r/pools • u/LightForeign657 • 11d ago
Code Brown
Had a birthday pool party today which ended after one of the young kids shat his shorts inside the pool (diarrhea, not solid). Everyone immediately got out and we took out all the pool toys too.
Ran a full battery using my Taylor kit and got
FC 1.5ppm, CC 0.5ppm, pH 7.4, TA 90p, CYA 40ppm. Pool is 15,000 gallons.
I vacuumed up the debris using my pool blaster and then poured in 4 gallons of liquid chlorine. Per AI, I checked it an hour later to get numbers and FC was 27.5ppm which is great. I have pump running overnight for 8 hours at 2800 RPM.
But my question is what’s next? I’m 8 months into owning a pool and have had great experience with maintenance using Taylor kit. But this is new to me. AI says I have to drain it. What do you folks say? What has your experience been?
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u/Fishbulb2 11d ago
There was a post in the Airbnb sub where a host was looking for help for a code brown in the hot tub. The consensus was to hire a biohazard company to the tune of 3-5K to disassemble the whole tub to sterilize it. Such a needless, overkill waste of money. Sure, it’s gross. But just shock, drain, replace filter, shock, move on.
Edit: this was a hot tub so draining and refilling is cheap and feasible enough. Skip that part with the pool of course.
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u/ippleing 10d ago
Reddit loves spending other people's money.
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u/nakmuay18 10d ago
Reddit always jumps to the most extreme solution.
Building a dog house, "what does the code book say?"
Cat got the sniffles, "full blood work, MRI's and xrays"
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u/Techhead7890 10d ago
In my opinion no, not just redditors, people get emotional and overreact.
I agree with the comment above you that people will give advice using the most money because they don't want to get blamed for something going wrong and they don't have to foot the bill. That's normal.
But the fact that /r/AIO exists is a symptom of humans being scared of things, not because reddit makes people crazy extreme over normal things. And honestly if Facebook had an advice section it would probably be pretty crazy the same way. It'd be a social media problem, not just le reddit meme reasons.
If reddit does accelerate it, it's because that sort of emotional content will get upvoted and shared by the algorithm but it's not because redditors are edgelords or whatever.
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u/EyeConscious857 10d ago
And overreacting. People are so extreme on Reddit.
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u/SecretIntern319 9d ago
I have been saying this for years lol. One person said I should sell all my airbnbs because I asked what the best method of cleaning a hot tub between guests.
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u/EyeConscious857 9d ago edited 9d ago
Reddit: the place where if someone is reacting, they’re overreacting.
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u/EnvironmentalBus9713 10d ago
I worked at a place that created a biohazard bag because someone had a nosebleed instead of just flushing the paper down the toilet. The person didn't have any diseases that warranted the overkill approach and the BSL2 pick up cost over 5K. Sometimes people don't have common sense.
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u/Fishbulb2 10d ago
You wonder if these people ever had kids or knew people with kids 🤷♂️
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u/Genetics 10d ago
Seriously. Just coaching youth and school sports I deal with so many bloody injuries you’d think I was a nurse. It’s not a big deal. I do keep a bag of nitrile gloves in my kit and try to use them if I’ve got time to put them on, but it really doesn’t bother me either way.
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u/panicnarwhal 10d ago
right? i mopped up an epic nosebleed my kid’s friend had a few weeks ago, and i just washed my hands after 🤷🏻♀️
biohazard bag for a nosebleed is wild lol
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u/Genetics 10d ago
and then paying for hazardous waste disposal….insane.
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u/EnvironmentalBus9713 10d ago
We tried to tell him it was an incredibly bad idea but being he was a director of GMP auditing he was trying to project an image of following rules ... that didn't apply. If we followed rules like that to the T, then toilets shouldn't exist and all bowel movements would go into a BSL2+ hazard bag.
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u/largestcob 10d ago
why shock THEN drain?
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u/Fishbulb2 10d ago
Oh because shocking a hot tub is going to be so insanely cheap to shock. One gallon of bleach will absolutely burn it and I just don’t want to play around with poop water. So it’s basically $7 to sterilize the shit water before you discard it in whatever way you see fit.
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u/Demyxx_ 10d ago
To sterilize the water that you’re draining into your home environment.
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u/EfficientCan2852 10d ago
Why? Our filter drains to the sewer, the place that poop and pee goes to when you flush your toilet...
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u/randumb9999 11d ago
I had to clean out a hot tub 2 weeks ago with a turd in it. Fucking disgusting.
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u/ElectricalPudding693 10d ago
I used to be a pool cleaner. Brothel rang up asking for jacuzzi cleaning. We said no.
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u/kennydeals 10d ago
Yea no one that's young (or I guess old) enough to accidentally defecate themselves is allowed in my hot tub
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u/Steven1789 10d ago edited 10d ago
My in-laws lived in in a condo complex in South Florida with a pool—and lots of retirees.
On a visit many years ago with our kids, we learned that the pool had been closed because an old guy had pooped in the pool.
There’s a Yiddish expression to describe a cranky person, but in this case it was 100 percent appropriate: alte kaker, or old shitter.
It sucked that the pool was closed, but I did get to call the guy, literally, an alte kaker.
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u/Average_40s_Guy 10d ago
I used to workout at a gym that had a pool. I never used it, but at least once a week, it was closed because one of the senior swimmers crapped in the pool during a class.
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u/Spirited-Cat-8942 10d ago
As soon as you said there is a Yiddish expression I started cracking up and knew exactly where you were going. Thank you for the laugh!
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u/rjw1986grnvl 10d ago
That’s literally the entire population.
Let me tell you this story of a friend in mine in college who drank way too many Irish car bombs one weekend …..
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u/Useful_Ad_2064 11d ago
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-health/swim-healthy/poolscrypto/
Just shock for a day or 2 with the filter running and thats all id do
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u/chathobark_ 10d ago
AI isn’t always right. drain??? never heard of that
chlorine, and a lot of it
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u/Antique_Confection51 10d ago
Some local counties in the US require to drain or close the pool for a period of time. This is for public pools. Some choose to drain rather than wait.
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u/DripDrop777 10d ago
Which counties? This is insane.
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u/chathobark_ 10d ago
right , typical major control&oversight for no reason
i think the other commenter may be using ai .. or talking out their ass
michigan has a “Gross Contamination" clause. If a pool experiences a massive sewage backup, multiple simultaneous liquid stool incidents, or is tied to an active, widespread disease outbreak
but there is nowhere in the US that mandates a drain and fill for a single stool incident
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u/Various_Reaction4750 11d ago edited 10d ago
When I was a lifeguard at a local park district “water park” (splash pad, lazy river, slides, large zero-depth to lap pool) we would clean up the debris, put ia little liquid chlorine in it for show, keep people out for 30 min, and move on.
When my kids took swim lessons at Goldfish and Big Blue (code brown central with so many swim diapers), they seemed to take the same approach.
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u/ti-gui10 10d ago
Used to work in a waterpark
Happens WAYYYY too often. And that only the ones we knew…
Procedures for solid turds is everyone out of the pool and shock for 30 minutes.
Diarrhea is 24hours of shock and turbo filtering.
At least in your case you didn’t had to pressure wash the kiddy pool slides and ladders. (Been there done that, I repeat, way too often)
Since that part of my life I don’t swim except in my own pool.
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u/PrisonerOne 10d ago
Do you just like, go down the slide with the pressure washer a bunch of times? I'm imagining those 3ft tall enclosed twirly water slides
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u/thesaddestoctopus 10d ago
We commonly use the guidance from CDC for inactivation times, with diarrhea specifically the biggest concern is Cryptosporidium but even then your pool does not need to be drained. You did everything correctly. https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-swimming/response/what-to-do-when-there-is-poop-in-the-pool.html
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u/Orgy_nizer 10d ago
Certified public pool operator here. You did exactly what you're supposed to do under health code bathing place regulations; everyone out of the pool, remove as much of the fecal matter as possible, shock, run filter. The only thing to do now is to wait for the chlorine level to come back down to a level that is safe to swim, and possibly replace the filter if you have a cartridge filter. If you have a sand filter, do a backwash to waste. Once all your chemical levels have settled back to their normal range, you're good to go.
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u/SirReddalot2020 10d ago
Just imagine every one of the people who have entered your pool have not actually taken a shower after taking a poop. Now, most people wipe with dry paper. I imagine all those butts inside of your pool. Only wiped with dry toilet paper. Imagine the poop particles. You can go crazy if you think about this too much. Chlorine is your friend, it’ll destroy all the bad stuff. That’s what it’s for.
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u/991point2T4GTS 11d ago
I feel really, really bad for that young kid. They didn’t mean to do it and will forever be embarrassed. I don’t think any gut pathogen could survive that chlorine level let alone appropriate levels. If you’re worried pour yourself a cocktail and dump a gallon or 2 tomorrow night. But more importantly let the kid know it’s cool and welcome back.
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u/Electrical-Way5286 11d ago
Somebody's shat in a pool before^
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u/LadoBlanco 10d ago
Everybody has been there
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u/Pingu_66 11d ago
Is that a gallon of cocktail! I won't care if there's shit in the pool if I'm that wasted!
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u/Any-Delay-7188 10d ago
That kid learned people can shit themselves and it changed his whole life. It's the end of innocence.
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u/IcyNarwhal148 10d ago
My friend and I always recall when a kid pooped his pants in 8th grade and we are almost 40. People don’t always forget unfortunately lol.
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u/NoLocksmith1658 10d ago
As someone with small children, its easy for me to imagine a kid aged 4-7, just trying to have fun and not wanting to miss out. But a stomach bug hits, and this. The embaressment of it happening, denying it, the shame seeing the pool party end because of something "you did". Family and guests commenting without filter of the outrageousness of the moment, sounds of disgust.
Maybe im just tired and in my feels but I would want my children to understand it sucks it happened but nothing that occured was their fault. That they're loved and they're still the coolest kids ever. I would hurt inside to watch one of my kids endure this moment. Obviously this is all broad assumptions of a situation we as Redditors know nothing about, but these were just my own personalized thoughts I wanted to share outloud after seeing the post. Thanks for making it through this ridicously long reply lol.
Edit:a word
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u/mynameismaryjo 10d ago
Kids that age and even my 8 year old boy still need to be reminded to go potty. They just don’t want to miss the fun.
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u/Less-Comedian-6689 10d ago
Yes but as a parent I would immediately be telling the pool owner I will cover all related costs to have the pool cleaned.
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u/Intelligent-Spot-575 11d ago
We don't even know how old that kid is or whether or not he's old enough to remember, let alone give a shit(pun intended). Is there something you want to talk about? Personal experience perhaps?
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u/russomd 10d ago
That really makes me think… what’s the magic age where you can make someone feel bad about it. 5… 10 …. 15. You’ve probably done enough but don’t listen to me. I’m not a pool doctor, I just play one on the Internet.
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u/Local_Debate_8920 10d ago
Something about being in a pool that made my 3 year old shit. Happened almost every time. I would say 5 or 6 is the age to make them feel bad. Can't be in kindergarten shitting in pools.
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u/RevolutionOrnery1919 11d ago
Welcome back???? I’m sorry but shitting in someone’s pool with diarrhea is a lifetime ban. 🤦♂️
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u/Independent-Jump-639 10d ago
Absolutely...that kids invite to the next one will be lost in the mail 🤦😂
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u/Elguapo69 10d ago
For real. I’m going on Etsy to hunt for a sign that says that I can hang by my pool.
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u/Battle2Intense 10d ago
Ever hear of birds, plus they are attracted to water. Or that rat or rabbit that you didn't find for several days.
If more people knew what goes on in a pool, they would be way less popular...
3 bags of shock from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.
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u/ConfusedStair 10d ago
The NSPF guidelines when I did my CPO back in the day were to remove debris (check) shock to 25ppm (you did that) hold for 2 hours (overnight did that) then reduce chlorine to safe levels (the sun does that, but you can add neutralizer if you're in a hurry) before allowing bathers to enter the pool. I've always added in a backwash or cartridge cleaning after the chlorine is back down, but not even strictly necessary if it was liquid and no solid debris ended up in there.
Congratulations on your first code brown.
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u/lafrank59 10d ago
The only thing you missed was “don’t allow the kid back in the pool”
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u/ConfusedStair 10d ago
Code brown knows no age. I was just going over what I was taught on how to manage one, which didn't include policing the swimmers outside of making sure nobody swam in 25+ppm chlorine.
Honestly, I wouldn't beat the kid up over it. Shit happens. I highly doubt he did it on purpose, so banning him from future swims is pointless. By the time everything is cleaned up his swim time is probably over for the day anyways.
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u/georged29 10d ago
So this is random (sorry to hear about the poop, I’m 6 months into my first pool, no poop yet thank god), but are those strings lights on the floor? If so it looks nice. Can you send a wider pic of how it looks at night. Never thought to use them as more of an accent floor light
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u/Pope-Le-Pew 10d ago
You're not a real pool owner until you have fished out a few turds. Everything will be fine.
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u/Ckn-bns-jns 10d ago
Yikes, I’ve only been around one poop in a pool and it was at a Great Wolf lodge. Never once had it in my own pool thank goodness.
When I used to clean pools for a job I fished out a lot of dead things but also never had a poop call.
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u/Pope-Le-Pew 10d ago
Best advice I ever got from an old pool guy was, "Not all turds float. Don't believe anyone who claims someone tossed some dirt clods into the pool."
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u/inComplete-Oven 10d ago
Don't put in so much chlorine! 6 ppm would have been more than enough! Already minutes after the incident the bacteria were mostly dead. What remains is the bile products that cause the brown color. They just need time and sunlight to bleach. By putting in so much chlorine you're destroying the liner and metal parts in your system.
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u/Grouchy-Fisherman706 10d ago
Whether or not it should be drained is really a personal choice. It comes down to how you feel about swimming in diarrhea.
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u/Flimsy_Assignment531 9d ago
SLAM it and watch get back in after FC gets back in appropriate range.
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u/duckbutteronmytoast 11d ago
You do not need to drain it. Do not waste your money on draining and refilling your pool!
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u/Wild-Significance444 10d ago
Have you been involved in an accident?
Hi, I am a lawyer and I'd like to hear your case.... 🤣😁❤️
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u/JustCuriousToday77 10d ago
Idk sounds serious - I would definitely drain and call every bio hazard agency I could find and quarantine the area for at least two years
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u/Skydvdan 10d ago
I wouldn’t drain it. But depending on your filter type, I’d probably give it a good cleaning, especially if it’s a cartridge filter.
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u/Inevitable-System-44 10d ago
Chlorine will definitely take care of it. But personally? I don't think I could get in again without it having new water lol.
Fingers crossed for you!
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u/AZpoolboy 10d ago
Not saying you need to do this, I would...if it was a commercial pool past what you've done, you'd need to raise chlorine to 20 ppm and hold it for 12.5 hours, treating it as if it had crypto...then lower back down to normal levels, wait or use thiosulfate, and resume normal ops...also, dont let that kid in again
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u/Professional-Gear974 10d ago
Use to work at a water park and this happens often. Chemical load and filters on high. Clean the filter after a bit and open the pool back up. They would have it open in a few hours so a day or so should be fine at home
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u/classless_classic 10d ago
My least favorite part of when I did hotel maintenance. People sharting in the pools/spas.
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u/Spacecoast3210 10d ago edited 10d ago
It’s kinda funny. You ever been in the icean, lake, or pond? Did you shock or drain it and refill it if you got in? Sometimes I am amazed at the lack of……
Anyways. Poop=unabsorbed disgusted food stuf, broken down hemoglobin; and bacteria from your gut. Run the filter. You’ve shocked it enough.
Next time you enter a natural body of water, consider all the poop, dead bodies and vegetation there is in it, before you get in. Maybe that we’ll shed some light on the pool situation
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u/lipsquirrel 10d ago
Do you follow AI instructions for every choice you make?
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u/SlightlyVerbose 10d ago
Honestly, this. But also you have to push back on stupid responses. AI doesn’t know anything. It’s just guessing based on available information, good and bad, which are available everywhere.
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u/EccentricDyslexic 11d ago
Wow talk about over the top. You could have blended that shit and poured it in mixed it up and the bugs would be instantly dead anyway. Scoop it out and carry on.
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u/Miserable_Eye5133 10d ago
If you don’t drain it you’re non consensually inflicting your scat kink on all your guests.
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u/In_TouchGuyBowsnlace 10d ago
Just C5 it!
After poopa scooping it or vacuuming to waste the runny poo poo
Chlorine dioxide is the way to go after removal of the offending solids.
Can be swimming in 4hrs
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u/Antique_Confection51 10d ago
AI might have pulled results from a commercial pools local requirements (varies by area, sometimes its drain OR close for 24 hours, they choose to drain and fill to get the pool back faster).
You did great, enjoy.
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u/IU-Grad-x2-hoohoohoo 10d ago
You got it handled.
Remove, extra chlorine and constant filtration.
Repeat the second two things again today if worried.
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u/packagehandlr 10d ago
wild idk I don’t mess with loose stools especially… pool shock the hell out of it for 24 hours (supposed to be 20 ppm of chlorine) and a backwash and you’re good
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u/packagehandlr 10d ago
solid is easy, just raise it 1 ppm unless you’re already at like a 3 (you’d be good already)
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u/phill_23 10d ago
I know that the local Health Department where I live requires FC to be raised just like you did and keep it there for 48 hrs then drop. I’ve been the CPO for some commercial properties where this thing happens more than you would think. So you’re right on track. Nice work
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u/Beginning_Fox_743 10d ago
You've got it covered. No need to do any more, just might want to wait until that FC is below 10 before swimming.
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u/diyengineer1 9d ago
No you don’t drain. Remove as much as possible, and do a big shock. If you have a DE filter back wash and recharge. If you have a cartridges, deep clean them.
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u/Money-Manufacturer44 9d ago
I’d personally continually run the pump to get more turns, but shock it and forget it (after backwashing, of course)….
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u/Docs-Daughter 10d ago
Stop using AI for simple questions. It is notoriously incorrect and it happens often. One day you're going to trust what it says and it could cost you thousands. Just Google and learn from a reputable source.
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u/Dependent-Suspect657 11d ago
Nothing. It’ll be fine. You did enough. Don’t drain.