POOL & SPA INDUSTRY
An Inspector Calls W
A FAMILIAR FACE TO MANY, SPATA TECHNICAL ADVISOR AND INSPECTOR PETER LANG LOOKS AT SPATA STANDARDS AND THE COMMON BUT AVOIDABLE MISTAKES THAT OCCUR FAR TOO OFTEN IN POOL BUILDS
hen our Association was formed over 50 years ago it was deemed necessary to have Standards. Not only
ethical Standards but technical Standards as well; the SPATA Standards were born. It was considered that SPATA Standards would not only set a minimum (good) quality, standard, but also allow Members to compete commercially at that Standard or higher and therefore be able to justify their standing as a good installer/builder of swimming pools. It has always been implicit that the Standards are not there to be a rigid code, or a complete ‘How to Build a Pool’, nor are they meant to stifle innovation. An example would be a franchise network (like McDonald’s) where the cook produces a meal not only according to a set recipe using set ingredients but also plating it up in exactly the manner laid down in the ‘instruction book’ and this is not the aim of SPATA Standards.
The founders of the Association had also envisaged a programme of Member inspections, ideally on an annual basis and that concept has been in existence, in various forms over the years, some of which were neither successful nor continuous! However, with the advent of the
SpataShield scheme it was necessary to prove to the insurance underwriters that Members were doing their best to build swimming pools to the Standards. Consequently the inspection programme was improved and expanded to the point that currently every Installer Member has been inspected, at least once, by the small team of inspectors and
The pump is difficult to clean and its supply cable leaves a lot to be desired
many have actually been inspected in the past three to four years. It is hoped to have every current member inspected at least once every three years and it is also a condition of entry into SPATA that companies are inspected as part of the application process. When carrying out the inspection, the inspector judges what he sees against the Standards and not necessarily his own interpretation of them. For example, he may use a five hour turnover for a domestic pool but a pool turnover conforms to the Standards if it is between four and eight hours. From a technical viewpoint, there are ten mistakes, which occur far too often when inspecting non members or members of SPATA and which, putting it simply, break the law of the land and all pool companies should take notice of:
ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS All electrical connections and controls must be installed according to BS 7671:2008 (2011)- Requirements for Electrical Installations. While most installation inspectors see conform in part, the usual non-compliance issue relates to the use of domestic surface mounted boxes and switches. All of these as well as those containing RCD’s, MCB’s, time switches etc. must be enclosed in a hermetically sealed box/container preferably to IP55, as there is a risk of water being sprayed in the plant room.
MAINS WATER CONNECTION When any form of topping-up device is connected to the mains water supply, the
Peter Lang
connection should be via an air gap. This is clearly laid down in the Water Supply Regulations 1999. Another way of putting this is that the pool water should not be able, under any circumstances, to re-enter the mains water supply. There are no non- return valves presently available, which are approved for use with fluid category five (which is the classification for swimming pool water of any kind). Additionally, there are a number of minor changes which could be made, and which the inspectors see a lot of, which would improve the generally appearance of the pool or installation and they are covered below: -
PLANT ROOM LAYOUT
The layout of the plant room should favour the end user, the person who is going to do the regular maintenance. Pump coarse strainers, backwash handles, and pressure gauges should be easily accessible and readable. Control switches should be near the appropriate equipment. Chemical feeders, tanks etc. should also be easy to fill to prevent spillage.
While this is about to be changed it was installed like that
40 February 2013 SPN
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
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