Smelly Pool

[sfls0409]

I have an Intex above ground pool that did not get taken down from last year. I live in SD, but thankfully we had a very mild winter so it seems the pool lining is all in tact. The problem is that we didn't cover the pool either so any snow/water/bird poop/etc that did accumulate sat in the pool for months. We have pumped all of this water out and cleaned the empty pool with bleach, but it still smells like poop. How do we get rid of this? My fiance said that once we fill the pool we will put shock treatment in the water, but shouldn't we do something before we put the water in? I want to have as clean a pool as possible before we add the water...lots of people and kids swim in the pool and I want to have peace of mind that it's clean. Any suggestions?

[BigDave]

Scrubbed with bleach, sounds like you've done what you can do. Be sure to rinse it out, full strength bleach will damage your liner.
Fill the pool, start the circulation / filtration, add and maintain chlorine at shock value per Ben's Best Guess Chart (http://poolsolutions.com/gd/best-guess-swimming-pool-chlorine-chart.html), brush - especially near the waterline. The chlorine should take care of whatever causes the smell.

How do you plan to add CYA to your pool? How do you chlorinate? Tell us more about your Pool and equipment.

[PoolDoc]

It's VERY likely that the smell problems will go away, if you refill, and keep your chlorine high for a week.

[CarlD]

If birds and critters have been pooping IN the pool, they probably have been pooping around the pool as well. Could the smell be in the soil around it?