There are many reasons for both commercial and residential pool operators to inspect their pools. However, the selling or buying of a new home is the most common reason for a swimming pool inspection. Checklists for these inspections should be thorough, examining every part of the pool, from its aesthetics to the nuts and bolts that keep it operating safely. Home buyers need to ensure that they aren’t buying a money pit because their new purchase has a swimming pool. Inspection checklists go beyond helping those in the property market, ensuring everything functions smoothly when pool operators or owners are opening up their pools for a new swimming season.
Making a Swimming Pool Inspection Checklist
There are multiple reasons why a pool operator might want to schedule a professional swimming pool inspection. Checklists by qualified inspectors will consider regulatory requirements as well as maintenance and safety issues to point out potential concerns about pool infrastructure. Regulations are often different locally, considering things like pool access, fencing, and gates, along with the materials from which it’s made.
For those unfamiliar with rules in their local area, it’s often a good idea to schedule a sanctioned swimming pool inspection. Checklists will include relevant regulatory requirements that if not appropriately followed can lead to expensive penalties. While a professional inspection isn’t always warranted, it’s often a good idea for operators to go through an authorized swimming pool inspection list on their own.
Swimming pool inspection checklists should look at various aspects of a swimming pool like:
- Blower
- Fencing or other safety barriers
- Filtration system
- Heater
- Lighting system
- Motors for pumps or other systems
- Pool vents
- Pressure gauge
- Pumping system
- Safety measures taken against drowning
- Skimmer
- Valves
Whether it’s a professional, homeowner, or someone else doing a swimming pool inspection, checklists provide a means to identify areas of concern. For home buyers, this will ensure they’re getting their money’s worth, while for others it shows what needs immediate attention, along with maintenance considerations for the near future.
Reasons for Swimming Pool Inspections
When buying or selling a home swimming pool, inspection checklists are imperative. A house sale often can’t be completed without a professional swimming pool inspection. Checklists help mitigate legal responsibility to home sellers regarding any issues with the pool upon transfer of the property. There are several other reasons to consider the state of a pool, however, which might involve pool equipment, plumbing, or a possible renovation, as well as regular maintenance.
Pool Equipment
Swimming pools that have been around for over 15 years will likely have a considerable amount of antiquated equipment, which requires replacing. Substandard or broken pool equipment can lead to health and safety risks. Swimming pool inspection checklists should include looking at equipment like filters, motors, pumps, skimmers, and timers.
Plumbing
Problems with plumbing are the burden of anyone who owns a swimming pool. Inspection checklists should consider an array of issues, including discolored water, leaks or puddling in the filtration system, and low water flow.
Remodeling & Renovation
Remodeling or renovating a pool area can improve both its aesthetics and functionality. Whether it’s just building a new deck for the pool area or a complete reconstruction of a swimming pool, inspection checklists help reveal any faulty equipment or plumbing problems that can be exacerbated by a remodel or renovation.
Regular Upkeep
Regardless of a pool’s age, maintaining a pool is necessary to keep it in good working condition. Professional inspectors can offer informed advice about the most modern methods for caring for a swimming pool. Inspection checklists show what areas should be watched regarding faulty equipment or plumbing. It doesn’t matter the age of the pool either, as even new swimming pools should be inspected regularly.
General Considerations for Swimming Pool Inspection Checklist
A swimming pool is essentially a system made up of various subsystems and components. A professional inspector will look at all these aspects of a swimming pool. Inspection checklists certify the condition of each of these elements which can then be used by pool owners to ascertain what areas require attention. There are a handful of areas that a professional pool inspector will particularly investigate, to which a pool owner running through the checklist should also pay attention.
A swimming pool inspection checklist will look at:
- Equipment: To keep a pool safe and in good working order, all parts of it must work properly, so each piece of equipment should be examined while running to note any audible or visible signs of damage.
- Safety features: Any barriers, anti-drowning devices, or other safety features should be inspected to make sure they will work when needed and that any applicable regulations have been appropriately followed.
- Structural infrastructure: This includes pool tiling, the interior finish of the pool, decking, and other material that’s exposed to pool water; swimming pool inspection checklists should also look for any potential damage from exposure to salt in saltwater pools.
- Subsystems: A pool’s subsystems ensure the proper functioning of a swimming pool; inspection checklists look at the drainage, electrical, filtration, pumping, and any other systems that make up a pool’s infrastructure to ensure they’re in good working order and that the water is safe to swim in.
There may be other features or infrastructure unique to the pool that should also be checked, such as diving a cutting-edge purification system, solar heating system, or waterslide.
Items to Put On a Swimming Pool Inspection Checklist
The following are all taken from a residential swimming pool inspection checklist. An inspector marks off each item, checking whether an inspection has or hasn’t been done, or whether it’s even applicable to the pool being inspected. While not all of these items may be relevant to every swimming pool, inspection checklists show pool owners what to expect from a professional inspector.
A sample swimming pool inspection checklist will consider many of the following:
General:
- Reinforcement for pool shell properly connected.
- Pool light fixtures are attached properly.
- Certify sufficient overhead clearances for cable, phone, or other utility lines.
Building’s plumbing system:
- Certify electrical inspection.
- Certify the pool’s location on the property.
- Certify steel reinforcement complies with relevant regulations and meets minimum requirements, including any updates.
- Certify the main drain is properly installed.
- Certify proper pipe pressure.
- Certify temporary fencing in place during installation.
- Certify spacing, size, and lap of reinforcement bars as per plans.
- Piping cleared of soil.
- Soil remains clear of roots and debris.
Underground electrical:
- Certify the depth of buried cabling, a number of bends, and that the conduit is properly protected.
Pool deck electrical grounding:
- Certify materials for grounding electrical aspects of the pool deck, like poured concrete or pavers, are installed correctly.
Pipe pressure in the deck area:
- Check soil compaction.
- Test the pressure of the pool’s piping to ensure it falls within acceptable range.
- Termite mitigation is installed close to the building where pool decking is installed.
- Certify expansion joints installed.
- Ensure all metal close to the pool is properly bonded to avoid electrical accidents.
Building footers:
- Soil is compacted properly.
- Locate building footers onsite.
- Note footers for additions, screen rooms, or retaining walls on building diagrams.
- Note any plans for future construction.
Final electrical inspections: These should be done before filling the pool with water, with a second final electrical inspection done for any additional structures.
- Certify the pool pump’s wiring.
- Check that equipment and structures are properly grounded.
- Certify pool lights and their receptacles are properly protected with ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs).
- Certify equipment positioning as per swimming pool designs.
- If additional final inspection is required, check the pool screen and other structures according to relevant regulations.
Swimming pool safety checklist:
- Certify drain cover for the pool is located appropriately.
- Certify that required swimming pool barriers are compliant and installed correctly.
- Fencing and gates surrounding the swimming pool should be certified for compliance with local statutes and regulations.
- Check to ensure access gates swing away from the pool and are accessible only from inside the pool area while being self-closing and self-latching; latch placement should comply with local statutes, while all gates into the swimming area should be closed and latched securely at all times.
- Barrier should be properly installed and placed, while any alarms should be in working order.
Final swimming pool inspection checklist:
- Check swimming pool covers.
- Ensure that the main drain is installed.
- Check pool pump’s total dynamic head (TDH) pressure matches approved designs.
- Landscaping is completed.
- Certify that requirements for the position of pool to property lines are met.
- Check sidewalk and driveway approaches that are in the public right of way for repair.
- Ensure the dumpster is available for debris removal.
Once everything has been properly checked off a swimming pool inspection checklist, a marketed property is now ready for sale. But more importantly, it also means that a pool is safe for swimming. To learn more about the importance of swimming pool inspections and checklists, along with testing and other equipment used for them, contact the pool experts at the Halogen Supply Company.