Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

jeremyc — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 12:57:24 GMT

if you mix ammonia with chlorine you get poisonous chlorine gas!

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

Former Member — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 08:20:38 GMT

They should wait till swimmers leave !!!! They want to go home when swimmers leave. ;)

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

orca1946 — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 02:47:57 GMT

They should wait till swimmers leave !!!!

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

Former Member — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:09:10 GMT

I think this excuse "there is chlorine" has been abused much. Just because there is chlorine in the water doesn't mean you are free to put anything in it. Right. How would they react if you told them, "It's OK that I peed in the water. There's chlorine in here!" (You could also try, "Urine is STERILE!") Or, "Why do I have to take a shower first? There's chlorine in here!" The "chlorine" knife should cut both ways.

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

Former Member — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:59:59 GMT

He replied, "Well, there's chlorine in the water..." I think this excuse "there is chlorine" has been abused much. Just because there is chlorine in the water doesn't mean you are free to put anything in it.

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

Former Member — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:34:19 GMT

... but if you can convince others to complain they might change their policy. ... Yes, I am considering starting up a petition. As for someone else's suggestion to find a different pool, this town's YMCA system has 5 pools. The one I'm talking about used to be my favorite pool, and it's the closest. But I have started going to the one downtown. It's an extra 10 minutes drive each way, but the water is a bit cooler and the lap lane availability is greater. And that's the rub. I now go to the original pool only about once a week instead of daily. All my other workouts are downtown. I NEVER see deck cleaning when I'm swimming downtown. But I'll bet it's 75% or more of the few times I go to the old pool that a encounter deck cleaning. It's like a deck cleaning fetish for those people!

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

Former Member — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:27:27 GMT

Decent pools in my experience have separate drainage for decks. I wouldn't be surprised if current building codes require it, although of course with older pools there is going to be variation. I've never seen anyone washing cleaning products from the deck into the pool. I'd find a new pool if practical. This particular pool has a "gulley" around the pool, and most of the wash water goes into the gutter. But the gutter drains into the general pool filtration system, so it goes into the pool water all the same. I'm not so concerned about that water. The power sprayer still sprays splashed water everywhere. Call it "overspray." When I complained to the lifeguard yesterday, the overspray was directly in my face. It also sprays on the water bottle of any swimmer who uses a water bottle during the workout. At this particular pool, most swimmers keep their fins and buoys and bottles and kick boards in the gutter. It's the easiest place to reach them. "Don't worry. The crud isn't going into the pool. It's going into the gutter!"

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

Former Member — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:12:22 GMT

I am so stealing the "lick the deck and you can continue" line! Can't stand when my Y has lifeguards or maintenance scrubbing and hosing the pool deck, sometimes with strong cleaners,while people are swimming.I get nausious from strong scents(like cleaners) and I have often asked for them to wait til I'm done or they may have to scoop my breakfast out of the pool. Yeah, this is another issue. The fumes of the ammonia-based cleaners they use to wash the glass and chrome in the pool area seem to settle at the lowest point in the room -- which is right at the surface of the pool water. Every gasp for breath during a workout gets a bonus additive of cleaning fumes.

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

Former Member — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 15:34:01 GMT

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

debaru — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 11:40:06 GMT

The pool deck of the indoor pool I've been swimming in for the past year is composed of small ceramic tiles. To my knowledge, it isn't cleaned by power spray washing. Instead, it is "disinfected" using some kind of a power scrubbing machine that is similar to a floor polisher. This might be an option in your situation.

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

Former Member — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 10:45:53 GMT

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

gdanner — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 10:27:41 GMT

But I'm interested in thoughts from others here. Do you think there is no problem with this practice? If I want it to stop, what steps would you recommend? It sounds unsanitary to me. Paying a lifeguard for an extra half hour to do it after swimmers are finished doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Strength in numbers...if one person complains they probably won't do anything, but if you can convince others to complain they might change their policy. Having to tell a lifeguard every single time you are there would be extremely annoying. Then again, if it's regular staff maybe they'll be aware of you and know ahead of time not to start.

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

Former Member — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 07:40:36 GMT

Another point I tried raising: They have the lifeguards doing this. If the lifeguard is washing down the decks, he's not paying attention to the swimmers in the pool. Response: We only do this when we have at least 2 lifeguards on duty (which is true.) And we try to do this when the number of people in the pool is light. (Questionable. Today there was at least one lap swimmer in each lane, and some had 2.)

RE: Health risks to swimmers from washing pool deck

mjtyson — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 03:28:23 GMT

And we try to do this when the number of people in the pool is light. (Questionable. Today there was at least one lap swimmer in each lane, and some had 2.) If it is not a health risk, then why do they wait until there are few swimmers?