So, we are emptying the kiddy pool soon and I am thinking of putting 2 of our rain barrels in the basement and filling them up with water from the pool and using them as back up/storage water. I stopped adding chemicals last week but it had chlorine puck and algaecide (along an assortment of bugs, leaves, sweat from a 9 yr old and the odd 47 yr old when it was REALLY hot). I am thinking it would be acceptable to use for toilet flushing and boiled, for washing. The pool is 12' round and 48" high so it is a lot of water to waste, i'd like to save some of it. Any thoughts? Anyone re-use pool water for anything?
If you have a septic tank, I would rethink that idea...some of the chemicals might kill off the bacteria that you septic system needs to work properly. But if you are on city sewer, then it should be OK. As for washing..not too sure I would.
Better to use it for watering your garden than for drinking unless of course you have something like a Berky water purification system, in which case after flowing through that it should be safe to drink.
If you were off grid then that type of water would be perfect for flushing your toilet as well as watering your garden.
Noli Illigitimi Carborundum
(Don’t let the bastards wear you down)
Good advice in both the above posts. It would be fine for watering the garden and flushing the toilet. Personally I would not use it for anything else even if boiled. boiling alone will not protect against giardia, a common parasite and although you added a chlorine puck it would be difficult to know the chorine levels, in any case these will drop with time.
A Berky filter, as stated, would make even this water safe to drink.
while i'm not super paranoid about what i water my garden with, i'm not sure i'd use water that was treated with anything. there are bacteria at work in the soil, and the chlorine will evaporate,i'm not sure the algaecide would be good for anything in the garden, but why risk it.
i'd put it in the ground away from food or trees, it's a lot of water but it's going back into the system. . .
if i'm going to store water, i'm going to make sure it's potable. why store stuff you can't drink.
ceramic filters will clean it up, but unless they have carbon in them, they will not remove the chemicals.
unless your well is dry, or you can't afford a big city water bill, i wouldn't risk it.
adsum. . . aut viam inveniam aut faciam