Dead animal in pool

[Poolproblems]

We have a 15ft above ground pool in our garden (in UK). For various reasons the pool hasn't been used since last year. It can't be seen from the house due to garden layout and for various MH reasons I've not been in the garden until the last week or so.

At some point the cover has come off the pool which is now half full of stagnant water, and a dead animal (we think badger). I called the council but they are unable to remove it, Rentokil only remove animals from inside. The only company I can find want £450, and can't guarantee removal. Which I will have to pay unless I can find an alternative although it is twice what the pool cost!

Do I just need to suck it up?

My sympathy OP.

Had the same problem. Found a huge rat floating in the pool and a couple of days later found another one. I had to steel myself to lift them out.

I think the best course of action is to puncture the pool to drain it, wrap it all up and bin it.
If you struggle going in the garden supervising the kids in the pool would be difficult.

I've been thinking about this overnight. If you live in an area where people have septic tanks there will be someone who can come and empty the pool for you using the same equipment they would use to empty septic tanks.

Depending on how decomposed the animal is it may way just disappear with the water (if it's a farmer with a slurry tanker the hoses are pretty wide).

It's unlikely they will be too expensive.

@managedmis nobody has asked because OP said the cover blew off and it has been filling with rainwater since.

@Scrowy

I've been thinking about this overnight. If you live in an area where people have septic tanks there will be someone who can come and empty the pool for you using the same equipment they would use to empty septic tanks.

Depending on how decomposed the animal is it may way just disappear with the water (if it's a farmer with a slurry tanker the hoses are pretty wide).

It's unlikely they will be too expensive.

This is a great idea. Would probably cost about £80.

@Scrowy

That's an ace idea!

Do you live in an area. where there are lots of menfolk

@1forAll74 For some reason this made me laugh - initially I wondered if there are areas of the country with lots more men than women, but by menfolk do you mean men who have jobs in farming? I'm now wondering if you're landed gentry.

Are womenfolk a thing? Do they take in washing and bake bread? Could they sew me some masks petticoats from the finest of fabrics?

Why can’t people read? It drives me nuts. The first thing that people need to have read and actually absorbed is that OP HAS ADMITTED TO MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AND HASN’T BEEN IN HER OWN GARDEN FOR MONTHS. This is a little clue that she might be feeling fragile and should be congratulated for getting out there and trying.

THE POOL HAS WATER IN BECAUSE RAIN HAPPENS IN THE UK. THE COVER CAME OFF. THE POOL IS TUCKED OUT OF SIGHT. It’s not unreasonable to assume a drained pool with a cover on is a drained pool with a cover on.

THE COUNCIL OFFER A SERVICE FOR £50 TO REMOVE DEATH FROM YOUR LAND. This is not a waste of the taxpayers money. Also, OP is a taxpayer and is perfectly entitled to use services offered to her by the council.

SHE CANNOT REMOVE THE ANIMAL HERSELF. This doesn’t even need discussing. I think most people wouldn’t do this job. Me included.

The animal has probably been in there months. Another week or so won’t do any harm. I might be tempted to ring a few more companies. Including a man with a massive sucky hose for clearing poo pits. He might just stick it in and suck the whole lot out. I would probably want it sorted sooner solely because it would be playing on my mind that I knew it was there. I certainly wouldn’t be emptying death water all over my garden if I could avoid it.

In the meantime, sit in a different bit of your garden OP. Have a coffee in the sunshine and relax. Good luck.

Ha, looking forward to the thread where perplexed drain company worker asks for advice about dislodging dead badger from sucky hose thing.
Hope you get it sorted OP, it sounds like a total nightmare. If you can still smell it after you've emptied it I would be in the Chuck it camp as well and buy a new one. Our last two pools were the sort with the inflatable top, the 12 ft ones - I just empty it it and scrub it and refill it once a week (use chlorine tablets and anti algae stuff) . Much cheaper than the frame sided ones and easier to empty.

Do people really think badger skeletons will just disappear up a hose pipe? 🤔

If you're struggling to go in the garden at the mo, I think the best thing is to get rid of the pool so this doesn't/can't happen again.
There will definitely be some local handyman who could empty it for you. If you're loathe to get rid completely, can it be dismantled and stored for next year when you may be feeling better?

FFS, some people really need to give the OP a break. She came on here clearly stating she suffers with her mental health, asking for some simple advice and look what she gets from it! She clearly didn’t intend for this to happen, it was a accident!

MN really does know how to bring the best out in some people

Having read all the thread now, if it were me I'd slash the sides at the bottom, and run! let it all drain out now while the weather's dry, allowing council access to remove it, then get a smaller more manageable pool or hot tub nearer the house so you can keep a close eye on it, that you can either cover tightly or empty very regularly. Later in the year you can tidy that bit of garden and maybe grow something nice there. Don't feel bad, I'm sure you have been fantastic in lots of other ways to your kids, not least working and providing a home and everything else for them, and the fact that it wasn't being used shows it was low priority for you, which is fine.

Buy a sack of lime from the builders merchants. Slash the base of pool so the water can soak away slowly. Once the dead animal is revealed in the empty pool cover the body with lime (make sure to be careful as it's extremely alkali and you need gloves and eye covering ) lime will stop the risk of flies , disease and smell and dry the body out. Id wait a few weeks for the lime to do its thing then fold the whole lot up with dead animal inside and take it to the dump.

Your first step is to drain the pool

Then let it dry out in the sun??? Scoop into a big bucket with a spade. Pull bucket up by rope.
You got this! You can do it!

Jesus Christ, this thread. I bet the same people being nasty to OP bang on about mental health awareness or #bekind etc too 🙄

I understand why she doesn’t want to remove it herself.

Someone suicidal (not saying OP is) will obviously not feel great about being near a corpse. It will invoke raw emotions in anyone - let alone someone with fragile mental health. You don’t know what sort of thoughts that may trigger in someone who is struggling with their mental health. If she says she doesn’t want to take the dead animal out herself, listen ffs

I think the only way is to get it removed and then a thorough decontamination of the pool to ensure it's safe to use.

You can get a new liner for the pool if you slash and bin this one.

@TimeWastingButFun

Do people really think badger skeletons will just disappear up a hose pipe? 🤔

If it's decomposed sufficiently, Yes. It's a big hose designed to suck up nasty stuff.

We have had to remove a very dead sheep from a flooded drain using a similar method.

@TonytheDog is it wrong that I thought the exact same thing! I'd be hoiking it right out of there and at least making some use of its untimely demise!

Septic tank drainage company is a great idea. Definitely worth a few calls. We have a septic tank and the pipe to drain it is wider than the waste pipe from a regular toilet.

Failing that, I would:

• make sure the cover is replaced or secured

• add chlorine to the pool to kill nasties. You’ll need to google the exact concentration you need, but should be able to calculate the chemicals needed then pour them in without looking

• buy or rent a dirty water sump pump. The dirty water bit is important as they’re designed not to clog. You should be able to get a low flow rate one for between £40 and £60. It may take a couple of days, but will get there in the end. You can just pop it in without looking. You may need to buy additional hosing to get the waste water to a drain.

• phone the council and explain the pool is now drained and dead animal accessible. They’ll either come and collect, or you can post on Facebook or similar. If the latter, dig a deep hole in a flower bed ready for the remains and ask the person fishing it out to shovel a thin layer of dirt over it. You or the teens can fill the rest in.

Good luck

Advertise on local Facebook page for someone to fish it out for you for £50. Then drain and clean the pool as normal.

Please don't let it drain over your garden. It will smell very bad and have lots of bacteria. We had a bucket fill up with water and some snails drowned and decomposed without me realising. I poured it out and the smell made my neighbour vomit.

the rain filled it seemingly