Hellobee Boards

Haha it’s not that I’m ok with it- I just know it happens. For one there are tons of little kids in swim diapers- by default that’s pee. At our pool the bathrooms are just inside, but it’s a bit of a walk and often very cold when you walk in, but I always get out with my kids when anyone has to go. But I’m well aware there is plenty of pee in the kids pool. What can you do, besides have your own pool? There are two pools, one for kids/ everyone, and one that is part lap pool, but part recreation pool for kids who can swim and are 5 and up- I definitely assume that pool has less pee in it. But I can’t go because my kids are too young and can’t swim well yet. We usually rinse off after but that’s more for the chemicals drying our skin that trace amounts of pee.

Now, peeing in the ocean is a different story. Everyone does that.

@irene: oh- also to your point in the other thread about why do they close the pool for poop or vomit then? Those two can carry diseases. At my pool the mostly just “shock” the water for half an hour, just load up even more chemicals and let them sit there for a while then everyone can go back in. That’s when i feel really icky going in, both because of the recent floating poop and the fact that they just doubled up on the chemicals. Blergh.

Like @foodnerd81 said, I’m not “ok” with it, but I know it happens and what can I do besides teach my own kids that it’s not ok.
4.5yo always asks to get out and pee. Several times. I swear he ends up with more pee than usual by osmosis. It’s annoying but I know it’s the right thing so we do it.
We’ve never even really said “don’t pee in the pool”, I think it doesn’t even occur to him as an option. He always pees before the bath at home and gets out to pee if he has to again. We’ve always said “do you want us to wash your hair and your face with pee?” So I think that just automatically translated to the pool for him.

@graceandjoy: my kids definitely don’t pee in the pool since we always have to get out and pee 8 times every time we swim. 🙄

Not okay with it, don't do it, tell my kids to get out to pee... but I'm sure I DID do it when I was younger, and I'm aware that that are 'some' people who do it.

@Anagram: We float the river all the time, and definitely pee in the water... it's safer than accidentally squatting on poison ivy or itch weed, lol!

We have a pool, our kids have certainly peed in our pool. I'm not okay with it. I'm also a bit redneck in this area, as I let my girls pee in the grass when we are swimming. Our bathroom is across the house (first a tile floor, then carpet, and tile in the bathroom). And it's significantly cooler in the house than inside. If I were to design my own home, we'd have a bathroom that has access from outside.

They drink too much pool water, so inevitably they have to go more than normal when we swim.

For me its one of those things that I accept but try to block out when I'm at the pool. There are so many gross things about a swimming pool (people basically in their underwear, poor hygiene, other bodily fluids, etc, etc) and the older I get the less and less I enjoy time there. I go for soley for LO's benefit.

@irene: " Naive truly, I guess, but personally I would get out to use the restroom... and honestly I really thought that's how it supposed to be. I guess I have high expectations to the human race lol"

Therein lies your problem.

The thing is, it's been my experience that a lot of people will only do the right thing if someone is watching. I'm actually more disgusted by the people who don't wash their hands after using the bathroom. In my office, we all clue each other in on who the offenders are.

@irene: you can’t stop other people doing it, but you can choose not to. It’s one thing if it’s your own small bath tub, but no, I would and do tell my kids (one is a baby so doesn’t count) not to pee in the pool and we would get out and go to the bathroom and have done so.

I worked at a private pool for 12 years, gave swimming lessons, and coached swim team. I'm also a civil engineer and took several water quality classes in college. (The cheeky saying we all learned was "The solution to pollution is dilution.)
Yes, people (all types people) pee in pools and yes, it's gross, but it's not something anyone should really care that much about. Here's some calculations to help ease people's concerns:
- The average adult produces about 800-2000 milliliters per day. That is 0.07 ft^3, or 122 in^3.
- The average half Olympic size swimming pool is 25 meters by 12.5 meters (82ft X 42ft = 3362 ft^2)
- Lets assume most recreational pools slope from 3' in the shallow end to 6' in the deep end. (15129 ft^3)
- If we assume there are 100 adults in this hypothetical swimming pool and they each pee the high end of the average amount of pee for the entire day into the pool, you have a total of 7 ft^3 of pee.
- If all of my math is correct, that is 0.0005% of pee in the water. (Pee, which is sterile and made up of mostly water anyway). Way less than the amount of chlorine or other water treating chemicals that are in the pool.

When I swam in an adult beginning class they told us to stay out of the pool when it smelled strongly of chlorine. They told us it was it was due to too many people peeing in the pool. I'm not sure about the actual health effects but here's an article. (I pretty much assume any pool with a swim up bar is 99% urine.)

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/01/517785902/just-how-much-pee-is-in-that-pool

"Chlorine reacts with urine to form a host of potentially toxic compounds called disinfection byproducts. These can include anything from the chloramines that give well-used pools the [sharp odor of chlorine]"

@bees_knees: probably going to the public bathroom at the pool is way grosser than the pool water.

Exactly what @TemperanceBrennan: said. Another way of looking at it, from a personal pool point of view:
- My pool is 10,000 gallons, which is 160,000 cups.
- If there are 6 people in my pool and they each pee a cups worth, that is 6:160000 ratio, simplifies to a 3:80,000 ratio.
- Let's keep in mind that most of the pee is water. FWIW @irene: and others, most of the time when I pee, it's not yellow, it's clear, because I stay very hydrated.
- Why would it be ok to put gallons of acid and chlorine in my pool but not a couple of cups of pee?

@TemperanceBrennan: Thank you for that! I was literally grossed out - I've never given it so much thought before. But all is well now