Swim up Bars

[hawaiianmoonlight]

Ah, nicely said rob o and thanks! I can't wait to relax while being in the pool or ocean. The drinks will be great and when it's time to go I personally am glad to be able to take a walk to the restroom. My barometer of another drink or not.

[Bill]

Thanks Rob O for the Aqua lesson I heading for the pool bar first thing. If i do see a #2 Im out of there. Being close to Boston with the Concord, Charles and Alwife rivers surronding me I think what you say is correct. Pool pee might be that much better. For the record, I make the trip to the bathroom.

[danadog56]

Originally Posted by rob o

OK folks.....let's not panic. I'm in the water/wastewater industry and I don't avoid swim-up bars. If it's bacteria you're worried about, it's in #2, not #1 . #1 is, well, somewhat sterile. If you see any #2, I might recommend going to another part of the pool, but I wouldn't jump out. Chlorine is a nifty disinfectant and oxidizing agent.....

Now...where do you think the water goes when people in Illinois or Iowa or any of those northern states in the Mississippi watershed flush their little porcelain thrones? You are right, the Mississippi River. Think the people down in Louisiana drink that same water.....you're right again, they do.

Septic systems, wells, septic systems, wells, septic systems, well...I'm sure you get the idea.

The water we drink has been around for millions of years...and...it's been in lots of places.

Bottoms up! Drink alcohol, not water. It's cleaner!

rob o.....well said...especially the part about drinking alcohol not water !!!!! As for me, that thought about #1 never kept me out, guess as I said in an earlier statement...never thought people would do that in water they are also in...
So, on to the in water pool !!!

[arubamark]

One can only hope that being adults we know the right thing to do and that we are doing so. The concern is, Renaissance is a family resort so you will see alot of kids that do now know any better so it might happen unless the parents are diligent. Being a father of 2 I make sure my kids take a break every so often with a trip to the room.

[Arubalisa]

Originally Posted by arubamark

The concern is, Renaissance is a family resort so you will see alot of kids that do now know any better so it might happen unless the parents are diligent.

The pool at the Tamarijn is a "kid magnet" thus I stay out as much as humanely possible. Don't have to worry about dd...she is diligent to the point of not only using the restroom, but telling other people, including adults , to wash their hands after they USE the restroom!

[arubamark]

Originally Posted by Arubalisa

The pool at the Tamarijn is a "kid magnet" thus I stay out as much as humanely possible. Don't have to worry about dd...she is diligent to the point of not only using the restroom, but telling other people, including adults , to wash their hands after they USE the restroom!

There is nothing wrong with that. We also share good personal hygiene. Teach them young it goes a long way.

[Edronenburg]

Robb O...Very well explained. Hope this puts it all to rest.

[TJMadhouse]

As Rob O has expertly explained treated sewage does end up back at your tap as potable water....it alway has and it always will. However after being involved with everything from 1.5 million Gallon commercial pools to 1 million Dollar plus residential pools in the Hamptons to heavy metal removal at etching companies I can tell you for certain that NO Swimming Pool has the same filitation capablities as a sewage treatment plant...and they don't need it. As a matter of fact I have personally witnessed that some of the Resort Pools that are in Aruba (and other places for that fact) have NO permanent filteration system at all. They simply run a deck filter for a couple of hours each morning and that is it for the rest of the day. My point is that swimming pool filtration, no matter how good it is, is not compable (and is not intended to) of doing the same job as a sewage treatment plant...it simply is not designed for the same purpose...and in a situation such as where a Deck Filter is used in the morning the water is not "Turned Over" at all during the couse of the day. The term "Turned Over" refers to the number of times that the same number of gallons that is contained in the pool passes through the filter in given amount of time. While most swim up bars that I have seen do have a permanent filteration system they are marginal at best and have a low Turn Over rate...and many are designed to be somehow (at least partially) segregated from the rest of the pool. As a matter of fact if a particular pool does not have a permanent way to turn the water over if CAN NOT have a way of automatically adding chemicals to the water during the day, and that includes even basic chemicals such as Chloine (On-Line or Off Line Chlorinator), when it most needed.

[kthy66]

Originally Posted by TJMadhouse

As Rob O has expertly explained treated sewage does end up back at your tap as potable water....it alway has and it always will. However after being involved with everything from 1.5 million Gallon commercial pools to 1 million Dollar plus residential pools in the Hamptons to heavy metal removal at etching companies I can tell you for certain that NO Swimming Pool has the same filitation capablities as a sewage treatment plant...and they don't need it. As a matter of fact I have personally witnessed that some of the Resort Pools that are in Aruba (and other places for that fact) have NO permanent filteration system at all. They simply run a deck filter for a couple of hours each morning and that is it for the rest of the day. My point is that swimming pool filtration, no matter how good it is, is not compable (and is not intended to) of doing the same job as a sewage treatment plant...it simply is not designed for the same purpose...and in a situation such as where a Deck Filter is used in the morning the water is not "Turned Over" at all during the couse of the day. The term "Turned Over" refers to the number of times that the same number of gallons that is contained in the pool passes through the filter in given amount of time. While most swim up bars that I have seen do have a permanent filteration system they are marginal at best and have a low Turn Over rate...and many are designed to be somehow (at least partially) segregated from the rest of the pool. As a matter of fact if a particular pool does not have a permanent way to turn the water over if CAN NOT have a way of automatically adding chemicals to the water during the day, and that includes even basic chemicals such as Chloine (On-Line or Off Line Chlorinator), when it most needed.

Thanks TJ! You confirmed what I initially thought about treatment of the pool water.
I just cant see myself ever swimming in a pool with a swim up bar again. Totally grosses me out... especially after my experience last year at the Occidental.

[Andrea J.]

As a certified swimming pool operator, red cross water safety instructor and lifeguard training instructor I am trying to speak from experience.

if folks are too lazy to use the bathroom and are using the pool instead .....................the chlorine or other disinfecting system that the facility is using is most likely its job.

the rate of turnover should be a turnover every 5 hrs or less.
the filter should always be running while the pool is in use.
and the turnover rate has nothing to do with urine in the pool.

(i have been peed on almost every working day of my last 30 yrs ...i teach swim classes and my first lessons of the day were toddlers and preschoolers.....................and they DO PEE......the good news is that although it is disgusting it is harmless providing the pool chemicals are balanced. )

if you see a pool where the water sparkles and the water is coming out of the return lines (the jets on the side) that is a GREAT thing.

stay OUT of murky unsparkling water.

if you feel the water coming out of the jets somewhat forcefully then that is a good thing.
the disinfecting chemical(s) should be added automatically not by hand directly to the pool.

stay OUT of public hot tubs /spas.................like giant petrie dishes and the heat of the water and sunlightand rain causes for unbalance of chemicals..........................equalling all sorts of bad diseases and bacterial problems. there is no margin of error on chemical balance of hot tubs.

imo and this sounds gross and disgusting.................i would rather sit in a sparkling pool bar surrounded by folks peeing than to enter a public hot tub.

...........anyone interested in hearing about fecal matter, bloody noses and vomit in a swimming pool? different actions for different consistencies, but here in the usa ranges from shut down and super disinfecting and clean up for as little as 1 hr to 24 hrs.

ex: if it is a diarrhea accident in massachusetts the pool has to be closed, cleaned and super chlorinated for 24 hrs.

i would hope the rules in aruba would be similar?

the pool that i ran in massachusetts (prior to retiring) had water that tested CLEANER than the water coming out of the tap.

i miss my job..........................(not the peeing!!!! )

and "my personal hot tub at home" after our guests would leave, we'd dump the water and refill and then chlorinate. the hot tub at home had a very high turnover rate and we kept the chlorine at 4.0 and the pH at 7.7 it was very well balanced. but if we had guests...........we treated it like it was a leprosy petire dish.
andrea