Real Estate Pool Inspections

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Pool are usually inspected for a specific reason. For example, itโ€™s common to see inspections for overall safety, energy efficiency, structural integrity, surface issues, water quality or leaks. In these instances, the goal of an inspection is to identify specific problems in the pool system.

Then thereโ€™s the other kind of inspection: those that take place as part of a real estate transaction, where the pool inspectorโ€™s job is to provide an overall โ€œsnapshotโ€ of the poolโ€™s condition, necessary repairs and possible problems in the future.

Usually performed on behalf of the buyer, this class of specialized inspection is similar in many respects to inspections that take place for roofs, septic systems or termites. Given that the pool is oftentimes the second-biggest investment homeowners ever make, itโ€™s not surprising that people buying a home with an existing pool want be informed of the poolโ€™s condition.

Unfortunately, pools and the many nuances that come along with them have long been obscure to most home inspectors. โ€œItโ€™s what you donโ€™t see that matters,โ€ says Tom Krause, a certified pool inspector for American Pool Inspection in Phoenix, Ariz. โ€œMost home inspectors have no idea where to look. Thatโ€™s why they need experienced pool professionals.โ€

WHO'S QUALIFIED

When there is no pool inspector in the mix, itโ€™s easy for home inspectors to miss major problems, which can leave the buyer saddled with expensive issues down the line.

โ€œA home inspector will confirm that thereโ€™s water in the pool and the equipment sounds like itโ€™s running and thatโ€™s about it,โ€ explains Dennis Boyd, owner of Pro Pool Inspections in Nashville, Tenn.

Boyd is an experienced service technician who started doing inspections as side work. โ€œI targeted the real estate industry because I had so many inquiries from people wanting to know what they were buying. I started out just wanting to be able to do inspections as needed. Since I started doing it, my inspection business has blossomed. Iโ€™m sure it has a lot to do with the fact that in Nashville, we have 106 people moving into the area each day on average. So thereโ€™s a great deal of buying and selling.โ€

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Both Krause and Boyd took the National Swimming Pool Foundationโ€™s Certified Pool & Spa Inspector course. A prerequisite for that course was NSPFโ€™s Certified Pool Operator training. While that training was helpful, both claim the real training comes by way of work experience. โ€œI donโ€™t consider myself qualified because I took the CPI course. I consider myself qualified because Iโ€™ve been working on pools for 20 years,โ€ Boyd says. โ€œThe certification just gives you a credible foothold.โ€

โ€œTo be a good pool inspector you really need to have worked in the industry and worked on enough pools to be experienced enough to know what youโ€™re looking at,โ€ Krause says. โ€œAnd, you need to be CPO certified. You also have to have a passion and interest in what youโ€™re doing; you have to like pools.โ€

INSPECTION POINTS

How deep an inspection goes can vary. Although every pool is different, Boyd goes through about 30 items in his inspections, starting with features around the pool, including fencing and decking as well as slides, diving boards and other features directly related to the pool.

โ€œWe define that as any kind of apparatus that is used for enjoyment specifically for the pool,โ€ he explains. โ€œWeโ€™re looking for cracks, signs of damage or repairs and trip hazards. Weโ€™re looking for evidence of ground movement, which might get worse over time. If we see a structural problem, like a leak, weโ€™ll recommend bringing in a leak-detection company or a structural engineer.

โ€œThen we look at the interior surface for cracking and delamination. Is it pitted, scaled or stained? If itโ€™s a liner pool we look to see if the liner is bleached out or if it looks new. Are there patches in it? Weโ€™re also looking for fl ow back to the pool โ€” are the returns all operating? We look at the ingress and egress features, steps, ladders, handrails and their condition.โ€

From there, Boyd moves on to the equipment pad. โ€œWe visually inspect the equipment area for possible leaks and obvious damage to any of the major components and plumbing,โ€ he says. โ€œWeโ€™re looking at everything from an operational standpoint; is it running per the manufacturer specifications? Weโ€™re looking at the age of the equipment, which we usually determined by serial number. And weโ€™re making sure everything is hooked up and connected according to manufacturer recommendations and industry standards.โ€

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Part of the challenge, he explains, is carefully qualifying what is and isnโ€™t part of the inspection. โ€œWe do look at electrical for basic things like if there are bond and ground wires connected to metal components, if there are GFCIs and are they working, but we are not licensed electricians,โ€ Boyd says. โ€œThatโ€™s why we include a disclaimer that states our recommendation for a separate electrical inspection.โ€

Along similar lines, he adds, โ€œWe also automatically recommend that the filter media be replaced because we have no idea how the pool was used. In the CPO training they say that 80 percent of water management is handled by the filter.

We err in favor of proper filtration and recommend a fresh start.โ€

For his part, Krause puts pools through a 75-point inspection that also includes water analysis and filter examination. โ€œI take the filter apart to see if it needs to cleaned or replaced, because thatโ€™s a big difference in cost. In a pool, itโ€™s what you donโ€™t see that costs you money. If you donโ€™t take the filter apart and inspect cartridges, you have no idea what the condition of the filter is,โ€ he says.

โ€œThe water analysis reveals the most problems,โ€ he adds. โ€œI inspect many pools where the water may look clear but itโ€™s completely out of balance or doesnโ€™t have any chlorine. So I do try to educate people as to why they want the water properly balanced and sanitized.โ€

SAFETY FIRST

Unsurprisingly, safety issues are of utmost concern in any inspection. These include both common-sense measures as well as less-obvious hazards.

โ€œThe number one safety issue is simple: Is there a lock on the gate?โ€ Krause says. โ€œSecond is the condition of the fence. After that, if I see toys floating in the pool, I let homeowners know thatโ€™s a safety hazard because kids will be attracted to those toys. A lot of times it the simplest things that people miss or donโ€™t think about.โ€

โ€œWe always err in favor of safety,โ€ Boyd says. โ€œFor example, we make sure the circuit breaker that turns off the pump is the same breaker that turns off the salt system, if the pool has one. I bring up that example because itโ€™s a safety standard that is largely obsolete because salt systems have fl ow switches that turn them off when there is no fl ow. In this case, itโ€™s basically a redundant safety issue.โ€

Some safety items are anything but obvious and do require the trained eye of an expert. โ€œI look at the pressure gauge and make sure thatโ€™s working. Itโ€™s a $15 item but many people donโ€™t think to ever replace it. But if that pressure gets too high it can blow the filter, which is a tremendously dangerous hazard,โ€ Krause says. โ€œI think the most dangerous thing on a pool is the locking ring on a cartridge or D.E. filter. If they donโ€™t tighten that ring down, it can let loose โ€” and if someone is standing there, theyโ€™re going to be hurt.โ€

ETHICAL BOUNDARIES

Pool inspection work requires more than a solid knowledge of the inner workings of a pool โ€” it also requires ethical standards. For some, inspections are simply another way to cultivate service and repair work, a clear conflict of interest. According to both Krause and Boyd, itโ€™s crucial to avoid any whiff of self-serving impropriety.

โ€œIf you have a service company and you do pool inspections, itโ€™s important that you keep the two completely separate,โ€ Krause says. โ€œItโ€™s a bright line. If youโ€™re using pool inspections to generate service and repair work, you shouldnโ€™t be doing inspections in the first place.

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โ€œWhen I do an inspection,โ€ he adds, โ€œIโ€™m not thinking about how much money a pool company can make; Iโ€™m concentrating on making sure that when someone buys the house, theyโ€™re not hit with unexpected costs related to the pool. I want them to know exactly what theyโ€™re facing where the pool is concerned. Iโ€™m out to save the clients headaches, not generate business for my service company.โ€

โ€œWe always recommend getting multiple bids on work and make a point of keeping our service business and inspection business completely separate,โ€ Boyd says. โ€œWe recommend our competitors all the time. Thereโ€™s plenty of work in this market โ€” the issue is protecting clients from the jackals and thieves in our industry. Iโ€™m happy when our professional and competent competitors are doing the work because I know the customer will be taken care of and thatโ€™s good for the entire industry.โ€

โ€œI make recommendations but itโ€™s up to them,โ€ Krause adds. โ€œI do provide an approximate dollar figure of what it will cost to get it fixed because people are usually in a hurry to get it done so the sale will go forward.โ€

GENERATING THE REPORT

Recording findings and communicating them to the buyer, owner and real estate agent is an important and often painstaking part of the process.

โ€œThe inspection is a snapshot in time. I take pictures of everything to record the conditions Iโ€™m seeing when Iโ€™m there,โ€ Krause says. โ€œMy report is very methodical and very educational. Every part of my report is aimed at educating the client.โ€

For his part, Boyd developed a software program to automatically generate reports. โ€œIt was a nightmare doing them,โ€ Boyd recalls. โ€œI loved getting the inspection work, but the reports would take three to five hours. We were just looking at how to speed-up the process, so I worked with a company that had a program built for the home inspection world. We took the language and changed it. Now when I enter the information into the program, it uploads it to the cloud, so itโ€™s available for everyone involved in the transaction. The protocol guides you through the process. Been using it since 2016 and itโ€™s been a game changer.โ€

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