Hello everybody, We bought an inflatable kiddie pool (the $20 one from Big Lots) and a tarp which we keep on it so we don't have to empty it out everytime. We haven't had it very long but it has become slimy. We were wondering if there was something safe to put in there to stop it or if we just have to empty it. Which is not easy to do. If you have any suggestions on that I'll take them to. We have a 17 month old and a 3 1/2 year old. We don't want them in any danger. Thank you & God Bless
Hi S.,
We bought a syphon pump and a couple of hoses to empty the water out of our kiddie pool every few days...especially in this heat, you shouldn't let the water sit for very long at all. Bacteria can grow that can be very dangerous if ingested. Wal Mart sells these pumps in the sporting goods area. Works like a charm for us!
Blessings,
K.
The slimy stuff is algae. If you plan on leaving water in the pool, you have to add chlorine. Without it bacteria can grow to dangerous levels for swimmers and it will become a breeding ground for mosquitos. Chlorine is only sold in large amounts, which wouldn't be very cost effective for a kiddie pool. You can find small chlorine floaters made for spas, or maybe you could get a bag of chlorine shock and use little bits of it. You'll need chemicals to test the chlorine and pH levels, too, otherwise the water can be very irritating to the skin. I have an old test kit from last season that you can have if you're willing to come get it - I live in Mesquite. I can also give you a few chlorine tablets. But without circulation like you get from a pool filter, I would still think you'd need to empty it every couple of weeks.
I was thinking, maybe a chlorine tablet in one of the pool floatie things? I agree with the other post that maybe someone at Leslie's would better answer your question. Their info is free.
You can buy the smaller quantities of shock at Walmart or Target. There may even be something available for the smaller pools. It's been a few years since we had one, but it's very easy to add. You can even get the test strips there if you want to do that too. But you'll still probably have to empty the water every so often and refresh.
we have always had the same problem. Water will become stagnet if it is not moving and cleaned. I would try depending on the size, adding some shock it every so often. I'm sure you can determine accourding to the amount of gallons it holds as to how much you would need. Be safe and go to a pool store so you know you are getting good advice then you could probably get your supplies at walmart. We had a really nice pool a few years back that even had a filter and was about 10ft across. Our problem was that it kept attracting mesquitos. I noticed little black things all over the place and had some one come out to look at it and they said it was mesquito nests. gross! So deffinatly be careful and don't have it anywhere near bushes.
