Labor Day is over and that means it’s time to put away your white shoes and pants and close up your pool.
Well, those are supposedly the rules, anyway.
It’s still 90-plus degrees out, so you can do what you want, but before too much longer, you’ll probably start closing up your pool. This week, we collected some photos and videos the Inspectors found while doing pool inspections to give homeowners some things to look out for when doing regular maintenance, and before closing up for the season.
Unprotected Wires
See the threaded thingy? It has come unscrewed, leaving the wires unprotected. Unprotected wires can get wet, or gnawed on by critters, or dirt and debris can get into the equipment. Easy fix. Screw it back in.
Same problem here, but the conduit has come loose or broken off. This equipment looks pretty old, so it will probably need to be replaced and resealed.
Missing Covers
The waterproof covers break off of outdoor outlets like this one all the time. But they’re important safety measures because water + electricity = bad. You can order a replacement cover and change it out lickety-split.
Same issue here, but this one is a little more pressing because what’s missing here is the shock guard cover — also a very common issue because they pop off pretty easily over time — and those wires could really light up your life if you touch them. If your timer control box looks like this, please replace the shock guard cover.
Leaks
It’s a really, really good idea to identify if you have any water leaks before you close up for the season. Some signs of a leak are:
- higher than normal water bills,
- change in water level beyond normal evaporation,
- algae or dirt in the pool,
- unexplained wet spots in the yard,
- or water around pool equipment.
Here’s an easy test you can do if you suspect you may have a leak.
In this video, the pool pump has sprung a leak. If you allow the pressure to get too high, the filter can burst, causing a situation like this. A normal pool filter pressure gauge reading should be between 10-25 psi. If it’s outside that range you have a problem.
Here, a recent shoddy repair stripped the threads of the connecting PVC pipe, causing this leak.
The best idea is to have a professional service your pool to make sure everything is hunky-dory before your pool sits idle for the next several months. If we have another bad freeze, you could sustain more damage to an already damaged pool than if you fix any problems now.
Plus, won’t you be happy next Memorial Day weekend, when you can open up the pool and it’s ready to go? What? You swim before Memorial Day?
You rebel.
