Swimming Pool Covers – Dos and Don’ts
Swimming Pool Inspection Service gives you a rundown on the different types of pool covers and why you need one on your pool.
Was the Coping & Plaster Damaged by a horse?
Was the Coping & Plaster Damaged by a horse
Homeowner, Steven Reed, the insured, reported to his insurance company that his pool had been damaged by horses. He said that the back gate to their property had been left open, because of this, three horses had entered the property causing damage to the pool. The pool is an inground, geometric shaped pool, with plaster interior finish. It was stated that one horse went through the cover, coping and plaster.
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The Incredible $300,000 Pop-up
A highly regarded pool company was going to give a swimming pool a light acid wash and repair a slight superficial crack in its surface. It turned into something considerably more.
Swimming Pool Inspection Services (SPIS) was contacted by its client, GFH Company to inspect and report on an in-ground swimming pool at a residential property in an exclusive neighborhood. The inspection was to confirm the cause of the pool’s damage and to estimate its repair or replacement cost. The claimant was Read more
HOW TO AVOID SWIMMING POOL and SPA DAMAGE IN THE COLDER MONTHS
The months between freezing winter and the thaw of spring are the perfect time for damage to occur to your clients’ swimming pools and spas.
Homeowners can become complacent with their pool maintenance, allowing problems to not only begin, but to remain unaddressed until they want to use their pools later in the year.
Encouraging your clients to keep up pool maintenance will help reduce damage from occurring, thereby reducing claims that are made for pool repairs. Here are some gentle reminders to pass on to your clients, so they can take care of their pools from now until spring.
Check Pool Covers Throughout Winter Months
During the winter months, pool covers can be damaged when snow, rain, or debris are allowed to remain or pile up on the cover. The heavy weight of snow can cause a cover to break, and most pool covers are not designed to hold an extreme amount of weight. Pool covers should be kept clear of snow and debris, and should be checked after rain to ensure that the cover is properly in place. In addition, keeping the pool cover clear will help ensure that rainwater, debris, and melted snow do not fall into the pool water when the pool is opened in the spring. Rain water and melted snow can upset the chemical balance in the pool water, which can cause staining and damage to a swimming pool liner.
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A Swimming Pool Crack: Surface or Structural?
Swimming Pool Inspection Services (SPIS) received a request to inspect a swimming pool in Glendale, CA. The insured, Jason Cowley—the pool’s owner—claimed that there was a large crack in the bottom of his pool.
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Everyday Weather versus Freezing Ice Storms
The state of Texas suffered severe ice, wind, and snowstorms that was astronomical and lasted just over a week. It was something that Texas had not experienced before. Texas has had snow before but nothing like this winter storm.
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We Have Inspectors who are not afraid of this Virus!
I wanted to find out if you could do an inspection in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
I was glancing through the incoming emails of Swimming Pool Inspection requests today, when I saw this email.
There it was the perfect question. Because of many cities shutting down everything and everybody in the city, an adjuster with a claim in New York, San Francisco and Louisiana becomes concerned if the onsite inspection can be completed.
My mind instantly thought about the old pony express moto. Neither sleet, nor snow, nor wild Indians can stop the mail from getting through. Since the Presidential mandate was issued, “Stay home and study our navel,” we, at Swimming Pool Inspection Services, have completed every inspection request. When we can get the required pictures from the insured, and other vital data, a desk review can eliminate an on-site inspection. Otherwise we sweet talk one or more of our inspectors to venture into the intercity of virus hell. Read more
Proper Winterization for Swimming Pools, HOT TUBS AND SPAS
With autumn and winter just around the corner, Swimming Pool Inspection Services has seen many in-ground and above-ground swimming pools sustain damage because they were not properly winterized for the cold months.
Pool Care in Autumn
During the autumn months, when trees shed their leaves, and the weather begins to change, pools are at risk for damage from leaves, pollen, and other debris. The first step to winterizing a pool is to make sure the pool and pool water are clean. Skim the pool for leaves and debris, and run the filtration system to ensure that pollen and dirt are not allowed to remain in the pool during the winter. Allowing pollen and dirt to remain in the pool during the winter months can result in staining to a pool liner that may require professional service to undo.
Because the pool will be getting less use in autumn, the pump can be run less frequently, and homeowners may be able to use fewer chemicals, thereby saving money. The important thing to remember about pool care in autumn is to keep leaves and debris out of the pool. Skimming may need to be done more often than it was in the summer, but the rest of the pool maintenance routine should ease up some.
The Winterization Process
A Pennsylvania Pool’s Last Stand
It started with a phone call on a Tuesday.
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a borough near Pittsburgh, home of 100-year old Kennywood amusement park, a 650-acre steelworks (a division of U.S. Steel), and more than a few above ground swimming pools.
Early August 2018, Mr. Lyle, the owner of an above ground pool, was at work when he got a frantic call from his son. “Dad! You know that pool of yours…it has, well, exploded!” Mr. Lyle was speechless. He spent the rest of the day in a daze, distressed by visions of exploding pools, and the Yuengling® (Pennsylvania’s popular lager) he’d enjoyed, floating on a duck-shaped inner tube.
Mr. Lyle, shocked and dismayed at the state of his pool. It looks like floating with a Yuengling® lager in hand will have to wait.
Mr. Lyle contacted his insurance company to notify them of the catastrophe. Swimming Pool Inspection Services dispatched Inspector Clark, who spoke with the insured, and arrived at the site of the pool 72 hours later.
Inspector Clark found an empty pool, whose side had split in the area of the pump and its return. The pool had been purchased 18 years prior, and its vinyl liner had been in use 8-10 years. He determined that the pool, pump and liner had been installed correctly. Mr. Lyle had previously done his own version of maintenance, with Flex Seal applied in the area where the pool eventually split. There was a significant amount of rust present that had obviously contributed to the unit’s collapse. The equipment had evidently not sustained damage. A wooden deck next to the pool was unharmed.
Inspector Clark concluded the cause of demise was accumulated rust over time.
Unlike the “Steel Curtin” – the infamous Steelers defense – this seasoned swimming pool could no longer hold the line and buckled under pressure.
After his thorough examination, Inspector Clark put in a bid for a new pool.
Swimming Pool Inspection in Bethlehem, PA
After a storm causes damage to a Bethlehem, PA swimming pool, Swimming Pool Inspection Services inspects the pool for further damage.