Swimming pool leak - that's not really a leak

Here is a quick example of a problem that was (apparently) overlooked for quite a long time by several swimming pool professionals trying to figure out why this pool was losing water.

This is the pool side termination of an 'overflow' pipe from a spa which was installed higher than, and separated from, the pool. The system is built with the pool and spa sharing the same equipment. Under normal, everyday operating conditions a small amount of water is diverted from the pool through a 'bypass' pipe at the equipment and into the spa, to keep the spa water 'fresh' and chlorinated, causing them to be 'the same body of water'.
This overflow pipe is installed exactly at the high point in the spa where we want to maintain the water level. It is common for this pipe to be open ended at the spa (recessed in the wall out of site) and also open ended at the pool (with only a grate covering it). The bypass water flows back into the pool (only by gravity) through this overflow pipe, taking any floating debris with it. When this debris gets to the grate at the pool it gathers, gradually blocking the water flow. Then the water overfills the spa and pours out onto the ground, or wherever it wants to go - away from the pool, causing the pool to 'lose water'.

The purpose of this post is to illustrate the importance of investigating deeper than just what we see from standing on the deck above the pool. The 'bypass/overflow' concept will be discussed more thoroughly in a later post.

I will try to be gentile on my professional colleagues because, just by looking at this grate form the deck it seems very open with just a few pieces of debris showing through. I was also tempted to look elsewhere for a problem at first. But, since I am slightly obsessive compulsive, I had to confirm that this grate was completely clear before I moved on to investigate something else, so I took it off. It's quick and easy to do, you can see there are just two screws holding it in place.
I have to think that this grate looks like it is mostly clear because the technician has been brushing over it, removing the debris that can be seen, then declaring it to be "clean" - easily understood.

This pool had nothing floating in it prior to me removing the grate, nor did the deck have anything on it before this picture. All of what you see on and around the grate came from behind it. The gravity flow of water from the spa into the pool was definitely completely blocked. So, the water from the bypass was not getting into the pool, it was flowing over the shortest wall into the cover box and out the drain pipe, which is out of site. Causing even the professionals to think there was a leak in the system somewhere underground.

This is just a pipe coming from the spa, the reasons for having a grate in the pool are so; it isn't ugly, and it isn't a potential hazard - keeping a small child's limb from getting caught inside. Because this pipe is open ended at the spa, without a grate, it allows debris to enter and flow to this point.
This leak problem seems to have been solved just by keeping the grate clean from behind.
My opinion: Install some type of grate at the spa so that the debris can be easily seen and cleaned from the deck.
Thank you for reading!

Amazing underwater swimming pool light

I found this light last week and had to share it. I've seen this happen before, but have never been able to take pictures to prove it because it would trip the breaker or GFCI too quickly. In my last post I explained how water gets inside a light fixture and that it is almost always going to stop the light from working, instantly, even in small amounts. Well, this one definitely had quite a lot of water inside, and seems oblivious to my previous blog about this exact thing.
The original call was about the computer control system intermittently shutting down. The electrician had connected the pool lights and computer controls on the same breaker, so when the light was turned on (and stayed on for a short time) it caused the breaker to trip, and it turned off the entire filtration system (I'll rant about that another time). I have some theories about how this light stayed on at all (and didn't instantly trip the breaker/GFCI), which I will offer as I go through these pictures.

I enjoyed being able to get these pictures because it gives me the chance to explain to swimming pool owners and professionals exactly why replacement is the best option. At the end of this post you will see another reason I try to replace every light that gets water inside.

Clearly, this light is half full (always optimistic!) of water and still on. I'm confident that the water was getting in through the lens gasket because it seems to have been slowly creeping up to the socket and just at the point of contact with it when the problem was discovered, tempting me to replace just the bulb and lens gasket.

After the light was removed from the pool, I decided to get deeper into analyzing it and found a few interesting items to discuss. Again, it seems that the water level inside just had not risen high enough to contact the bulb socket, which is the electrical contact point.

The cord entry seal seems to be in tact and is, likely, holding water out as it was designed to do - again tempting me to just dry out the inside and replace the lens gasket and light bulb. I didn't have a picture to share of an in-tact cord entry point in my last post as I explained the one that had been epoxied, so here ya go. The manufacturers have designed the stainless steel fixture with a formed hole and the rubber grommet (installed with a press) squeezing the electrical cord with enough pressure to hold out water. This is one reason why we must request a specific cord length when we order a fixture.

Looking at the calcium (or salt) build up and algae (or fungus, or bacteria) buildup on the bulb, it seems that the water has been inside for quite some time, maybe a few months.  I think the light would stay on long enough to heat up the water inside enough for it to expand (and turn into steam) and come in contact with the bulb socket, causing a ground short - just another theory. I almost made the decision to dry out this light and just replace the bulb and lens gasket - once again, I'm glad I didn't.

Here you may be able to see where the water level was (I took this immediately after removing the lens and bulb hoping to get an accurate view while it was still wet.) and notice that it stops just under the bulb socket. I suspect that this is the reason it was not effecting the breaker every time it was turned on, until now. The light was not used over the winter which is (apparently) when it filled up, slowly.

SO, as I pulled this light out of the pool and began the process of installing the new one, I found these! These 2 cord repairs seem to have been done at the time this light was installed. It is now (and will always be) my opinion that this must never be done. If there is any type of break in the cord the entire light should be replaced. One reason these underwater swimming pool lights come from the manufacturer with specific cord lengths already installed, watertight, is safety. Even though there are safety devices installed to prevent electrocution, we must do everything in our power - as professionals - to contribute to the safety of people coming into contact with the water. If this means we loose money and time then that's too bad. We must not risk injury or death regardless of monitory loss. This light should have been thrown in the trash the moment someone found an issue with the cord.

As you may have read in my other posts, I tend to think of scenarios as a lawyer might. Here's one for this:
Since one of these breaks in this wire was in contact with the swimming pool water there is a potential for electricity to flow into the water at that point. Suppose the GFCI/breaker failed and someone was killed or injured by this. I would expect the family to sue the crap out of any person having anything to do with this light since it was installed, including me. Had I made the decision to dry out the inside of it and put it back together with a new lens gasket and bulb, instead of replacing it, I would have felt massive grief and tried to find the person that originally did this and found a way to make them feel even more grief, as I would expect the court to do, also!

I will be creating a different swimming pool professional blog with clear, precise installation and repair procedures for underwater swimming pool lights, including instructions for electricians, sometime soon.

Underwater swimming pool light fixture needs replaced

There are quite a lot of swimming pools with standard incandescent lighting under the surface of the water. The vast majority of them are either 300 or 500 watts and are intended to be submerged throughout their lifetime. We sometimes have a hard time explaining when it is time to replace just the bulb or the entire fixture. It can be easy to determine if there is water visible inside the fixture, but it is not always obvious when the light just stops working. Eventually, all underwater light fixtures will need to be replaced, because the swimming pool water deteriorates the rubber piece that seals the cord entry into the 'can' and/or the lens gasket seals. We can replace the bulbs several times, before the fixture will need replacement, as long as we install a new lens gasket each and every time we open up a fixture. However, it is not possible to be precise in determining how long a fixture will last (regardless of how many times the bulb and gasket have been done) because we can't replace the cord entry rubber seal. Generally, I see light fixtures last between about 10 - 15 years, but conditions vary so much that replacement intervals will differ greatly.

These light fixtures come from the manufacturer as a "sealed unit", meaning the power cord has been installed permanently and cannot be repaired - at all. So, once water gets inside a fixture, and it can be determined that it got in through the cord entry, and not the lens gasket, we have no responsible choice but to replace the entire unit. My experience has found close to a ~75% of lights with water inside need to be completely replaced, though I am tempted to replace them all, just to eliminate the return calls. A small number of them can be dried out and have a new bulb and lens gasket installed without any new issues for several years. These are usually the ones which have let water in through the lens gasket and not the cord entry seal.

Here I'm showing an example of one fixture that may have been a borderline replacement decision when someone tried to repair the seal at the cord entry point with epoxy. It looked very clean inside until I inspected the socket that the bulb screws into. I recommended a new fixture due to the obvious history of repair attempts. I didn't take any pictures of the lens and gasket, just the fixture.

Above is a good view of the fixture and its face ring. You can see the coiled wire loop, coming up from the back of the 'can' on each side of the socket, that is part of the grounding system. This wire is meant to touch the glass of the bulb creating a ground to it, since glass is a conductor of electricity - though not a very good one. There is a faint showing of rust on the lower right quarter of he can indicating that the socket is getting slightly wet and corroding.

Above, closer in, we see the temperature sensor (at bottom right - looks like a cigarette but) which will cut power to the bulb if it gets too hot. The red-orange gel surrounding the socket, ground wire and temp. sensor is the epoxy used by the manufacturer to protect each of these pieces from water and hold them in place for proper lighting function. We do see some moisture here, which has caused our problem, but it isn't enough to be seen from the waters edge, through the lens. The corrosion in the socket is much more obvious here and confirms the need for replacement.

A much better view of the corrosion. If we are trying to be fast and save some money, we would be tempted to clean this up with some sand paper, dry it out and put it back together. It may work for a while, but I would count on being back to replace the fixture soon.

When I see this, I know that someone was aware of the water getting in and may have thought it was not significant enough to replace the entire fixture. Instead, in an attempt to extend its life, they tried to epoxy the cord entry.  There are very few epoxies that are good enough to permanently stick to (and seal) both rubber and stainless steel. I have never seen this work (and my opinion is that it's a waste of time and money). Although, I understand that some customers want to do anything to save money, this is one I strongly recommend against because it can be a potential safety hazard (even with all the safety precautions in place).

Most lights show much more obvious signs of damage due to water getting in through the cord entry seal. I wanted to show this one because it seems to have fooled someone before me and I really want to help explain my idea of across-the-board replacement when possible.

Swimming pool equipment - example of what not to do. Most extreme.

I'm want to start with this set of pictures because it seems that every day the same question eats away at me and I must to do everything I can to avoid asking it, if I want to stay sane:
WHY on earth would someone allow THIS to happen!?! Yes, there was a choice at some point along the way.

I'm pretty certain that heat pumps are supposed to be outside!

Ooohhh the humanity! There's a pump hiding behind that heater!

Anyone want to work on that heater? How about that pump?

There are a lot of 'issues' with this installation which the homeowner and the service/repair technicians get to deal with, daily. The people that designed and built this room must not be the ones that have to go into it and perform any type of task, ever. Do the hate the next guy?

I very rarely refuse work -- this is one situation where I did, for several reasons. I was not there for any of these, but they went through my head while I was standing in front of it.

• I pictured myself pinned upside-down drowning in this room. Which filled with water, because a pipe broke while I was climbing over it, so I could stand on my head, just to see where a small drip may have been coming from, behind the heater on he floor.
• I pictured myself removing every piece of pipe, the heat pump and the pump on the floor just to get a look inside the heater, then putting them back just the way they came out, because the homeowner may not be ready to pay for the extra time to re-plumb it differently, when the call may have been just to troubleshoot the heater - which can't be done with any of that stuff removed or with it in the way.
• I pictured myself in a massive time consuming legal situation, that started as a simple diagnosis call, trying to explain why this homeowner may owe me the the extraordinary amount of money I have billed for when it took over two hours just to get a look at the problem. Or one where I am defending myself, while the homeowner claims I am responsible for re-configuring the entire room because something completely unrelated to my visit went horribly wrong after I left.

Enough with my imagination, I simply decline to be involved in any way, other than a complete remodel.

Now, I am going to try to explain how an equipment room like this comes to exist and suggest ways we can avoid it. It may be that this is not originally how this room was put together, but I can tell that it's close (I think the heat pump was installed after the rest of the equipment, but even without it, this room is way too small). There are some things pictured that are not to code (the homeowner has been notified) and a lot of things that should be considered taboo.

This had to have started at the very beginning, before a shovel was put into the ground to build it. I think this type of circumstance can be avoided easily with a knowledgeable salesperson who has an honest exchange with the buyer. You may lose a sale, but your reputation for building a quality product will make up for that in the long run.

Here is my idea of the progression (just speculation here, feel free to ignore it, or bear with me):

1. The buyer or designer may have said 'I need to save as much money as possible on this project so, can we make the room as small as possible and still have the equipment inside a room?'. (It may be that local code requires the equipment be enclosed for noise elimination, so the entire room could not have been taken away to save money.)

My opinion; Pool equipment should be treated (by law or at least by the builder) just like electrical equipment. There should be a minimum required footprint which includes access area. This will never happen, because not enough people have been killed when they were forced to access swimming pool equipment in an unsafe way (generally, you will just get wet if something goes wrong, but people have been killed by swimming pool equipment mishandling).

2. The person that sold this project may have said to the buyer or designer 'yes, we can make the swimming pool equipment room any size you like' (we all know why sales people say 'yes').

My opinion; The answer should have been 'No, I'm sorry but, this is the required amount of room for this equipment according to the manufacturers, government regulations, industry standards, our policy and simply, for you to get in and maintain it. Please budget and plan for this size...'.

3. The builder may have never suggested a change, prior to or during construction, because the decisions may have already been made.

My opinion; Someone needed to speak up and let the buyer or designer know of the expense, the headaches, the delays, the operational and longevity issues and extra time that would be involved  in maintaining this equipment for its entire lifetime. A good example of cutting costs up front becoming much more expensive in the long run.

4. The code inspector was either never on site or the local code does not address swimming pool equipment in a manner which would effect this room.

My opinion; There are some local codes and/or inspectors, in some areas, that are not clear on what to look for when it comes to swimming pool construction, especially in the equipment areas. The upcoming Model Aquatic Health Code may help the entire country with this.

5. The "professionals" that may have been on this property to do any work on this equipment may have had to explain to the owner why it would cost 3-4 times more than normal to replace the heater or pump or anything else that fails (and it all will, eventually) and it may have instantly become cost prohibitive to do even minor work.

My opinion; Stop the hemorrhaging soon -- tear it down and rebuild it (if possible) or start a dedicated bank account just for the ongoing work in this room. It has reached the age when the major items have reached their lifespan.

This is one of the worst equipment sets I have ever seen. There are plenty of other properties with rooms and individual pieces of equipment that seem perfectly installed, but have issues that are very difficult to pinpoint. I will be selecting and presenting some for discussion, more often since they are more common.

I feel like I need to plead with swimming pool buyers, salespeople and builders to communicate all things that will effect the operation and maintenance prior to breaking ground. It will be the most important issue for the rest of its existence.

The question must not always be 'Can this be done?' because, yes, most things 'can be done' (and some of us like to prove that we 'can do anything'). The question must always be 'Should this be done?' and it must be answered honestly, with knowledge based explanation.

Please don't overlook the fact that swimming pool equipment has a lifespan and will need to be serviced and/or replaced, eventually, and the manner in which it is installed directly effects its reliability and longevity.

Introduction

One day I decided to stop using the word 'why' - as in "Why would someone do, or not do, that?". It only frustrated me, regularly. Then I started using the word 'how' - as in "How can I help in this situation?". It feels much better, constantly.

On a daily basis I see a lot of preventable problems with swimming pools. This blog is dedicated to showing examples of some of these issues, analyzing the cause and coming up with ways to avoid them. I will be taking pictures and explaining what I found, and did, on site.

This is not a place for you to 'school' me or for me to 'school' you. It is intended to be a place to share our experience, knowledge, ideas, techniques, tricks, industry standards, government regulations and manufacturer requirements and discuss the ways we can manage all of them, consistently.

Some items discussed will be of (what I perceive as) design issues, some things may be build issues, and some things will be maintenance issues. All "issues" will be presented as my opinion and will be discussed in a way that may not always be comfortable to manufacturers, builders, owner/operators or maintenance technicians.

I have a favorite quote "Don't hold strong opinions about things you don't understand" - Unknown

Well... I'm 45 this year and my dad made sure I started learning (and teaching) swimming pool and spa installation, maintenance and repair when I was very very young (~5 years old - really), so I understand the vast majority of it now. I will state upfront, right now, that I have strong opinions about a lot of these items and will be expressing them clearly, with respect. It may be difficult to contain my frustration with the people who have come before me because, sometimes, it seems that I am the only one that cares about the end user.

I don't know it all, and neither do you, so feel free to share what you know or ask questions if you have some. Please comment with respect.

So, let's get on with it!