Another benefit of having a pool!

[Watermom]

A year and a half ago, in the midst of a derecho storm during a week with temps in the 100s every single day and no power for an entire week, being able to hang out in the pool is the only thing that got us through.

Now, my pool is coming through for us again!!

As some of you may have heard on the news, a large area around Charleston, West Virginia is in the midst of a water contamination issue. Yesterday, a chemical leak contaminated our public water system. We have been told to not use any water for anything other than flushing toilets. Stores are sold out of water, all restaurants are closed, hospitals canceling all surgeries other than emergencies, etc.

We have several cases of bottled water on hand and are just fine for now. (No idea how long this will last.) Can't cook, can't bathe, etc. Excuse me!! I want to wash my hair!!

So says me, "I have a whole pool full of clean, clear water. I may not be able to take a shower, but I'm at least gonna wash my hair!" (And, I didn't want to use a case of bottled water to do so.) So, I took a 5 gallon bucket outside, brought water in, filled some large pots and put them on the stove to boil. Once it cooled down, I used it to wash my hair. Lathered up and then my 18 year old son poured it over my head while I leaned over kitchen sink to rinse. I will also use this for drinking water for my 3 golden retrievers.

So, pool to the rescue yet again!

[CarlD]

Good thinking, Lisa!

[Watermom]

Still can't use water and still glad to have a pool full of water!

Today, I did one better instead of just washing hair. Heated up several pots of water and filled two 5-gallon buckets. Took the buckets into my shower that has a seat in it. Sat in my shower, washed and poured cupfuls of water over myself to rinse. Basically was able to take a complete bath. Felt wonderful. Not fun and not quick, but at least i am relatively clean which is a lot more than most people here in Charleston can say today, 48 hours after all this mess started. Without my pool, I would have no way to do anything more than a spit bath with a jug of water.

P.S. Keep your fingers crossed that this doesn't go on too long!! Not fun!

[CarlD]

I have an idea: go to the local camping store and get a sun shower. Put the hot water in THERE, hang it in the tub, and shower semi-normally.

[Watermom]

Funny you should suggest that, Carl, as I mentioned that very thing to somebody earlier.

[Watermom]

Thought about the sun shower. It would be too heavy to hang up. So, kept thinking.....

Here is what I am doing.

Bringing in buckets full of pool water, boiling it, cooling it, pouring it in a large (clean) trashcan. I have a submersible pump that I keep in my pool (it is also clean). Put the submersible pump into the warmed water, attached a clean (new) 25 ft coiled garden hose. Set the trashcan inside the bath tub, spray yourself to get wet, wash and shampoo, then spray yourself off. ***

Now obviously, this is a PITA, but I have no intention of going without the ability to shower and shampoo for days. (And they just had another press conference which was aired on TV. No timeline yet other than just saying it will be "days.")

**McGyver would be proud, don't ya think!

[CarlD]

He sure would! I am!
A new little Rule bilge pump and float switch would allow you turn the McG shower on and off safely, and runs off 12volts.

[chem geek]

You can certainly use the pool water for showering/bathing since it's definitely clean enough for that purpose. You could even use it for washing and rinsing dishes. What you shouldn't do is use it as a source of drinking water. It's not just the miscellaneous organics in the water that chlorine doesn't completely get rid of, but also the salt level. Boiling the water won't fix that problem unless you were to distill the water and that's a real pain and uses a lot of energy.

Be sure to turn off the automatic fill so that you don't contaminate the pool.

In an emergency, there's always the hot water heater for fresh water that can be used for drinking. That assumes that one turned off the intake prior to the contamination reaching it.

[Watermom]

Nah, we aren't using pool water to drink, just for a shower. I have plenty of bottled water to drink. Thanks, Richard!

[JimK]

Yikes! I did see that on the news the other day.

I hope they come up with a solution for y'all soon!

Kind of reminds me when hurricane Isabel hit here (just before we had our pool installed....construction was delayed several months).