Neighbor's pool filter discharges into my backyard

[Bigblockyeti]

The neighbor has a DE (diatomaceous earth) filter for their pool that flushes into a bed less than 2' from their fence, which is also the property line, then floods the area behind my shed slab with 40-50 gallons of water and chemicals. I confirmed with the pool guy that was working on it of the type of filter and that DE should be all that's present (unconfirmed) in the water. The water gets no closer than 20' from my slab but after everything is complete, I'd like to grow grass or some other hardy ground cover but I'm concerned about the ability to do so with the flooding and chemical(s). Should this continue to concern me?

 

[930dreamer]

Tell your neighbor to re-direct his pool drain line.

 

[rsanter]

It is illegal to dump water or anything else onto a neighbors property.
Have the neighbor correct it

 

[Ray-CA]

Yes it is a concern.

Most municipalities prohibt the discharge of water onto neighboring properties. I'd research your city code then have a chat with your neighbor.

If he won't correct it then take it to the next level. The pool service company may have some liability here also because they're the ones discharging the contaminated water onto your property.

But, have an informed chat with your neighbor first.

Ray

Sent from my LM-X220PM using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Bigblockyeti]

I'll have to tread lightly with this discussion as the former renters were great people that we really like but the military transferred him yet again. The folks that own the house have moved back in and I'd like to introduce myself in an amicable manner vs. "Hey, how are you, nice to meet you. Please fix your pool filter discharge" I've already contact the state and county inspectors offices, both said "not it" but the county did tell me I should contact someone in waste water, then they too said "not it" Given this is sooner or later going into the ground and/or one of multiple drinking water reservoirs, the EPA and possibly the local water authority who owns the reservoirs might have some pull in getting this plumbed correctly. Of greater concern is some authority had to have inspected this at some point and signed off on it, that's who I would most immediately like to discuss this problem with.

Even if it was possible to diffuse this water in such a way that it watered my grass vs. flooding the whole area, I would have no problem with that provided I had confirmation that it was safe. As far as I can tell, it does not discharge automatically, it has to be done by someone which has been the pool service tech every time to the best of my knowledge.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Id have the talk with the neighbors.

 

[ford33]

Invite the neighbors over for a BBQ to get to know them and mention it.

Otherwise, a polite door step conversation is the first step.

If you have skills, offer to redirect the line for them, no charge.

 

[ratdoggy]

Have the neighbors over for a BBQ and put the table they have to sit at in the marsh their pool water causes.....
Nah.... I'm kidding have a talk with them

 

[niget2002]

There's nothing chemically wrong with the pool water. The amount of chemicals in it is negligible. If it was a salt-water pool, I'd be more worried. Assuming it's just a chlorine pool, you're fine.

The DE media is the same stuff they tell you to put around the foundation of your home to keep bugs from getting into your house. It should soak into the ground.

I'm lucky in that I have a .5 acre field I discharge my pool into.

The last house had a pool. By code it had to discharge through the city drainage.

The city also had code that discussed adjusting your house/drainage/slope to force water into other people's yards and that it was illegal.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Have the neighbors over for a BBQ and put the table they have to sit at in the marsh their pool water causes.....
Nah.... I'm kidding have a talk with them

Ha, luckily there is no marsh. The exposed soil is going away, albeit very slowly and I'm bringing in more for around the shed slab and for leveling parts of the backyard so that part isn't a big deal. Doing so then planting grass and having it washed away would be. The neighbors on the other side of the fence are having this mess washed into their yard after mine but given how they take care of stuff not visible at the front of the house, I don't think they'll ever notice.

 

[GMCGarage]

Build a small earthern dam so it stays on their side. Water will not go uphill

 

[tarmy]

There are other chemicals in pool water...like chlorine or similar. That is why you cannot drink it...

Time to work with the neighbor to help him with fixing his illegal (likely) discharge. Most cities require draining pools into the sanitary sewer system to treat the pool water and remove the harmful chemicals...

 

[brownbagg]

the dam, a good idea

row of sand bags

 

[Balvar24]

"Do you pee in the pool? It's getting hard to grow grass where it dumps in my yard."

 

[Hooked]

Based upon experience with my daughters pool, the flushed water may eventually kill whatever you plant there. The original owner, that installed the pool, had the waste water draining next to a fairly large post oak tree. After my daughter bought the place we noticed the tree begin to slowly die. Maybe just too much water or a combo of chemicals and water but the tree is gone.

 

[driftpin]

1] Your dolly for the trailer ball is severely-undersized, and SC DOT will be contacting you, soon

2] The batterboards on the side of your utility trailer are poorly-fastened, another SC DOT issue

3] The straps securing your spare tire have been recalled by Harbor Freight, and you are missing one. Violation #3 for SC DOT

What were we talking-about?

I agree, a non-confrontational talk, not in the spirit of a "Karen" admonishment, will probably allow you to solve the issue. Parcels are required to contain their own runoff/discharge in any jurisdiction where I've owned real property.

 

[DieselNut88]

I would try to be reasonable and talk to the neighbor first. Next step glue a cap on that pipe and see what their reaction is. My coworker had a neighbor doing this with their sump pump discharge. It was one of those flexible blue hoses, he tied it in a knot.

 

[nadogail]

I'll have to tread lightly with this discussion as the former renters were great people that we really like but the military transferred him yet again. The folks that own the house have moved back in and I'd like to introduce myself in an amicable manner vs. "Hey, how are you, nice to meet you. Please fix your pool filter discharge" I've already contact the state and county inspectors offices, both said "not it" but the county did tell me I should contact someone in waste water, then they too said "not it" Given this is sooner or later going into the ground and/or one of multiple drinking water reservoirs, the EPA and possibly the local water authority who owns the reservoirs might have some pull in getting this plumbed correctly. Of greater concern is some authority had to have inspected this at some point and signed off on it, that's who I would most immediately like to discuss this problem with.

Even if it was possible to diffuse this water in such a way that it watered my grass vs. flooding the whole area, I would have no problem with that provided I had confirmation that it was safe. As far as I can tell, it does not discharge automatically, it has to be done by someone which has been the pool service tech every time to the best of my knowledge.

I don't understand the "not it" remarks, please elucidate.

Thanks in advance.

 

[pcmeiners]

There are miniscule amount of chlorine/salt from pool water, the chlorine breaks down in a couple days. Your neighbor should not be dumping his water onto your land. Yes, be gentle in the talk even though he knows damn well it is going on your property. Had the same issue with pools.

 

[Jeepster04]

They may be completely cool about it and are able to easily route it somewhere else. Just chat with them when you see them out sometime.

This reminds me of my neighbors tree that fell and hit my house not long ago. I was expecting the worst and at first they were a bit apprehensive (hoping I would say no worries I assume) but I nicely told them how much it cost for me to fix it and they offered to pay for everything. I offered to pay for some of it just b/c they offered.

If they wont budge, put a tube up in there a foot or so and fill it full of caulk. It'll take them awhile to figure it out.

 

[JRC3]

So, uhm...What's his wife look like?

 

[Bill Bowman]

I don't understand the "not it" remarks, please elucidate.

Thanks in advance.

Like a game of tag. Your it. Nope, not it. Try someone else.

 

[LeonardY]

I think that a simple introduction and "Are you aware that your pool filter drains into my yard?" They may not know.
Maybe they have a drain that's clogged.

 

[Swervyjoe]

So, uhm...What's his wife look like?

I was hoping for that. Not disappointed.

 

[PelicanPines]

Put a cap on that with an air line connecter... charge it with 120psi... should clear up soon.

Buy yea... they can't do that. The town might be able to help. My building department/zoning department has been very helpful when my neighbors got a mind of their own.

 

[PCustoms]

I'll have to tread lightly with this discussion as the former renters were great people that we really like but the military transferred him yet again. The folks that own the house have moved back in and I'd like to introduce myself in an amicable manner vs. "Hey, how are you, nice to meet you. Please fix your pool filter discharge" I've already contact the state and county inspectors offices, both said "not it" but the county did tell me I should contact someone in waste water, then they too said "not it" Given this is sooner or later going into the ground and/or one of multiple drinking water reservoirs, the EPA and possibly the local water authority who owns the reservoirs might have some pull in getting this plumbed correctly. Of greater concern is some authority had to have inspected this at some point and signed off on it, that's who I would most immediately like to discuss this problem with.

Even if it was possible to diffuse this water in such a way that it watered my grass vs. flooding the whole area, I would have no problem with that provided I had confirmation that it was safe. As far as I can tell, it does not discharge automatically, it has to be done by someone which has been the pool service tech every time to the best of my knowledge.

Since when does tread lightly=contact every municipal or government agency you can find?

**** it up, go over and have a chat.

Then if they don't fix it put dogshit in the filter.

 

[PugetDude]

Looks like you could reach through the fence and hit the end of that pipe with a 2" PVC cap slathered in blue glue...or a reducer with a hose to shoot it back into his pool...

Seriuosly, I'd invite the neighbor over to see what it's doing to your yard. Seeing is believing, If he doesn't want to take care of it then you'll have to escalate the response.

 

[pcmeiners]

It is the pack mentality. Just in any group of animals, be it wolves, tiger or neighbors. Members of the group try out others in the group. Be it pool water dumping, garbage over the fence, loud stereos, or loud parties constantly. The guy with the pool is "trying" you out, he knows the water is going in the neighbors yard.
Had the similar with a new neighbor dumping garbage in my mom's yard, he even dumped while I could see him, as he thought I was the lawn guy, big mistake on his part.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Looks like you could reach through the fence and hit the end of that pipe with a 2" PVC cap slathered in blue glue...or a reducer with a hose to shoot it back into his pool...

Seriuosly, I'd invite the neighbor over to see what it's doing to your yard. Seeing is believing, If he doesn't want to take care of it then you'll have to escalate the response.

I had considered capping it but that would just get cut off at some point. Another thought was to build a tiny dirt backed dam from flexible plastic flower bed edging inches from or even touching their fence to hold the water from the discharge point ~30' back to the of the property.

I really don't think the guy has a clue, fork over a chunk of change, wait a few months and have a new pool, no thought involved. Whomever is charged with inspecting such systems hasn't done their job. I checked permits pulled and it was installed in 2014 by a contractor so the guy renting certainly wouldn't have a clue as a pool tech just shows up periodically and takes care of it.

 

[yeldogt]

He may not know it occurring ... if it's a CL sanitized pool -- nothing to worry about.

When I was a kid my grandparents used the discharge to water a lawn patch ... CL dissipates.

It still should not go on your property

 

[KansasArt]

If your only concern is the chemicals you have nothing to fear. The amount of chlorine in a pool is roughly equivalent to chlorinated tap water. About 3-4 ppm. And it’s likely to be better balanced ph wise. It won’t kill plants. Mine has discharged into a flower bed and the lawn for over 10 yrs. That doesn’t excuse him from doing this.

 

[Farmall450]

They may be completely cool about it and are able to easily route it somewhere else. Just chat with them when you see them out sometime.

This reminds me of my neighbors tree that fell and hit my house not long ago. I was expecting the worst and at first they were a bit apprehensive (hoping I would say no worries I assume) but I nicely told them how much it cost for me to fix it and they offered to pay for everything. I offered to pay for some of it just b/c they offered.

If they wont budge, put a tube up in there a foot or so and fill it full of caulk. It'll take them awhile to figure it out.

So you offered to pay for part of their tree damaging your house because they were nice?

I think you're the nicer one here.

 

[BaMaDuDe87]

I'll have to tread lightly with this discussion as the former renters were great people that we really like but the military transferred him yet again. The folks that own the house have moved back in and I'd like to introduce myself in an amicable manner vs. "Hey, how are you, nice to meet you. Please fix your pool filter discharge" I've already contact the state and county inspectors offices, both said "not it" but the county did tell me I should contact someone in waste water, then they too said "not it" Given this is sooner or later going into the ground and/or one of multiple drinking water reservoirs, the EPA and possibly the local water authority who owns the reservoirs might have some pull in getting this plumbed correctly. Of greater concern is some authority had to have inspected this at some point and signed off on it, that's who I would most immediately like to discuss this problem with.

Even if it was possible to diffuse this water in such a way that it watered my grass vs. flooding the whole area, I would have no problem with that provided I had confirmation that it was safe. As far as I can tell, it does not discharge automatically, it has to be done by someone which has been the pool service tech every time to the best of my knowledge.

Why didn't you work it out with the former renters? Looks like it has been going on for awhile?

But yeah, maybe they don't know it's an issue. Bring it up. Step one is make them aware that it's a problem.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Farmall450]

Why didn't you work it out with the former renters? Looks like it has been going on for awhile?

But yeah, maybe they don't know it's an issue. Bring it up. Step one is make them aware that it's a problem.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Yup, step 2 is to glow a 90 and pipe or cap on

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Why didn't you work it out with the former renters? Looks like it has been going on for awhile?

But yeah, maybe they don't know it's an issue. Bring it up. Step one is make them aware that it's a problem.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

As previously mentioned, it's not a marsh back there and little time was spent back there, basically just mowing, before I started my shed build. Since that time, I'm back there more often and I only found out about it a few months ago. When it floods, the water is gone fairly quickly so no evidence was left except for recently the white powder on the soil. I don't know if there's been a change with their filter maintenance or not, it may have been done less frequently before, don't know. I do know that the folks that actually own the house and paid the contractor (who pulled appropriate permits) to install the pool are now living in the house. Step one is an amicable introduction, then we'll ease into this issue which may or may not be a problem. I'm certainly hoping it won't be.

 

[Kenta]

When I had a pool I would use a discharge hose. A cheap one is like $20 for a 20ft hose, you can get really long ones, but basically they're about a dollar a foot. Mine only lasted about a season, two if I was lucky. If the neighbor is considerate enough they would get one and simply hook it up and redirect the discharge when they flush the filter. Never had any issues with my pool water and yard. I used to move mine around to water the grass when I was backwashing the sand filter. Mine was primarily sand, but I'd add a cup full of DE which would make it filter better. As others have stated, if it's chlorinated it doesn't seem to cause any issues. Usually my chlorine would be low at the time of the flush anyway, THEN I would shock the pool. Otherwise you're just throwing money away on chlorine.

 

[JRC3]

It is the pack mentality. Just in any group of animals, be it wolves, tiger or neighbors. Members of the group try out others in the group. Be it pool water dumping, garbage over the fence, loud stereos, or loud parties constantly. The guy with the pool is "trying" you out, he knows the water is going in the neighbors yard.
Had the similar with a new neighbor dumping garbage in my mom's yard, he even dumped while I could see him, as he thought I was the lawn guy, big mistake on his part.

That's a stretch, dude...*pump the brakes*. I doubt the neighbor in the OP even knows it's happening.

 

[rayra]

yep, dam it. And I would give serious consideration to steathily gluing on a monitor-like u-turn reduction nozzle sort of contraption that would jet that **** right back into his pool.

After finding out the local, county and state codes about deliberately discharging onto a property not their own. By the way, he knows its flooding the bed. He's terminating on his side and pretending it's not his intent, 'the water is just going where gravity takes it, my line ends on my property.' F that guy, completely. He knows what he is doing.

 

[Dustball]

You could just say to you neighbor "Hi there, I'm not sure if you know but your pool filter discharges into my yard causing flooding at some times and I'd like to grow some grass there. Could you consider installing a dry well to discharge into?"

 

[Killer95Stang]

People want to defund the police, yet they can't even talk to a neighbor about something as simple as DE filter being discharged into your yard. You actually talked to the pool guy and you didn't tell him... "hey dude, can you run a hose so it doesn't flood my yard". He most likely has one, but was too lazy to use it. Seriously, it is most likely not legal to dump chemicals or Diatomaceous Earthin someone elses yard, but you shouldn't even have to get into legality of it... why, because humans should be able to talk with each other. End of rant...