That’s no candy bar!

By Tracy Lawrence

A beautiful summer day. A soundtrack of music blended with laughter, chirping birds and splashes.  Abruptly, serenity morphs into commotion and your joyful pool party is replaced with panic as guests frantically exit the pool and run away.

You are left standing alone, an empty yard, a ton of sliced watermelon, lemon-aid…

…and a mystery.

As you scan the yard for clues to what caused the ruckus, your gaze halts at an unidentified, floating log of suspicious, yet familiar size – smack dab in the middle of your pool. 

You need to get to the bottom of the floating *gag* mystery.

If you’re lucky, you will find it to be a candy bar left behind by a very messy picnicker or a practical joker.  Scoop that chocolate out and it’s business as usual!

We do not recommend consuming.

BUT, if you find it is NOT a candy bar, and is, in fact, your worst pool nightmare – don’t fret.  No need to burn down the pool.  You can fix this.

For those who may feel this is not a big deal, your pool is maintained, your sanitizer is  within the recommended range and you have plenty of shock…  Here’s the thing.  That *NOT* candy bar could contain harmful bacteria that is actually resists chlorine, so those people who ran screaming when it appeared?  They were not being dramatic.  They narrowly escaped a gut-wrenching villain: “Crypto.”

To rid your pool of Crypto, short for Cryptosporidium, you must follow a series of very important steps:  Remove the *ahem* candy bar, or as much of it as possible.  Be sure to toss your net into your pool during the next step, it will need to be disinfected. Elevate your sanitizer for an extended period of time.  Run your pump 24/7.  Do not reenter the pool for 48 hours.  Clean your filter
 
We got your back at Backyard Pools, ready for whatever crap comes your way .   We vow to get you on the road to recovery.  I am including a link to the CDC:  precise steps on how high to raise your sanitizer level, how long, etc.  These are the very guidelines we will follow when offering advice because we care about your pool and everyone who swims with you.

https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/aquatics-professionals/fecalresponse.html

This blog may have been a bit awkward, but no buts about it, stuff  happens and we are here to help no matter the sh….   situation you find your pool.

 Now get out there (after completing these steps) and enjoy that pool!