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Summer time---time to jump in the Pool!

By
Home Inspector with Charles Buell Inspections Inc.

In the NW I occasionally get asked if I inspect swimming pools.

 

First of all I have to get clear on exactly what a swimming pool is---and then I politely say no. 

 

While not quite as rare as chicken's teeth, swimming pools  are indeed pretty rare in my neck of the woods.  On the rare occasion when I do come across one on a property, I make it pretty clear that someone else will have to inspect it.  I will report on missing and/or improper fences and gates ---as well as some electrical issues---but for the most part inspection of these critters is left to others. 

The pool in this picture is actually pretty safe---except for the trip hazards where the fence posts used to be.

Sand pool

I know that all around the country there are millions of pools and we are coming into the season when people will be using them more than they did perhaps in the Winter months---unless you happen to live in an area where it is warm enough to use them year round.

So this post is for those of you that do own pools.

A recent CPSC notice announced the recall of over a million pool drain covers that could cause entrapment resulting in drowning.

CompanyModel Information (websites)Dates SoldRemedy

A&A www.aamfg.com Dec. 2008 - Apr. 2011 Replacement or Retrofit
AquaStar www.aquastarpoolproducts.com Dec. 2008 - Apr.2011 Replacement or Retrofit
Color Match www.poolfittings.com Dec. 2008 - Apr. 2011 Replacement or Retrofit
Custom Molded Products www.c-m-p.com Dec. 2008 - Apr. 2011 Replacement or Retrofit
Hayward Pool Products www.hayward-pool.com Dec. 2008 - Apr. 2011 Replacement or Retrofit
Pentair Water Pool & Spa www.pentairpool.com June 2009 - Apr. 2011 Replacement or Retrofit
Rising Dragon www.risingdragonplastics.com Dec. 2008 - Apr. 2011 Replacement or Retrofit
Waterway www.waterwayplastics.com Dec. 2008 - Apr. 2011 Replacement or Retrofit


This is a huge recall and I recommend making sure your pool is safe.

Since the first of the year there have been 118 spa and pool related injuries in the United States.  The CPSC doesn't clarify whether these injuries were related to these covers or whether they are just making a point that pools and spas are dangerous areas and people need to pay attention. 

Lots of people, especially children with long hair, are prone to having their hair sucked into these openings.  They end up trapped and then drown.

Be safe in your pool. 

 

PS.  This should not be news to anyone---because all homeowners should be subscribed to the CPSC email recall notifications.

 

 

 

 

Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

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Comments (32)

Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Steve, not to worry, Nutsy is going to get sand bagged on this one

May 27, 2011 01:46 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Great post Charlie.  I don't think people realize how dangerous pools are, or how many people are killed every year in somebody's back yard!

May 28, 2011 12:29 AM
Jason Sardi
Auto & Home & Life Insurance throughout North Carolina - Charlotte, NC
Your Agent for Life

Buell - When Nutsy lands, will you share the pics?  We didn't get the Bin Laden ones so we at least deserve those, right?

May 28, 2011 01:16 AM
Jason Sardi
Auto & Home & Life Insurance throughout North Carolina - Charlotte, NC
Your Agent for Life

And what is going on with Markanich's profile picture?  It looks like he almost got killed by this guy.

May 28, 2011 01:18 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Jay, thanks---yes they can be very dangerous

Jason, I sure will.  As far as Jay's eye goes---maybe Killer Kowalski or Haystack Calhoun?

May 28, 2011 02:44 AM
Shannon Coe
exp realty of California, Inc. - Oceanside, CA
760-586-5268, San Diego Realtor

good information as always. Here in Northern California we have a lot of swimming pools but with the vacant homes the mosquito vectors come out and put fish in them...strange times.

May 28, 2011 04:08 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Jason - I had a post about it!

May 28, 2011 06:05 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Shannon, yes vacant homes make pools even more dangerous

Jay, yes---but what was the "real" story? :)

May 28, 2011 06:20 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

That's what I've been hearing!  I'm sticking with that one.  It took a long time to come up with!

By the way, how did it sound really?    Shhh...

May 28, 2011 07:03 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Sounded awesome :)

May 28, 2011 07:11 AM
Steven L. Smith
King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Charlie,

I really do not think that making sport of Nutsy, by you or those who read the post, is a suitable pastime for adults.

May 28, 2011 04:50 PM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Well as soon as we find some adults we will be all set won't we?

May 28, 2011 05:30 PM
Steven L. Smith
King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Charlie,

I think we must agree that an apology to Nutsy is in order here.

May 29, 2011 04:51 AM
ARDELL DellaLoggia
Better Properties Seattle - Kirkland, WA

Charles,

There's a house for sale in Kirkland where everyone wants the pool to "not be there". Do you have a rough idea what it would cost to get rid of it?

May 29, 2011 06:08 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Steve, I seriously doubt it

Hi Ardell, nice to see you.  No idea on the costs.  Some of them they remove the bottom and merely fill them in.

May 29, 2011 06:52 AM
James Quarello
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC - Wallingford, CT
Connecticut Home Inspector

That's how I like my pools, filled in :) I will show this to my wife, maybe she and the kids will stop asking for a pool.

May 30, 2011 12:51 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Jim, perhaps it could be turned into a "beach" volley ball court?

May 30, 2011 05:01 AM
Reuben Saltzman
Structure Tech Home Inspections - Minneapolis, MN
Delivering the Unbiased Truth.

Ah yes, there was a little girl here in Saint Louis Park, the city I grew up in, who died a couple years ago because of injuries sustained by one of those unsafe drain covers at a golf club pool.  That was the event that prompted this huge recall.  The details were just gory.

Jun 01, 2011 11:21 PM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Reuben, I have heard some of those gory details---thanks for not sharing :)

Jun 02, 2011 06:24 AM
Robert Butler
Aspect Inspection - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Home Inspector | Aspect Inspection

Your pool shot reminded me of a local incident. Friends of mine had kids and bought a house in a near by commuter city. The price was right, etc, etc.

Come spring they discovered a 15' deflated pool in the grass of the back yard. My friend , a fairly handy guy took weeks of spare time checking it out, reassembling it and making sure all the equipment was present and working.

On the Saturday that it was all ready to go, they started filling. And just in time as it was approaching the end of June and it was getting hot.

But it was slow going. They only had the one garden hose to fill it.

By noon it was only 2/3rds full so the gathered up their kids (2) and 6 of their frends who had been playing in the yard waiting for the pool to be ready and took them off to MacDFonalds for lunch and left the pool slowly filling.

There certainly was no danger of it over flowing and they took their time with the kids to keep them entertained.

Then they went back home to see how close it was to full. But....

It was gone! They couldn't see it as they drove up the street!

They got there. Parts were strewen all over the yard. the childresns toy were washed up against the fence and house. The basement windows were smashed in and the basement was flooded.

The pool had burst. The kids , to say the least were dismayed. The parents looked at each other. They were both white as a sheet.

They were both professional ambulance drivers.

They knew how lucky they were (the children were not in that yard when the pool burst).

They didn't open the van doors. They just drove the visiting children home, brought their kids to her mothers, before coming back to start the clean up.

 

Jun 10, 2011 10:54 AM