Pee Detecting Swimming Pool Dye… Fact or Fiction?

It seems like every spring this question gets asked to us by our clients and folks we meet online; “Do you carry the chemical that dyes the water when someone pees in the swimming pool?” Harkin back to the hit movie Grown Ups starring Adam Sandler and crew when all the “grown-ups” urinated in the kiddy pool and there are several blue clouds and kids screaming and rapidly exiting the pool.

Urine detecting dye in swimming pools is one of the most prolific of swimming pool based myths. Urine present in chlorinated pool water is quite difficult to detect, so a dye of this type would be equally difficult to produce.

And let’s be honest here, if such a chemical did exist, every community swimming pool would be turning colors the world over, because people, adults, and kids alike, for some reason feel confident relieving themselves when in the pool or spa. Maybe it just feels better, maybe the water relaxes us, or maybe we just don’t want to towel off to ‘make’.

So in case, you haven’t already discerned the answer…no. No such a chemical doesn’t exist. I have been doing this for well over 12 years as of this writing and I have asked and researched it a number of times and no one has heard of any manufacturer that has produced such a mind-blowing chemical that will dye a swimming pool water different colors when someone pees or urinates.

Go With The Urban Legend…There IS a Dye That Activates By Pee!

If you want to scare your bathers into submission though, I have to say the urban legend isn’t the worst way to go. I mean, who wants to be the kid (or adult) that is known a the one who got caught peeing in the swimming pool by EVERYONE. Here’s a way to start the legend… put this sign up that we found on Amazon. That’s a sure way to convince people that the legend is true.

Or just find the loudmouth kid at the pool that day, and feed the little person the misinformation and watch your work spread like the pee soaked dye in the swimming that they think exists

The reality is, that if you want to save a little money on chlorine, scare people into not peeing in your pool. Check out this article I wrote about a few reasons you don’t want people peeing in the pool. It actually does equate to money.

Hey, I hope this was helpful. I’m sorry if you were shopping for the pee activated dye and I let you down. If I helped win you a bet, don’t forget to Venmo my share. If you lost the bet, well sorry I can’t compensate you and I have no idea what you are talking about anyway ;o)