A Toronto-area woman claims her rights were violated when she was asked to stop breastfeeding while half immersed in a public swimming pool.

The incident happened Oct. 24 in Newmarket, northeast of Toronto, when 32-year-old Cinira Longuinho began breastfeeding her daughter while sitting midway down on steps of a pool so she could chat with swimming friends, the Toronto Star reported.

Ellie Karkouti, owner of the private AquaCenter Swim Pool, asked Longuinho to move to a changing room or the viewing gallery. Instead, Longuinho resumed swimming with her daughter and later fed her in the changing room, she said.

I decided not to attach a picture for this blog!

Firstly I must clearly state that this story is not about me but about a pony called Fat Boy. It seems that Fat Boy had a taste for rotten apples that had began to ferment and caused the poor pony to get drunk. The twelve-year-old pony then fell into a neighbour’s swimming pool and had to be retrieved by the emergency services. Lucky Fat Boy was not hurt but may have needed a sleep-in the next morning to shift the hangover.

This story, which was reported in the Telegraph, did not mention if there was any damage to the swimming pool or about pool safety. Pool Safety is an issue that has become more prominent over that past few years especially since France introduced some very strong laws on swimming pool safety for domestic pool owners with a fine of upto 45,000 euro for pool owners who are not compliant. Pool alarms, safety fence and pool safety covers are the most popular products that will help provide safety around your pool.

One final point, looking at the picture, it was doubtful that the pool had been winterised as the water was a little on the green / brown side. This can easily happen if a pool is left for a while and the weather is on the mild side. For any information on closing your pool or on swimming pool safety, please give one of our technical experts a call on 0845 408 4976.

If you have an outdoor swimming pool in the U.K. you should now be thinking about preparing it for the colder winter months.

Winterising a swimming pool can be a daunting task but it will save problems and expense in the future. If you don’t prepare your pool for the rigours of the colder winter months you may find that pipe work has been damaged by freezing water and your pool may become overly contaminated with debris and algae.

To effectively prepare your swimming pool for the cold winter months you will need:
An appropriate winter pool cover
Swimming pool water treatment chemicals
Pool winterising water treatment algaecide
Water testing strips
Pool buoys or floats

Procedure:

1. Carefully inspect your pool liner and repair any damage that may have occurred during the summer
2. Balance your swimming pool water. Ensure that the pH is in the range from 7.2 to 7.6.
3. Raise your pool chlorine level to between 6 and 10 ppm by shock dosing.
4. Distribute the chlorine evenly throughout your pool water by running the pool pump for about 12 hours
5. Drain your pool water by about 6 inches to allow for rainwater build up during the winter
6. Introduce some floats either polystyrene, empty chemical containers part filled with water or purpose designed pool buoys. Ensure these are tethered in place around the swimming pool. These will lessen the pressure caused by ice should the pool water freeze
7. Clean and stow your summer pool cover
8. Drain the water from your swimming pool pump, your pool heater and your filter. This is an important step that will prevent damage to expensive equipment that may be caused by freezing water
9. Fit your winter swimming pool cover and ensure that it is tethered tightly and not drooping in the water
10. Set yourself a reminder to check your swimming pool water pH and chlorine levels regularly throughout the winter. If chlorine levels are low add liquid chlorine and be sure to stir it in to prevent bleaching of your pool liner
11. Set yourself another reminder to thoroughly inspect your pool water in late February or Early March. As the days begin to get longer algae is likely to begin to form in your pool. You may need to add more chlorine or algaecide to keep your pool water algae free and ready for use when the weather finally warms up.

You will find everything you need to effectively prepare your swimming pool for a cold British winter in our online shop. If you have any uncertainties regarding what you need to do in order to prepare your pool for the winter don’t hesitate to call us here at H2OFun or use our contact form to ask us a question. We are always happy to help.