Are Pool Main Drains Dangerous?

[@Eldomibori]

My old hometown public swimming pool was 13 feet deep and had a very old massive dark drain, along with 2 more drains on the side wall. And after the Abigail Taylor incident back in 2007 when I was 7 years old, I refused to go near any drain. I still refuse to this day. Any underwater mechanic things like drains and wave machines freak me out.

[@snook2874]

Same

[@bobbowie9350]

Me too. Pools creep me out

[@Mama-AngelaSun]

I even struggle with the swim lanes on the bottom of a pool (in the deep end)

[@Eldomibori]

@@Mama-AngelaSun Same here. Dark bottom pools also make me uncomfortable.

[@agirlofinkandstars5780]

i’ve never had an incident with a drain but my entire life i’ve been terrified of them and refuse go to go near one, if i do i freeze up which just makes it worse, i don’t know y i’m scared and idk if it is purely just how they look (i’m scared of being sucked down it not bc their dirty) but i can’t go near one at all. if i’m going in a pool i have to know where the drain is and it takes me a week to start trusting it won’t kill me and even then i won’t swim near it. Ironically bc of this fear my parents did the exact opposite of what this guy said not to do 😂 they would take me to the drain to touch it and sand on it to try and show me that it wasn’t dangerous

[@ItzChacee]

I've always been highly scared of drains for the fact that I can get stuck, even my own...and I try to avoid them, even hot tubs I'm scared of the drains

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Hot tubs scare me also , especially old custom built ones. The origin of the tragic accident that resulted in VGBA legislature was from a hot tub. It is easier to get to the suction points in a spa than on the bottom of a swimming pool. Spas also often employ very large and powerful booster pumps for the jets.

[@ItzChacee]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve yeah no thank you😭 ..my legs stay UP when in a spa

[@TheKoloradoShow]

@@ItzChacee how? That sounds very awkward 😂

[@ashlol5700]

I like my intex above ground pool because my drain fear is so bad lol. I also have a inflatable hottub! Just as good as in ground pools and fancy hottubs.

[@Eldomibori]

@@ItzChacee 😂😂😂 I thought I was the only one who does that. I sit sideways with my legs on the sitting part. My feet will never touch the ground in a hot tub. Especially when I can’t even see the bottom 😭

[@ferhadilmyzat6028]

Im gonna be a fast swimmer once i realized im over a drain

[@Mama-AngelaSun]

Well, that just reinforced my phobia. I've been afraid of pool drains since the 1980's.

[@wildgaming8622]

God damn hate drains in our local pool We have a giant white drain from 1 side of the pool to the other next to the ladder and one day i was just chilling on top of it an suddenly one of the bars came loose i got a panick attack, i jumped out the pool and started running like hell

[@jacob1652]

😂😂 your comment made my day!!

[@sirensofneohio3979]

Well this is the perfect excuse on why I don’t like pool drains lol

[@queencitysirens8755]

Hehe same cam

[@cameronk6100]

Indeed

[@angelicadayanafernandez1525]

They scary tf?

[@cameronk6100]

@@angelicadayanafernandez1525 yes

[@DirectInflunce]

Same

[@charyenne]

On the local public outdoor pool in Germany there is only 1 drain for completely draining it. There isn't any suction on it during normal operation. Instead, it has an overflow edge arround it to regulate the water level. It also limits the wave size, for example if somebody is jumping into the pool the wave just overflows and and drains. There is a gutter covered by a grid level to the ground arround the pool to catch overflowing water. I think this soulution is awsome.

[@infinitekeys1603]

This doesn’t circulate and filter the water. I can bet that drain is on you just don’t realize it.

[@Iceyheart52]

My old swimming pool that I went to a lot as a kid I usually stayed in the 4 foot area. As soon as learned how to swim at 10 I would go to 8 feet. The pool was really deep because there were diving boards that were over 15 feet tall. I wanted to try. I got up there and saw two large grates spreading the length of the end of the pool. This is in Bangor Maine. I got immediately scared being so small and only 100 lbs. I climbed down and vowed to never dive. I was picked on constantly for it. I often questioned the people who dived if they are okay. They said the pressure made their ears ring sometimes. This made even more terrified. It was a decent sized pool with a water slide and a lazy river too. A little bigger than a gymnasium at a rich school. I never was able to over come my fear. Now I won’t go in a pool without figuring out where the grates are. You just solidified my fear. Thank you for spreading awareness about things that people will often ignore and assume safe.

[@Iceyheart52]

P.S. i got into a fight with my roommate once because of this fear telling me I’m crazy

[@LiliyaPanina]

I have no idea where my fear of pool drains, jets, lights, etc started but it's never left. Funny thing is that I was a synchronised swimmer for years. You'd think I would get over it or quit the sport, but I just avoided being near or looking at them like the plague. Thankfully the pools we trained in had either very few drains that could easily be avoided, or were diving pools so it takes considerable effort to get near the drains. I would still be filled with fear when swimming over one though, the diving pools had huge (but safe!) drains on the floor. Definitely made me swim faster during warmups though

[@xouille5289]

Ive always been scared of pools i didn’t know how to swim and everybody at school were laughing at me because (even at high school ) i was crying at the corner of the swimming pool i was so afraid i din’t know pool are creeping me their is a strong odor white inhuman wall i made a lots of nightmares falling to no exit pools or just to falling in a place where i can touch the bottom of the pool to make thing even worth i have respiratory problems wich meen i can only catch my breath for 5 seconds before I feel my heart burning and even as a yong adult i still don’t know how jow to swim and keep doing nightmares drowing in creepy pools i really feel not understanded when isaid i am affraid of pool my psychologist even considered to hospitalize me because i was shaking and crying and leaving the place even if i was only talking a lot about this and i am really sad because nobody understands me they just laughing at me (if you took time to read all of this ty)

[@hcfgddggxgx2896]

I sometimes get mistaken as a pool inspector since I search the damn pool for these things and I always stay well away from parts of the pool I can’t see when I’m searching for these things

[@MrMcKannon]

I always look for pool drains before i get an inch into the pool. Lol

[@angelicadayanafernandez1525]

same, i always look for the drains and lights before going in the water

[@MrMcKannon]

@@angelicadayanafernandez1525 why do you look for the lights???

[@angelicadayanafernandez1525]

@@MrMcKannon, there had been many incidents where people got electrocuted and killed because of a faulty pool light, so thats why i look for lights too, i make sure the pool lights are not broken or anything

[@MrMcKannon]

@@angelicadayanafernandez1525 good thinking .

[@heckeroffical3862]

my pool has 2HP and 2 skimmers, one spa, 4 main drains in total, and a sand filter, no salt

[@deq_syd]

THEY ARE SCARY THEY LOOK SCARY

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

A healthy respect and distance is prudent just to err on the side of caution. Especially for swimmers with long hair.

[@TheKoloradoShow]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve I completely agree with that dude. They've petrified me ever since I was a kid learning to swim and I still feel fight or flight when looking at them

[@amb3987]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve with the fear of pool drains I could never even swim an inch near one. Not even my families pool drain, hell no and it looks safe and regular asf and I’m still not going near it.

[@amb3987]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve I literally scream under water when I clean the fog off my goggles and see that I’m either over one or near one. I scream so fucking loud I get terrified so quickly, I sometimes cry because of it. Lol, I accidentally put my foot on one at splash universe in their lazy river and I screamed so loud under water and swam like a dying fish away from it

[@amb3987]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve I didn’t get this trait from anybody in my family btw according to my mom I just got it

[@kashalethebear]

@swimming pool steve I've been trapped on a drain twice in my life. Granted this happened in the late 1970s, but a lot of people just don't realize the force that a one horsepower pump can generate. I was trapped in a 3 foot pool when I was 4 years old, the main drain grabbed a hold of me. This is because the drain was connected to the skimmer which normally doesn't pull water from the drain, but they had installed this device , in the skimmer, that allowed them to adjust how much suction the drain could generate, and they had it 100% to the drain. This happened again when I was seven in an old hot tub with a drain was just a hole under one of the seats. Grabbed a hold of my hand, and even my mother couldn't pull me off. Someone had to hop out and turn off the pump. When I was in high school, I stuck my hand into the skimmer that was running. The pipe leading to the pump tried to grab my hand. Luckily I pulled it back in time before it could create a firm lock on me. Had it fully grabbed a hold of my hand, I would've been stuck there until someone turned off the pump. We also had the same device in our pool that they did back in the 70s. Most of the time this device was set to 50% so the pump pulled 50% from the drain and 50% from the skimmer. It was a swimming pool with two pumps. One pump pulled water from the skimmer which also had a hole that went to the drain. The second pump was a pool sweep pump. it just simply pulled from an attachment that was added to the side of the pool. The problem with this was it was simply a hole that you could lock a hose into. If you were to turn on the pool sweep pump, without the pool sweep, that hole would start sucking in water and technically could trap people. Although, there was absolutely no reason for it to be on if people were swimming.

[@xshowda]

People really undestimate the forces involved. I know of an accident back in 2017 where a girl got trapped with her thigh at a bottom drain. Eight firefighters were unable to pull her away, despite using all their strength, ropes and a pole trying to create an opening between the drain and her body. There was no emergency shutdown for the power because the pool was not up to code and they had to look in the basement for the main terminal to shut the power off. In total, she was underwater for approx. 20 minutes and resuscitated once outside the pool and a second time in the ambulance. Despite all efforts, she was declared brain dead a week later and life support turned off. The engineer responsible for for the building was later sentenced to three years in prison and is banned forever to work as an engineer again.

[@YJmemes]

let me add this to my phobias list real quick

[@moiehaiscute]

Me too!

[@deshanmyers8299]

I know right 😂

[@medigpool]

Sounded like a rule of thumb, like: "Never hug an unknown dog!"

[@peytonthesingleton3752]

I’m terrified of pool lights. I would swim in any pool without it. Plus my papas apartment is 20 years old and that pool light has been sitting there a long time. What if the wires go bad or water comes in. The people that own the apartments don’t check to see if it is safe.

[@doohickey-enjoyer]

If I wear goggles in a pool, I see the drain in a 2 metre radius, PANIK! I am scared of the drains as my Parents don't put a cover over theirs.

[@amb3987]

“My parents don’t put a cover on theirs” what the actual fuck. Why would they do that.

[@cadillacdevile]

@@amb3987 right, that is illegal in some states

[@amb3987]

@@cadillacdevile dang

[@jessicah3450]

Lost so many googles and nose clips to pool drains. I was never going near them as a kid in swimming class either.

[@doohickey-enjoyer]

@@amb3987 Backstory to this old comment, it wasn't even a drain after research and looking at the old blueprints, Its not even a drain. It was sorta this indent with a pipe going out the side, that would collect water that seeped through the side of the pull and put it back in. It still scares me.

[@heartfacingupward]

Is there a drain that can be mounted flush to the floor of a shallow floor so that it is not a tripping or foot injury risk? Our local gym has a shallow pool that has drain grates that have sliced my foot during an exercise class. They are about 12" X 12", and stick up about 2 inches from the surface. It would be better, because of the 4 foot water depth, to have ones that are flush and oversized rather than small and sticking up. Any Suggestions?

[@pothos9913]

Dear Steve, I have a 40 year old pool with a single main drain on the pool bottom along with a skimmer basket at the waterline. There's also a drain in the spa which is also connected to the system. Do you have any advice on dealing with this safely?

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Single main drain is fine if there is no suction. But if there is suction then a single main drain is dangerous, especially in a hot tub. These should be remediated to be current code compliant, but in the meantime you should explore adding an SVRS safety device to your system. You can buy an SVRS pump, or an SVRS stand alone device called "Vac Alert".

[@pothos9913]

Thank you so much for the advice! Does becoming code compliant involve tearing up the pool to add another drain?

[@Benyosefov]

In my country we don’t have pool drains. We only have them in public pools

[@blaise.constance]

Same im in aus and every pool i have been to in some ones back yard has no drain i think the drain is in the skimmer

[@hello-jv6mk]

@@blaise.constance skimmer?

[@angelicadayanafernandez1525]

@@hello-jv6mk, he said the pool only uses the skimmer as circulation

[@ashlol5700]

When it's got u its gotcha

[@Turd_Handler]

so i should or shouldnt be scared?

[@Buddyman295]

Just don’t go beat them

[@Buddyman295]

By*

[@yuktaagrawal9890]

Well I heard that someone's intestines got sucked into drain I am tramatised by that

[@kenzieplays2640]

Same here i heard that a girls intestines got sucked out through the but

[@Iceyheart52]

That was from a movie

[@lionocyborg6030]

@@Iceyheart52 that was based on a real event where a little girl fell on a drain with a missing cover and got disembowelled. It’s good nightmare fuel so it makes perfect sense a horror movie writer to use that kind of accident in a film. The real incident was one of several that led to pool drain safety laws being enacted in at least the US. An earlier example was a less bloody one in a hot tub and the victim was a senator’s daughter, who’s death named the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act the same year as Abigail Taylor’s accident above. To say her parents were pissed off is an understatement.

[@natethetoe386]

I have a customer that has a main drain that is plumbed directly to the pump, (not into the skimmer basket). It does have two main drains, so it looks compliant. Should I keep the main drain valve closed for safety, or can I leave it open to help with cleaning? Is it safe to leave it open and sucking all the time, because it has two drains? Hope this makes sense.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

The dual drains is a very good sign. Good chance it is complaint but I could not say from this info alone. Inspect the drain covers and read the embossed VGBA information on them. It is normal to have suction through main drains while the pool is in use so long as the system is compliant, but some of that you can not determine visually from above ground. Normal setup should have 75% skimmers and 25% main drain flow to the pump

[@natethetoe386]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve Thank you, very helpful.

[@3drhodes]

I still haven’t figured out why use the main drain when you’re swimming 🤔

[@marcfraser9091]

Hi Steve - I’m curious... are all main drains in your part pf the world connected back to the pump, or do you also see pools where the “main drain” is merely a recessed fitting with a hydrostatic valve (i.e. not a suction point, just a ground-water pressure-relief device). Suction points (minimum of two, I assume) would be elsewhere (say, on wall of pool). Cheers 👍🏻

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

We have both active and passive main drains in my area. There is no way for a swimmer to tell the difference between an active main drain suction line and a non pressurized equalizer line in a pool so the caution should be taken in either case. But yes, we have many equlizer liner main drain pools, mostly vinyl liner pools.

[@TrinaMillenheft-us4pb]

My local pool has a scary big metal grate pool drain the I am terrified of glad I’m not the only one

[@aagalani]

Good info. Thanks.

[@NickDrinksWater]

I always figured if it was a deep pool and the drain opened it would pull you under until you drown

[@kagome122885]

If you are not careful, they have a potential to be dangerous. Never tamper with drain covers

[@lee420129]

Education saves lives.

[@DirectInflunce]

3:18 me checking if I have long hair

[@jacob1652]

Lmao!!

[@MichaelJames-md6vb]

Had a phobia of pool drains for as long as I can remember

[@tiagosilva.b5]

I was already scared of them now Im terrified 💀💀

[@themechanic4222]

Sounded like WRONG TURN MOVES

[@kaibaker1522]

I’m 12 my parents have told me that but I don’t listen. Just expect that they are safe and if not….. R.I.P!!!!!!!!!!

[@agirlofinkandstars5780]

lmao it was the opposite for me 😂my parents said they r safe but i have a massive phobia of them and it turns out i was right 😁😁

[@RegardedBee185]

I don’t get it tho, I’ve touched a swimming drain by my foot once and nothing happened. Why do I feel like you’re just exaggerating.

[@RegardedBee185]

@JopieH yea I touched it while swimming in a swimming pool. It would obviously be on if the swimming pool is operating

[@jessicah3450]

It was mainly the smaller drains with a certain type of covers, and especially certain body parts like on the torso that get stuck to the drain. Many kids have been disemboweled by accidentally sitting on a pool drain.

[@angelicadayanafernandez1525]

i actually was in a pool, then i felt suction on the wall and turned around and saw the drain and i was swimming like fucking flash

[@anth115]

You said you as a swimming wouldn't know. If you are a pool owner shouldn't you know lol

[@whyyouaskme4531]

How dumb is this. Can some one tell me the reasoning? Wouldn't It be the employees fault, because they're the one who leaves the pump on! Why does it need to be on?

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

The pump runs 24/7 in many residential pools and all commercial pools. Turning off the pump is not the solution. Designing and installing a safe system is the correct way. But as a swimmer you dont know if it is right or not so best to assume the potential for danger and stay away from submerged suction outlets

[@whyyouaskme4531]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve is the pool pump connected to the drain pump?

[@danielledewitt1]

@@whyyouaskme4531 The pump is the pool filter, the drain is a small part of the filter. The drain sucks the water into the filter where it is cleaned then the filter puts the clean water back into the pool.

[@mattwolf7698]

@@whyyouaskme4531 They often have the same pump and when draining the water is diverted. If you turn the pump off you will have a disgusting pool.

[@TheJakeman789]

The main drain of that pool has more personality then this guy.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Your comment was below average in quality, grammar and delivery.

[@angelicadayanafernandez1525]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve, don't listen to this 🤡

[@fw--kx6sk]

The main drain of that pool has more personality than your youtube channel.

[@mrdave777]

Why are so many individuals gifted with tactfulness of a gnat!? Jim who started this must have an IQ of approximately 75. That’s not good.