ive done some research on this since where i live every other house has a pool. that, and ive seen/heard some interesting myths about pools in shtf situations.
drinking clean pool water in small quantities is ok, however this doesnt mean its safe to use as a water source. there are some chemicals used to treat pool water that when boiled change their basic chemical structure to become MORE toxic to human physiology. some things people add to pool water are sanitizers like chlorine, baquacil, and bromine, amongst others. other chemicals are used for maintenance such as salt, algicides, anti-foaming agents, sequestering agents, party additives like bubbles and colors, as well as so many other chemicals i cant even remember them all. the liquid chlorine used in pools is the same as household bleach except it is twice as concentrated. there are other types of chlorine that can be used such as the slow-release tablets. all pools arent sanitized by chlorine and can contain other chemicals but regardless chlorine does not kill 100% of germs in pool water. a few days after loss of power or maintenance neglect the pool will become an algae infested cesspool that attracts all sorts of local wildlife. in summary, pool water can potentially be more hazardous to your health than any other 'natural' water source, although if the alternative was dehydrating there isnt much choice. where i live a hole dug 6 feet or so gives you all the water you can drink. pool water would just be used for toilet flushing or firefighting.
just because commercial pools are supposedly better regulated that does NOT mean they are safer or the water is any cleaner or better. more often than not the opposite is true.
there are no heavy metals of consequence in the pool plaster itself however metals from various metal-containing components of the pool, such as the plumbing system, pump, heater, solar panels, etc, can contribute to the presence of metals in the water. other sources of metals are the water originally used to fill the pool and various chemicals added for maintenance, such as copper-containing algecides. the thing with metals in pool water is they never come out regardless of age or filtration technique and over time accumulate in the water. there are additives that are used in pools to keep these metals in suspension to prevent their precipitating out and causing problems. as was previously mentioned the only way to get metals out of pool water is to dispose of it and refill the pool with metal-free water.
@woodyga...30k gallon pool? damn, do you go jetskiing in that thing?
