# If someone shits in an olympic-size pool, do they have to drain the whole pool? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 3, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213 "2009-05-03T21:39:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/41 "2009-05-04T19:03:47Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Everyone into the hot tub!!! Good times! Me and some of my buddies snuck into our hotel hottub after it was closed. The maintenance guy caught us and reamed us out. Then, he explained to us why the hot tub gets closed every night. Apparently, by the end of the day of use by spring breakers - the hot tub is close to 20% urine\*. They have to chlorinate the piss out of it\*\* at night to make it safe for the next day. We were pretty much marinating in pure bleach - awesome! \*probably exaggerated - just reporting what I was told. \*\*see what I did there? ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/42 "2009-05-04T20:29:09Z")
Hot tubs in general are tricky things to keep maintained. The amount of water is very small and they have high turnover. Every person who comes in to the tub brings in their share of stuff that binds to the chlorine, using it up. Additionally, since the water is hot you tend to sweat, which also binds to the free chlorine. Also, the water is hot, which speeds up all the chemical reactions. Finally, there’s geometry. The surface area of the hot tub is much greater relative to its volume than the surface area of a pool, so chlorine is going to evaporate out much faster. Combine all this with a bunch of drunk people spilling their beer and what have you, and the chances that the chlorine levels are out of whack is pretty high. I doubt the tub is 20% urine, as it would have a distinct smell and yellow cast by that point, but Im sure it’s pretty gross. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/43 "2009-05-04T20:53:05Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > I guess I am amazed at the number of people who never really thought about what it means to go swimming in pools with a bunch of other people. That other people are too lazy to get up to go to the bathroom? Anyway, it’s still gross for the person doing it. Then won’t you have a pee or shit stained bathing suit? That’s horrifying. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/44 "2009-05-04T21:47:13Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Did the ‘squiggly worms’ look [like this](http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/invertebrates/invertid/images/Mosquito_Larva1.jpg)? Nah. They were long, thin, and squiggly, like ramen noodles. ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/45 "2009-05-04T22:26:08Z")
A urine stained bathing suit? You’re peeing while submersed in water. Any bit of anything that comes in contact with your now very diluted urine is immediately being rinsed with chlorinated water. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/46 "2009-05-04T22:27:31Z")
> [@Tenebras](#): > > A urine stained bathing suit? You’re peeing while submersed in water. Any bit of anything that comes in contact with your now very diluted urine is immediately being rinsed with chlorinated water. So you’re saying you won’t have a yellow or brown stained crotch? It’s pressed up right against you! I still think it’s absolutely disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/47 "2009-05-04T22:33:17Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Related question: Would a Baby Ruth bar be safe to eat after floating in a chlorinated pool for a while? Was it [you](http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/poop-1-1.jpg) in this picture, then? Please tell me you didn’t eat that…_pleeeeease._ ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/48 "2009-05-04T22:46:18Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > So you’re saying you won’t have a yellow or brown stained crotch? It’s pressed up right against you! I still think it’s absolutely disgusting. I’m saying that if you pee in your swimsuit, no one need ever know if you don’t tell them. In fact, someone has probably peed in the pool while standing next to you and you didn’t even notice. There just isn’t that much there to do the staining. The other thing is that most stains happen when the staining agent is absorbed into the material and then bonds to it in some way. If your swimsuit is already wet (because you’re in the water already) the fibers aren’t going to absorb the pee. As for taking a dump in your swimsuit, that’s something else. I don’t know anyone who has voluntarily done it, and if you get solids that are trapped in your suit, they’re going to get rubbed in and then probably make stains. ---
**Author:** ![imfloating](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bc79bd/32.png) [@imfloating](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imfloating)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/49 "2009-05-04T23:21:22Z")
I tend to stay away from pools with pool bars. Pull up a chair one day and watch how some people can sit there drinking for hours and never get out to have a pee. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/50 "2009-05-04T23:38:56Z")
When I was in high school, a kid went up on the 3 meter dive board, dropped trou, and crapped into the pool. They immediately evacuated the pool and shut it down for the rest of the day. The school drained the pool, refilled it, and billed the kid’s parents, giving the kid the option of working it off with community service (picking up trash on campus for 8 hours every Saturday for the rest of the school year). Our biology teacher said it was overkill, and shocking the pool with extra chlorine would have been enough from a public health standpoint. The administration knew it was overkill, too. The draining and billing was done mainly as a “damn it, get your kid under control” slap to the parents, with a side effect of calming down squeamish students who might have been reluctant to use the pool. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/51 "2009-05-04T23:42:20Z")
Ok, I admit to skimming a bit-- did we find out yet why the OP wants to shit in a public pool? ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/52 "2009-05-05T00:19:17Z")
What about Europe? They use ozone instead of chlorine…does it work better? ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/53 "2009-05-05T03:08:42Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Ok, I admit to skimming a bit-- did we find out yet why the OP wants to shit in a public pool? it’s a joke, bruh. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/54 "2009-05-05T03:18:21Z")
> [@arseNal](#): > > Just don’t go to youtube and enter “diarrhea hot tub” in the searchbox and then click the first result. You’ve been warned. Oh, wait. You said _don’t_ click on it. Shitty. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/55 "2009-05-05T13:33:12Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > When I was in high school, a kid went up on the 3 meter dive board, dropped trou, and crapped into the pool. Cannonball. ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/56 "2009-05-06T03:53:50Z")
> [@Cagey\_Drifter](#): > > it’s a joke, bruh. Joke how? Joke as in “I was joking about wanting to take a dump in the pool” or joke as in “I want to take a dump in the pool as a joke”? * * * So a priest, a minister and a rabbi walk into a bar and… aww fuck it, I’m just going to take a shit in this here pool! ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/57 "2009-05-06T06:23:02Z")
> [@Tenebras](#): > > Hot tubs in general are tricky things to keep maintained. The amount of water is very small and they have high turnover. Every person who comes in to the tub brings in their share of stuff that binds to the chlorine, using it up. Additionally, since the water is hot you tend to sweat, which also binds to the free chlorine. Also, the water is hot, which speeds up all the chemical reactions. Finally, there’s geometry. The surface area of the hot tub is much greater relative to its volume than the surface area of a pool, so chlorine is going to evaporate out much faster. > > Combine all this with a bunch of drunk people spilling their beer and what have you, and the chances that the chlorine levels are out of whack is pretty high. I doubt the tub is 20% urine, as it would have a distinct smell and yellow cast by that point, but Im sure it’s pretty gross. Yonks ago, I remember reading a story about massage parlour hot-tubs, and how guys would take advantage of a pre massage soak to “last longer”. Not remarkable in itself. Except that about two weeks later I was talking to a colleague that was telling me all about how his band had shot a video in a massage parlour hot-tob. When I told him about what goes on in them the look on his face was priceless… ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/58 "2009-05-06T08:01:58Z")
What if you take an Olympic size shit in a regular pool? ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/59 "2009-05-06T11:47:19Z")
> [@arseNal](#): > > Just don’t go to youtube and enter “diarrhea hot tub” in the searchbox and then click the first result. You’ve been warned. There’s an extremely entertaining SDMB thread on a similar subject, but I’m not going to be the first to link to it. ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213/60 "2009-05-06T15:19:58Z")
> [@Tenebras](#): > > Joke how? Joke as in “I was joking about wanting to take a dump in the pool” or joke as in “I want to take a dump in the pool as a joke”? About being concerned about potentially wasting a swimming pool’s worth of water and contaminating legions of swimmers’ mouths with fecal matter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-shits-in-an-olympic-size-pool-do-they-have-to-drain-the-whole-pool/495213.md?page=4)