grow in swimming pools fairly rapidly without normal treatment, so, it can't be that poisonous? Can it?

Except in California, where it has been decalred that living has been know to cause cancer.

here is a list i just grabbed, it does talk about these "mystery acids", we will need to find out what they are, and why?

Alternate sources of water for drinking:

-Water heater, if secured.

-Toilet tanks (not the bowl) if the water hasn't been treated with chemicals to enhance color, smell, etc.

-Canned vegetables and fruits stored in water or juice.

-Beverages

-Ice

Swimming pools (for hygiene purposes only). It is not recommended that swimming pool water be used for drinking because acids build up in the water which could be harmful to health.

Do not use water stored in vinyl plastic containers, such as water beds, for drinking.
 
Found this article:

Using Swimming Pool Water

You should always view your pool as "backup" water; keep the water treated; you never know when it will be needed! The maintenance of the free chlorine residual will prevent establishment of any microorganisms. The maintenance level should be kept about 3-5ppm of free chlorine. To monitor this, you'll need a supply of chlorine testers. The problem with using swimming pools is that organics can enter through dirt, sweat, body oils and the inevitable kiddie tinkle. This can form chloramines which are not good to drink. Of course in a survival situation it's OK, but steps can be taken to minimize this.

Partial and complete water changes should be done when possible. Although impossible to make a general rule, change the pool water at least 1-2 times a year and make partial changes after a lot of use. In a sealed drum, water can stay good for years, but we still recommend changing it at least once a year. Now imagine going in and out of your drinking water a hundred times and then drinking it. Don't let clarity fool you, some crystal clear mountain springs have tested out to be laced with cholera.

Keep dry chlorine on hand as it has a much longer shelf life than liquid. (See Water Purification for further information.) Additionally, when the need arises to convert a pool to potable water, it's obviously too late to completely change the water. However, the residual chlorine should be elevated over 5ppm up to ten parts, then allowed to naturally dissipate. This should take a couple of days and ensure any of the more tenacious bacteria is destroyed. If other stored water stocks are not available, remove the necessary pool water and boil it or just treat with chlorine to the normal 5ppm. It is best to err on the side of caution.

When adding solid chlorine, dissolve the granules in a bucket first, then add to the pool water; much better mixing will result. Without power, a clean paddle or oar should be designated as a mixer. Thirty minutes minimum contact time is needed before use, more if temperatures are cold or if mixing is poor.

For smaller amounts of water, if you still have power, boiling is a reliable treatment. However, boiling water is not an efficient use of fuel if it's scarce. Bear in mind, while boiling pool water is fine, boiling alone will not prevent re-infection from airborne contamination. Once water is boiled, a lower chlorine residual of 3ppm free is OK.

Make sure to store an adequate supply of pH balancers and available chlorine testers if you intend on using pool water for consumption. Chlorine loses effectiveness above a pH of 7.5; that's why pH control is important. Bromine chemistry will do the job in the higher pH ranges, but it is not approved for potable water. Use bromine disinfection for washing dishes, laundry, clothes and people.

You might consider a filtration system that removes the chlorine taste. Activated carbon in any form will remove chlorine, but remember, once you remove the free chlorine, your water does not have any protection. It should be consumed immediately following chlorine removal.

In a pinch, highly chlorinated water can be trickled through the ashes from a fire that are suspended in a cloth or coffee filter or even a cut-off pants leg tied at the bottom, that will prevent ash from passing through while allowing the water to pass.

Covering the pool at all times when not in use is a very good idea; try to keep the cover clean and wash the area you put it on when removing it from the pool.
 
Regarding reverse osmosis filters... I don't know much about the ones sold for household use, but the watermakers they install on boats can easily be ruined by a very slight amount of chlorine. I'd say you should call the RO filter maker for that one.
 
Plastered gunnite swimming pools (ceement ponds here in Ten-Ah-See) have a natural alkali PH from the plaster. Acid is added to lower the PH to a range where chlorine works best. In vinyl swimming pools and painted pools, the PH is usually naturally neutral, lowered by rain and make-up water. For them, the PH has to be adjusted upward to the neutral range. Sodium Bicarbonate. There is also "total alkalinity" which is the total amount of dissolved alkali. This is like a buffering agent. Soda ash raises the TA level, and makes it easier to keep the PH adjusted. None of this is toxic. Well, don't drink the undiluted acid which is sometimes muratic acid. In dillution (parts per million) it is harmless.

Codger
 
Thanks Codger for the well informed view.
I keep thinking after several days, and takig proper precautions, the swimming pool may just be the cleanest water for miles.

In that long article I did read that you should remove the water intended for drinking, and actually give it a shot of chlorine to ensure the little micro-badguys are dead. if the chemicals were in larger doses to cause harm to humans, the little badguys wouldn't even be there.

Oh well, I think I'd boil, and run it through an activated carbon filter.
Then drink it.
 
Codger, it's good to see another pool man around the forums:thumbup: :D I'm the third generation of a family that has been at this pool stuff since 1953. I am always eager to hear how another professional does his thing. I'm young, and I have a lot to learn about the biz beyond my location. I'm also glad that my assumptions on pool water were not totally off. I have often thought about the demo pool located at our shop as viable drinking water in the case of an emergency.
I live in an area right along the Ohio River and it is not uncommon for the river to back up and cause problems with the drinking water during major storms. While I would boil any water that I got from any source during that time, I basically have 17,000 gallons of clean, protected water (vinyl lined with no hydrostatic valve and fairly tight automatic cover. Speaking just on this body of water in and of itself, it is nearly perfect as we test it professionally twice a week. We use a fairly passive chlorinator that keeps the water clean but does not bring the level above 0.5ppm. We also only add 32oz of algaecide every 90 days. I can't imagine that really being a problem in that many gallons of water.
I got curious yesterday and ran a test on water hardness and natural salt content between tap water and that of what is in the pool (no chlorine to speak of as we shut the pool down for the winter 2 months ago). The difference in hardness was next to nothing, and I'm sure the water hardness from well water would be far above the pool's. Salt content was also not really noticable (i figured that the chlorine tablets and mineral pack would add more salt to the water than they did). However, the kit i was using is designed to test salt water pools, so the amount of salt in the water was much lower that what it was suppose to measure.
I have no way of testing for bacteria since I deal in only residentual pools, and with regular shocking and good chemicals bac outbreaks shouldn't be a problem for a pool used for a family of 5;) However, even the guys that manage the hospital therapy pools (GERMY!) have found that regular old sodium hypo shock with a 12.5% content will kill just about everything in the right amounts (sometimes 20 parts per million!!:eek: )
All in all, with a good boil and a filtration I wouldn't have any problem drinking the pool water at the shop or really any well taken care of pool. Once again, I wouldn't go out to just take a swig when I was thirsty, but given an emergency with a backed up (and frankly VERY dirty) river, I think it would keep me alive without too many long term effects;)

Jake
 
State health departments regularly test water for homeowners, usually it is well water. I had a well tested once because of a foul smell. The report said "coliform bacteria...TNC". That is lab lingo for "too numerous to count". I dumped gallons of bleach down the well, pumped it dry the next day, then sent a new sample that came back clear. By chance, I was pulling a small camper trailer through the back yard, and one wheel sunk. That was the septic tank. 20 yards uphill of the well. The seller had to eat the property...I got my family out of there!

Most well cared for pool's water exceeds the clarity and sanitation standards for munuicipal water supplies. The simple truth. Simple as that.

Now, as to Chloromines:

Chlorine is a chemical which is seperated from salt, sodium chloride. You either pay a chemical company to do it for you, or you dump 7-800 pounds of water softener salt in your pool, and you pay for the electricity to convert the salt to chlorine gas on demand.

There are several ways to handle chlorine for resale, and one is powder. HTH is one brand. It is usually fairly low in chlorine, and has a white clay as a carrier base. Shock (supershock, sockit, etc.) is usually a purer form of chlorine powder and it is too expensive to use for regular treatment. It is best used bi-weekly as a super-chlorination treatment. Liquid bleach is one of the weaker solutions, but it is cheap, so some folks use it in their pools. A lot of it! False economy there. The best chlorine for regular treatment and maintainence is stabilized chlorine tablets. It has a bit of cyanuric acid in it that binds it to the pool water and makes it work better and longer. Don't ever mix the different chlorines, and especially not with any other chemicals!! At best, you'll create a deadly chlorine gas, worst is an explosion.

Chlorine is an oxidizer. It causes things to rust, or burn as in "burn out". It oxidizes organics in the water killing germs and bacteria, algae, and unlucky frogs. The residue falls the the bottom and is vacummed out, or is caught in the filter. When there is not enough chlorine (free chlorine) to carry the oxidation to completion, organic compounds called chloramines are formed. These compounds of chlorine and partially oxidized organics stink, can burn your eyes, and make the water appear dingy. Ammonia is one component of these compounds. Only by increasing the chlorine level enough to complete the oxidation process can you rid the pool of chloromines.. This is what "shock" is for. It is a strong dose of chlorine. After the level drops, and the debris is vacuumed from the pool, the normal treatment can resume. And chlorine usage will be reduced.

Algaecides are meant to kill algae. Don't have algae? Don't need algaecide. Sure, they are glad to sell it to you. It won't usually hurt your pool, justyour wallet. Keeping a good free chlorine level, a clean properly operating filter, and a balanced PH are good bets on preventing an algae bloom.

Codger :D

"Let us make your wet dreams come true"
 
It all comes down to how thirsty you are. When Hurricane Agnes turned our valley to a giant pool of muddy, septic-tank-contaminated water in 1972, we could not trust our well water. We did have a pool in the back yard. We filled up garbage cans with water to deliver to people who had no water at all.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top