Why the Rio Olympic Pool Turned Green and Lessons We Can Learn From it.

First I want to say that I feel really bad for those who were in charge of the Olympic Pool in Rio that turned green and had to be drained. When I get to a pool on my route and it is looking something like this, I always look around for the customer because it is embarrassing to say the least. If they are not around I breathe a sigh of relief and then I proceed to rapidly turn it around.

So for this to happen in such a huge World Wide venue, I can't imagine the feeling of those in charge. The ridicule and shaming they must now endure has got to be just unbearable. So I will leave it at that and not pile on in this article. But there are many lessons to learn from this incident that we can all apply to our swimming pools and swimming pool routes.

Lesson #1: Stuff like this happens, you need to be equipped with the knowledge to deal with it.

Just today I was at an account and from last week to today it looked like the Rio Diving Pool. It has been in the 100's all week here in Southern California so things can turn ugly very fast. The customer has a Salt System and just as luck would have it, the fuse must have blown a few days ago. So with the heat and no chlorine in the water it turned cloudy green on me very quickly. The customer didn't call nor complain since they have owned their pool for over 10 years now, and this has happened before. They knew I would take care of it and I did.

So things will happen like the motor dying or the filter grids tearing, or you might forget to put chemicals in one week (I am guilty of that one). In Rio it seems someone added Hydrogen Peroxide which in effect destroyed all of the chlorine in the pool. The lesson here is that you need to know how to correct it right away. I have filmed a few videos on how to turn a cloudy or green pool around in 24 hours so you can refer to those if you would like. They appear at the bottom of this article.

The point, know more than basic chemistry if you own a pool. If your pool is blue now, research what to do if it starts to turn green or cloudy. Also research troubleshooting tips for your pool equipment in case of a future failure. Plan for the worst and be ready if it happens. 

The Navy Seals are the most elite fighting force on the planet and when they go into a mission they also have a plan for failure, in some cases a plan for a failure for their plan for failure. So if the most Elite Soldiers plan for failure you as a pool should also.

So whether it is someone dumping in large amounts of Hydrogen Peroxide or a Salt water System failing, be ready for failure. I think there just was no plan in Rio for any kind of failure and they were left scrambling.  

If you don't have the knowledge and your pool starts to go South on you, this leads to panic, a frantic trip to the pool store and $300 worth of chemicals. The pool store employees can see your panic stricken face a mile away. So have a plan in place. If you service pools for a living, the learning curve can be steep for beginners and sometimes there is so much to do each day that if you open the gate and see a swamp on your route you can feel like giving up. So watch these three videos below to gain some practical knowledge before the disaster strikes.

Lesson 2#: When in doubt call a professional.

I don't know the extent of swimming pool service industry in Brazil but I am going to say they have experts in the field like here in the USA. I think maybe they waited too long and tried to correct the problem before calling in the Calvary.  If you have a pool that has turned green and feel you cannot address the problem yourself in a timely manner -quickly, then call a pool service company right away. They will show up usually the same day and start the treatment for you. Time is essential when a pool starts to turn. Even one day can take it from cloudy light green to a swamp.  If you service pools for a living it is okay to sub-contract a green pool out to another company. Better to get it back in shape and lose money than to lose the account. 

The lesson here, if your bleeding out you would call 911 right away. So don't hesitate to call a pool service professional if your pool is turning green. 

Lesson #3: Pools are a real pain.

I am not trying to be sarcastic here, just realistic. Pools are a headache, they raise your utility bills and they are extremely expensive to build. I suppose Rio had no choice but to put some pools in, but if you are considering having one built for your house, housing complex or apartment, think long and hard about it. They require constant maintenance and the return on investment in most cases is very small - maybe a dozen times a season you will actually use the pool. 

Think about it and make a list of pros and cons before you commit yourself to years of work, worry and sometimes frustration. Yes, pools have some real benefits but they also have some real drawbacks. These are some practical lessons for you if you have a pool or are considering a pool.

Rio, I feel for you, I really do. Tokyo, if you need help in 2020 I am willing to go to Japan - I here it is the coolest place on Earth to visit, so call me if needed.