Give Your Community a Pool Checkup

Give Your Community

Pool a Checkup by Amy Dillard

As the weather warms it’s time to give some attention to your community’s swimming pool. It’s a good idea to give it an annual “checkup” this time of year. As you prepare to open your pool for the season, take a few minutes to assess all aspects of your swim area’s safety and functionality so your community can maximize the benefits of a neighborhood pool.

Start by making sure you and your pool’s service provider are in agreement about what they will be doing and when. Communication is important so that everyone in the neighborhood association feels that they are getting good value from their service provider.

Robert Sparks, owner of Pool Referees, LLC, says that in preparation for summer, “Your community pool technician can start checking for proper chemistry balance in regards to chlorine or sanitizer, PH balance, water alkalinity, stabilizer and make adjustments as needed. This is a great time to perform routine maintenances that will keep the pool looking and feeling great throughout the swim season. These include but are not limited to: filter maintenance, stabilizer reductions, calcium reductions, pump and plumbing checks and maintenance, sanitizer feeder maintenance and checks as well as automation programs. This ensures that everything is running when it should and how it should.”

Now that you know your pool technician is taking care of water preparation, you can turn your attention to other aspects of the swim area. Are there any spots that need Spring cleaning or a power wash? Do decks or other wood areas need repair or staining? Are there landscaping issues to be addressed?

Next, consider the condition of all chairs, tables, umbrellas, or awnings used in the pool area. Have you budgeted for any repairs or purchases that need to be made? Keeping furniture in good working condition can be a safety issue, so it’s important to remove any broken or malfunctioning items from your recreation area.

Safety in and around your community pool should always be a top priority. In addition to healthy water chemistry and properly working equipment, do a checkup of pool area security. Is your access control system doing its job? Are all keypads and locks working as they should? Some community pools have low fences or inside gate handles that are quite easily breached. If your neighborhood is experiencing frequent unauthorized use of your swim facility it can cause costly problems.

Vandalism, broken glass in the pool, and even theft of furniture are just some of the things that can happen if the pool area is used improperly or after hours.

“We have found that security cameras around the recreation area act as a deterrent for bad behavior,” says Mark Valls, owner of OnGuard Camera Systems. “And if any incident does occur, the community is able to access a record of when it happened and who is responsible. Damage to the pool costs everyone in the neighborhood, so minimizing unsafe or unauthorized use is in everyone’s interest.”

Finally, take this pool preparation time as an opportunity to check that you are still getting good value from all your service providers - pool tech, landscaping, security, and any others - and to create a realistic budget for next year’s Spring prep. Look for ways to spread your costs out over time so your homeowner’s association avoids getting hit with large unplanned expenses. For example, budgeting to replace a portion of furniture each year (cushions one year, tables the next) can prevent the need for a costly total replacement.

“We began lease programs for security camera systems last year in response to the needs we were hearing from HOAs and community groups,” says Valls. “A lease doesn’t require a large outlay of funds and ensures that any damaged cameras will be replaced without additional expense.”

Giving your pool an annual checkup will set you up for a safe and enjoyable summer. Once you’ve done that, Sparks says “You as a community swimmer can help your service company by kindly reporting any changes you see in water condition or feel. Other than that all you need to do is get your beach bod ready for a season of poolside fun! “

POOL REFEREES poolrefs.com 469-215-7733

ONGUARD CAMERA SYSTEMS onguardcamerasystems.com 844-314-2233