Interesting Winter Topic: My Vet's Dog Pool

[CarlD]

I thought since most people are not really worrying about their pools right now this might be an interesting topic.

I was at the vet's yesterday with a sick dog.

She was telling she has a 1,200 gal FG indoor pool she uses for dog therapy. But there are two problems:

1) Hair gets all the way through all the inline hair strainers and STILL gets into the filter. I'm wondering if skimmer socks and slime bags on the returns will cure that.

2) She's running carts and she has one of the local pool stores cleaning them for her. She says they are cleaning them in an acid bath. "Acid?" says I. "No wonder they only last 3 months". She said all the detergents are too expensive so I suggested a plastic trash barrel and a box of Electrosol--powdered. Also suggested a sand filter might be less maintenance.

Additionally, she said one of the carts isn't paper and only lasts a month.

Any thoughts? She's relying on the pool store for testing and is using Bio-Ripoff's "Burn out" for chlorine. Says no stabilizer, and the dogs are doing well. She says she dumps the water weekly and keeps it at 90deg F.

I don't know the brand of filter or pump, but I do know there is one skimmer and two low drains (I'm guessing a pair of floor drains).

Thanks.
Carl

[chem geek]

Well, you've already got her on the right track. Yes, I think skimmer socks will help and will probably be enough -- they shouldn't let hair through.

Burn-Out? Yikes! Bleach would, of course, by much less expensive. Even better would be to use some Dichlor initially to build up some CYA to at least 20 ppm and then switch to bleach and maintain 4 ppm FC in the pool (or 6 ppm if 30 ppm CYA is used). By not having any CYA in the water, the chlorine is harsher on the dogs than it needs to be -- not a disaster, but if she wants to minimize oxidation of the dog's hair then that's a way to go, especially if the FC has to be higher to not "run out" of chlorine (dog's use up chlorine quickly due to all the organics in their fur -- they usually don't shower before getting in!).

My "FC being 20% of CYA" is higher than for residential pools as an extra safety margin for disinfection since dogs can introduce a lot of bacteria (saliva, etc.).

[CarlD]

CYA in an indoor pool? I thought that was a no-no. I did, of course, suggest bleach or LC for her chlorine.

We talked a little about bromine, but the water's not hot enough to require that--pool is maintained at 90 deg F (the lowest temp my wife would even consider going into!).

The major problem is, of course, fur and hair. I'm also concerned about using acid baths for cartridge cleaning. I suggested a plastic trash barrel and a box of Electrosol--see if that works.

[AnnaK]

We have two German shepherds in the pool 7 days a week. Shepherds are very heavy shedders and we get a lot of dog hair in the pool.

We use skimmer socks and a PoolSkim. The PoolSkim catches most of the hair, the socks keep it out of the filter. We still do get dog hair that sinks to the bottom and has to be netted up daily.

I would definitely recommend a PoolSkim for her. The socks, too, but she'll have to be sure to check them frequently to avoid the hair compacting and clogging the intake.

[CarlD]

Personally, I'm less concerned about the hair than what's on hair, particularly their back ends. Let's just say they are not as fastidious as most humans. I KNOW I have chlorine there to metabolize it, but still....ugh!

[waterbear]

Personally, I'm less concerned about the hair than what's on hair, particularly their back ends. Let's just say they are not as fastidious as most humans. I KNOW I have chlorine there to metabolize it, but still....ugh!

But that's why dogs have tongues!

And, sorry to say, many humans are not that fastidious. Just ask anyone who has ever cared for a commercial pool.

[CarlD]

But that's why dogs have tongues!

"...because he can..." (punchline to a rude joke)

And, sorry to say, many humans are not that fastidious. Just ask anyone who has ever cared for a commercial pool.

And that's why I avoid commercial pools!

[waterbear]

"...because he can..." (punchline to a rude joke)

"...if you pet him first he might let you..." (punchline to another rude joke)