Pool Water Safety Question

There's grunge that forms on the lining of the pool after one day without changing the water. I have always dumped the water after the kids use it and let it air dry.

I also dumped my pool every time, too. My daughter is always getting in and out which also brings debris from the yard into the pool. I think it is especially important to refresh it daily of you have children in diapers. The swim diapers only hold the solids so the urine stays in the pool. It does make our water bill go up, but it keeps them cleaner and safer.

Could you siphon the water out and into a rain barrel or directly onto plants. That way you keep fresh water for your kids and can use the water for plants?

We tarp ours and use it for no longer than 2 days at a time before we will dump and refill.

I wonder if you could use a pool water test kit. I've never looked at them and so I don't know what they measure.

You may have your answer once you start using the pool. As Melodysmommy said, ours also gets grass clippings, bug, even sometimes dirt clods in it. And by the end of a week, I see algae growing.

We purchased a siphon to attach to the hose which made draining it easier.

This is a good question and one I faced too this summer! So far we have been dumping it after two days and refilling it. We keep it covered with a tarp as well. It was interesting to read the other responses! Thanks for asking!

I empty mine every day and use the water on the flower beds. I read a story on this site actaully, about a child who drowned in a small kiddie pool left filled in the backyard and have emptied mine after we are done ever since. It is not warm enough here for my kids to want to use it every day anyway! So I don't feel too bad aabout the water. I would also worry about our neighbors cat and the neighborhood racoons. I don't think a tarp would keep them out. They are resourceful! Our sand and water table has a hard cover that straps down we change the water in that every 3 days unless it looks or smells bad and then sooner.

We change out water about 1x a week for the same size pool. If lots of kids are playing in it or it's getting lots of debris from the wind then we change it more. I just try to dump the water in different parts of the yard and then figure that were watering the yard that way instead of with a sprinkler.

I have heard that 2 or 3 days is the most if you're not going to use chlorine.

For safety sake empty every day. Not for the cleanliness but due to the potential for drowning.

I think paying attention is better than a schedule. Depending on weather & use, you might find it needs to be done every day or two -- or maybe as much as every week to 10 days. Really, I don't see why it has to be extra clean for each use. I agree with the care around swim diapers. Still, there are things that for me MUST be as clean as possible (bathroom surfaces, for instance) but others where a little more relaxed attitude is fine -- and a little kids' pool is one of those. Watch for clumps of dirt (though a little grass is not a big deal to me) and a "slimy" feeling on the pool surface itself. Remember, not every germ or every bit of "dirt" is harmful. So it's not antiseptic. Why does it need to be? By the way, our former nanny is a leukemia survivor who has dealt with many complications as a result of her illness (& is very cautious about some things) -- and she & I agree on the more pragmatic, reasonable, non-germphobic approach.

We always dump ours as soon as the kids are done, let it dry, and refill.

The water is being recycled by being put back into your yard (perhaps not an issue in your location).

The evaporation of chlorine is dependent on a lot of variables including surface area of water exposed, chlorine concentration, etc. http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen06/gen06449.htm

I'd not personally trust a tarp to keep microscopic fungi and bacteria from entering the pool and colonizing (I have a degree in Biology and have studied a lot of this stuff). However, it's mostly stuff they're being exposed to in the environment anyhow.

If it were my kids, I'd keep dumping and filling daily for peace of mind more than anything. Good luck.

We keep ours covered w/ a tarp and I dump a little bleach in after the kids get out. The chlorine in the bleach will evaporate so I feel comfortable using it. After a couple days, I use the water for my plants.

i actually just bought a pool too...one of the other things I want to bring up is that you might want to empty it daily (sorry that it would be a waste of water...) due to liability - if you don't have it in a fenced yard, someone could stumble upon it and that could be dangerous (your child or someone elses...)

That aside, I would empty it every 2 days. Are there chlorine tablets that you can use without a whole filter system?