POOL & SPA INDUSTRY Cleaning the pump coarse strainer will be fun! It will be difficult to read this pressure gauge
LABELLING
A good installation can be spoiled by the use of a felt tipped pen to label pipes and valves, this sometimes even happens in commercial installations. There are many labelling machines available which are not costly and some suppliers provide them together with flow direction tape.
FILTER AND POOL CLEANER PUMP CONNECTION
A pump, which is hard wired to the main supply via a contactor and control panel, should only be removed from the system by a qualified electrical engineer. If the pump has to be removed to repair or store it, a pool fitter should not perform this task. However, by making the connection using an appropriate plug and socket, a pool fitter can carry out the work.
FILTER PUMP SUCTION MANIFOLD The standard of the pool hydraulics will be improved if the manifold is sized to take into account the size and number of pipes being combined. For example (and in general terms) three 1½” pipes should be combined into a 2” manifold. Equally, most pump manufacturers recommend that there should be a straight pipe of at least ten pipe diameters from the manifold into the pump and that it should be the same size as the pump inlet orifice.
I suspect the height of the flue shows there was a vent problem for the gas boiler; there still is
SKIMMERS
The number of skimmers is determined by the volumetric flow of the system and should equate to, or be better than, 70% of that flow. Often, where the number theoretically required is a fraction, then the lower figure is selected. This may be acceptable in an indoor pool but in an outdoor pool with greater wind blown debris, then the higher number may be more appropriate.
PIPE WORK
It is a requirement that all pipe work should be adequately supported and that support should come from clipping and not from the equipment installed. It is amazing how good a well clipped system appears in contrast to one that is all over the place. The use of 45 degree elbows can change the direction and position of the pipes in difficult situations and give a better flow than 90 degree bends.
IN-SITU POOL STEPS
The most difficult operation for the very young and very old when using the steps is the step from the coping down to the first tread. By making this tread double or greater than the standards treads below, this movement will be much safer. Once on this tread, the bather is more likely to fall forward into the water than if they are on the copings where the fall could be in any direction.
FLOOR OUTLETS
It is worth remembering that the floor outlets should be coupled together in equal branches into one single pipe, which then returns to the plant room. The branches and the single pipe should be of the same diameter so that the full flow can be taken by a single branch.
If the outlets are positioned in shallow water where bathers can walk, it is worth considering using stainless steel grilles to cover them, rather than a safety cover as the safety cover will be a hazard for the toes etc.
CONCLUSION With the effort put into the pool and the behind the scenes improvements outlined above, this should provide not only a good looking pool, but also one that is easy to maintain as well. SPN
Peter Lang is SPATA’s Technical Adviser and has been in the industry since September 1974. In January 2000, the Centre for Dispute Resolution in London accredited him as a Mediator and in a different capacity, he has also acted as a Joint Single Expert Witness and as Expert Witness in a number of Court cases.
Cables everywhere, pipes unsupported and are the drop pipes needed?
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
SPN February 2013 41
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