Now that we’re past opening season, we have entered the time of pump room evaluations. When you close your pool for the season it’s similar to parking your car in the garage and leaving it for 6-8 months. It’s susceptible to deterioration from non-use, damage from pests, and deleterious effects of poor water chemistry. (You can read about the effects of ignoring LSI here.)
Your neighborhood pool has been running for over a month. In that month we have been battling pollen, heat, rain, whatever your landscapers use to make your grass pretty, and body oils to keep your pool looking shiny and blue. During this time there are several things that we watch while we learn the rhythm of your HOA pool. We track sanitation, filtration, and circulation. This is the trifecta of keeping your pool water safe and clean. But what happens when it goes wrong?
What is water sanitation 
and what happens when it’s not working?
Sanitation is an indication of how clean your HOA pool water is. We test the amount of chlorine in the water, but it’s not just one simple test. We measure total chlorine, free chlorine, and combined chlorine. To get the real amount of chlorine in the water we take total chlorine and subtract the combined chlorine to get the total free chlorine, the amount of chlorine available to do the work of cleaning the pool water. When free chlorine regularly tests as a zero, we start to look at the reasons why.
- What is the cyanuric acid (CYA) level? (I’ll do another post at a later time about the relationship of chlorine and CYA, but just know it’s something we look at.)
- What environmental factors may be entering the pool? Forest fires, foliage, dirt and debris, bather load, and heat.
- Is the chlorine reaching the pool or are there any blockages leading to us looking at filtration and circulation?
What about when filtration fails? 
There are 3 places where pool water experiences filtration: the skimmer baskets, the pump basket, and then the larger filter in the pool pump room. The skimmer baskets and the pump basket serve to grab the larger debris, like leaves from the pool so they don’t take up valuable space in the larger filter. The 3 most common types of filter media are cartridges, sand, and glass (the superior filter media contact us for more information). There are also DE filters, but they have really fallen out of favor within the industry. The water is pulled through the skimmers and pump, and pushed into the filter. The filter media takes out most of the contaminants and then delivers safe and clean water to the pool. When the filter fails, the contaminants left in the water can make the water appear cloudy or feed an algae bloom. If a lateral breaks, the filter media can get pushed back into the pool causing it to create sand piles on the bottom. Filter pressure is a good indication of when the filter needs to be cleaned, but when pressure gets high easily and remains high it’s a good indication that it’s time to change the media inside the filter. We recommend changing cartridges every 6months- 1year, sand media every 3-5 years, and glass lasts the life of the filter.
How bad can a circulation problem be?
Circulation is the biggest culprit of dirty, unsafe pools. There are two components of circulation: the pump and the flow. Think of it like your own circulation system with your heart being the pump and your veins being the plumbing. The pump pulls the water off the top of the pool, through all of the plumbing, through the filter, the heater, past the chlorinator, and delivers sanitized safe water back to the pool. If this system works exactly as it should, all of the water in the pool should go through this process 4 times per day (once every 6 hours), also referred to as the turn-over rate. When this fails then your water is not getting cleaned and filtered often enough, you get cloudy water that holds the potential to make your community very sick. When dull and dirty water becomes a normal finding with the HOA pool, we will check the chemicals, check the pump speed, and check for flow rate. We can repair or replace pumps fairly quickly to keep your community swimming for the season. But if the flow falls below the acceptable turn-over rate then it can get costly to repair the issue. This is most commonly a problem when plumbing sizes are too small for the number of gallons in the pool, and no matter how fast the pump works (there are laws that prevent the pump from moving water too fast) it’s impossible to get the right amount of gallons to flow at a fast enough rate.
At Metro Pools we’re not your average pool boy because we ARE hydraulic specialists. We understand the flow and movement of water and the effects that has on your pool. Our experts know how to diagnose and fix your water issues.
What other items do we evaluate?
The Heater 
One thing we didn’t mention, mostly because it doesn’t cause visual problems for the pool, is the heater. Most people don’t even notice it’s a problem until the pool is uncomfortably cold. We do recommend preventative maintenance on community heaters, every year. It will help the longevity of your heater, just like an oil change helps the life of your car. The can also take the most damage from pools not properly balanced to LSI. Taking the heater apart, cleaning the heat exchanger, and swapping out damaged components can bring new life to the heater.
The Clubhouse 
We also check to see if the club house is protected from failure. Water can escape the circulation path through faulty equipment/ plumbing, or just normal service. Pump rooms are typically built to get wet, however, the wall on the other side of the pump room may not be so protected. Metro Pools offers many options to waterproof your pump room and protect the larger HOA investment.
The Deck 
Metro Pools also offers a comprehensive pool deck evaluation. Often when you have underground leaks, it can cause the concrete slabs on the deck to shift or sink and become tripping hazards. Another issue with pool decks is the coping stones that outline the pool body. If they become loose it becomes a major liability for the HOA community and a safety issue. They are the first thing someone in distress reaches for, if it dislodges, it can cause injury or death. We can help prevent that for you.
When can the HOA manager expect an evaluation?
Many of the minor problems mentioned here can be fixed on the go with the Metro Pools team. However, some of these items are much bigger issues, and require more time and money for repairs. Metro Pools will be writing up evaluations for each of our HOA and commercial pools in the next 2-3 weeks and reaching out to the managers for your community. If you’re not a current HOA pool or commercial pool customer, we will be available starting in August to discuss your concerns and evaluate what you may need.
When should your community schedule your repairs? 
Fall is the best time. Many communities think that once the season has passed they don’t have to think about their pool until next May. The problem is that April and May are far too late for your pool provider to properly address the situation for you. We’re providing these evaluations now so there’s time to discuss, ask questions, and even attend your HOA board meetings if needed. Budgets are usually created in the fall and capital expenditures are addressed. If the community pool needs some major renovation, there is time to get it in the budget and get it completed so that in the spring when you open up your pool it’s safe, clean, and beautiful for your residents. Metro Pools can work with your community to address any financial impacts.
If you’re unhappy with your water color or clarity or any safety issues around your pool, contact Metro Pools and we’ll send a knowledgeable technician to evaluate your pool needs.
