5 Gross Things About Public Pools

UV PoolsBlog

You’re here, reading the blog of Winnipeg’s pool repair and renovation experts; that means you probably already have a pool. We’re really glad you do, because that means you don’t have to go to public pools. We don’t mean to sound too harsh, but public pools…are gross. You’re really better off having your own. There’s a few reasons why that we’ll go into now, but this isn’t for the faint of heart. Brave reader, venture forth!

1. People pee in public pools. Studies show that about 1 in 5 adults pee when they get into the pool; even famous swimmer Michael Phelps said “I think everybody pees in the pool”. Well, when everybody pees in the pool…that’s a lot of pee. Most of us don’t want to be swimming in other people’s pee, so make sure you get some trusted friends who swear a blood oath not to pee in your pool and you’ll be much more comfortable swimming at home.

2. We hate to say this but…there’s also poo in public pools. One of the most common causes of water contamination that forces public pools and hot tubs to close down is fecal matter from people with diarrhea or other gastro-intestinal woes; swim diapers also don’t cut the mustard. That means it’s a great idea to bring your friends over to your pool, but probably a bad idea to serve them baked beans with hot sauce.

3. People don’t shower before they swim. That means any contaminants they had on their bodies end up in the public pool; there’s a lot of people there, and they’ve all been who knows where. When your friends and family come over to swim in your pool, you can at least ask them to shower first; they might not, but you can’t even ask strangers! I mean, you could, but you probably want to avoid the dirty locker room looks.

4. Have you noticed that your eyes get red in a public pool, but not red in your own pool? Well, that’s because it’s not the chlorine turning your eyes red, it’s everything else we’ve talked about; a pool with a well-balanced pH shouldn’t irritate the eyes too much. You might be thinking “My eyes get red everytime I go to the public pool”…yeah. That’s why your own pool is much better.

5. That classic “public pool” smell is also not a sign of too much chlorine; it’s a sign of too little. When you can smell that, it means the chlorine that was in the pool did it’s job and disinfected the joint, but now it’s all used up into chloramine, which makes that unpleasant smell. You can balance the chemicals perfectly yourself at home, so skip the public pool and stay at home!

We are the best inground pool company for pool repairs, so don’t just stare at your pool wishing you were using it; call us, we’ll fix it up, then you jump on in! We also do pool renovations, so if your at-home pool is looking shabbier than a public one, give us a shout and we’ll spruce it up so good, you’ll be charging for access.