Dead Animals in the Pool

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20KgalKidney

0
Jul 30, 2011
4
Toledo, OH
While swimming in my pool today, I noticed a dead animal smell in the vacinity. After checking the bushes, etc, it finally dawned on me to check the skimmer basket. I was totally creeped out when I lifted the skimmer lid and found a dead baby bunny, badly mauled, quite dead and floating. Apparently my cat mauled it and it fell into the pool while trying to escape. The odor was pretty strong so I am going to guess that it had been in there for a couple of days. I called my husband in a panic and he told me that he shocked the pool just last night (we run the pump at night) but had not thought to check the skimmer basket. He said not to worry about it.
Now I'm afraid to go back into the pool, and wondering if I have been exposed to any potentially harmful organisms. I don't normally worry about the occasional chipmunk but this animal was in pretty bad shape.
Should I add anything to the pool to make sure it's safe? Any advice would be appreciated.
 
I would absolutely shock the pool.

Also, shocking the pool doesn't actually mean throwing in shock product and walking away. Algae is one thing and sometimes insufficient shock product gets one through ok (occasionally), but decaying flesh is another and you simply can't afford to not shock it completely. Shocking is a process, not a product or a one time thing.

Read pool school (upper right of this page, white button) and in particular the how to shock your pool information. Read it a few times.

A complete set of test results would also be helpful. Without that there's no way to know what's going on the water and in all honesty... I would not ever swim in it again till I knew it was disinfected 100%.
 
To shock the pool properly you are going to need one of the test kits that are recommended here. Test strips are not going to work and you are not going to want to run to the pool store every time you need to test. Testing in going to be every few hours in the early shocking stages. There is a link to the test kits at the bottom of my page, at the bottom of frogabogs page, and in the pool school in the testing section. Another thing you might want to do is to but your pool information in your signature so we know what kind of pool you have, the size, your equipment, etc. This will make it easier for us to answer your questions. Go buy a few cases of 6% bleach, your going to need it!
 
My initial reaction was to get in the shower immediately and dump about 6 cups of sanitizer in the pool to get started. I will take a water sample to the pool supply store for now to get a reading on my FC; I do have a decent test kit but have not had very good luck using it. I'll take it with me and ask them to run through it with me. Thanks for the advice; funny nobody mentioned getting rid of the cat... :)
 
I'm confused as to why (with many issues) the answer is to immediately shock the pool. This takes a bit of cost.

If the pool still passes the OCLT, then it is sanitized and there are no organics to be consumed. Shocking in this condition is just dumping product into the pool and waiting days for it to dissipate. If the FC did indeed drop to 0 and/or CC jumped up (to be expected here), then I would bring the pool to shock level and monitor until passing OCLT.

The point here is to monitor what the tests tell you the condition of the pool is, vice repsonding to the gross factor. There indeed may cause for alarm - just test for it.
 
I'm confused as to why (with many issues) the answer is to immediately shock the pool. This takes a bit of cost.
Click to expand...
Good point, but in OP's case, she does not have the capability to perform those accurate tests.

Without the testing, $20 bucks of Clorox will probably take care of it and it's cheap insurance.

Actually, OP can't EXACTLY determine if she has shocked properly without the test results, but assuming a CYA of around 40 or so, running the FC up to about 20 constantly for 48 hours would be a pretty prudent and thorough thing to do.

Your point is still well taken, but I think OP should do something right away and that means staying within the capabilities she has available to her.
 
Something else to consider...

If one had a decaying animal in a bowl... Would one wash the bowl with just dishsoap, or use some bleach to clean and disinfect it? In the food service industry, bleach is the only approved sanitizer for use on cutting boards after processing/preparing raw fowl and pork. It is also required in the the third bath/rinse when washing dishes by hand.

The ewww factor is too much. Shocking is safer, and peace of mind is also attained.
 

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I think I tend to agree with Dave S. and Fornax. Assuming the pool's numbers are fine(like fornax says, OLCT etc...), I wouldn't feel obligated to shock the pool. Certainly there is the Eww factor. If it makes you feel better to shock and allows you to enjoy your pool again, then by all means please shock, it is after all your pool for your enjoyment.

The question that comes up for me is, if you shock, what are your exit conditions? Clear water, CC of .5 or less, and passed OLCT? But you started there. If that is the measure of a safe sanitary pool, wouldn't it be safe regardless if you shock? Let me put it another way. If that criteria wasn't safe before shocking, why would it be after.

I understand the eww factor here, but dead animals in the pool is part of owning a pool (I get an occasional mouse, frog or snake, not to mention countless insects). And alone isn't generally considered a reason to shock. The How to Shock Your Pool http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/shocking_your_pool article says if your CC are greater than .5 or FC is 0 you should shock. (it goes on the suggest other times some people like to shock)
 
We have no information to assume the OP shocked the pool and passed any of the required conditions (CC<.5, OCLT pass, clear water).

The OP's hubby "shocked" the pool. That's really all the information about water conditions that was reported.

I'm sticking w/shocking. And of course, shocking according to Pool School, not throwing shock product in. Heck, we don't even know what was used to "shock" this pool. Lotta unknowns and variables.
 
I like frogabog's mention of using bleach (chlorine) shock. I would never trust those non-chlorine versions in a case like this. And the 6% chlorox is the cheapest way I have seen of getting that accomplished.
 
It's just hard to get past the thought of somethin dead and rotting in a pool and then get back in it even if the oclt passes, at least for me it would be. I'd be one of those ppl to jack the chlorine level up just to put my mind at ease that it was completely sanitized. Lol
 
The FC was actually very low when we tested; did not even register in fact. We use Chlorbrite (chlorine sanitizer) - total amount added to the pool over a 2 day period ~14 cups; the daily dose for our pool is about 1 - 2 cups.
...so I have not been in the pool since Saturday (and I never miss a day swimming in the summer).
Oddly, also during the past week or two since we last tested, the PH level of the water dropped steeply; our regular guy at the pool supply store advised us to add 46 pounds of soda ash. Wow! I'm afraid we are WAY out of balance right now.
with all that said..... the pool LOOKS good.... too bad I can't swim in it ;).
I used to own an indoor hottub; it was a breeze to keep it balanced and clear. Not so with a pool; and sadly, I am not a chemist.
 
Chlorbrite is dichlor with a stabilizer (CYA). Have you been checking your CYA levels? Constant use of Chlorbrite will raise your CYA levels with each use. Pool calculator shows CYA would raise about 3ppm for every 16oz (2 cups) of chlorbrite used for your pool size.

14 cups used to shock would have raised it by 21ppm. Elevated levels of CYA will require higher ppm of FC to sanitize, and require higher shock levels.
 
The CYA and PH are now at an acceptable level; alkalinity is a bit high from all the soda ash; still shocking; I plan to be back in the pool by tomorrow. The cat and I are not speaking yet. But he is a good hunter and you've gotta respect that. thanks to all
 
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