Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT ARE THE STEPS INVOLVED IN
BUILDING A POOL?

Stage 1 – Signing the contract

Signing a SPASA Contract and making payment for the Deposit and the SPASA WaterTight/WaterWorks Insurances.

Stage 2 – Approvals

Paperwork sent to the Engineers who obtain the Approvals and Soils Tests.

Stage 3 – Onsite Meeting

Pre-Excavation meeting on-site to position the pool in the yard.

Stage 4 – Excavation

Assistance would be appreciated to locate a close and suitable dump site. You will need to advise your Sales Consultant and/or Construction Supervisor of your Paver and Interior Colour choice prior to, or at this stage.

Stage 5 – Delivery of Reinforcement & Equipment

Steel Fixer will build the internal steel frame. Certification of the internal steel frame will be done by the Engineers prior to concrete. Concretors will spray and form up the Concrete Interior.

Stage 6 – Curing Of The Concrete:

Minimum 4 weeks (Client to hose shell daily)

DURING THE CURING OF THE CONCRETE, WE AIM FOR THE FOLLOWING TO TAKE PLACE:

Plumbing & installation of filtration system.
Placement of Coping (after a minimum of 4 weeks if included in the Contract.)
Solar Installation (if included in Contract).
Installation of Pool Fence (if included in Contract).
This is also a good time for you (the client) to arrange for your electrician to supply power to the Filtration System, connect the earth wire from the pool to the house, and if a pool light is to be installed, to attach the 12 volt lead to the Transformer and run it back to the Filtration System.

PAVING MUST BE SEALED IMMEDIATELY ONCE IT HAS BEEN LAID.

All paving must be sealed according to the Supplier’s recommendations using the Supplier’s approved Sealant. If this is not done, there can be damage done to the surface, and would void your warranty.

A WARNING SIGN

must be displayed in a prominent position at all access points of your property. Failure to do so may incur a fine against yourself and Environ Pools. Please maintain this Sign.

It may be a requirement of your Council that the installation of your Backwash is into an existing Storm Water/Sewerage pipe. Please note, in the terms of the Contract, it is the Clients’ responsibility to arrange for a Licensed Plumber to do this work.

Stage 7 – FinalFencing and Certification

After
BUILDING the POOL?

What happens after my pool fencing is completed?

Step 1 – Certification

Certifiers will inspect the pool fencing. After inspection, please contact your Construction Co-Ordinator and inform him of the outcome.

Step 2 – Booking Pebble Interior

Once the pool has passed certification, the Pebble Interior will be booked and you will be notified when the placement process will take place.

Step 3 – Placement of Pebble Interior

The placement of the Pebble Interior normally takes approximately 3 Hours. Any boxes left on site (lights, fittings etc.) should be left near the pool for easy access by Contractors.

Step 4 – Acid Wash & Filling The Pool

Normally the following day the Acid Wash takes place. At this stage you will need to leave a garden hose out, so the Acid Wash Technician can begin to fill your swimming pool.
Always fill the pool from the deep end and in one continual action through to the top of the skimmer box.
Do not be concerned about the colour of the water, as it is nearly always GREEN initially.

Step 5 – Swimming Pool Handover

Swimming Pool HandOver. A time will be arranged with you to conduct the Swimming Pool Handover and Practical Completion . This usually takes around 90 minutes, and will involve a comprehensive Water Analysis & Equipment demonstration. The installation of chlorinators, pool cleaners, remote controls etc. will also take place at this stage, alongside a clean up of your site.

HOW DO WE LOOK AFTER THE PEBBLE INTERIOR OF OUR POOL?

Pool must be filled to the TOP OF THE SKIMMER BOX and IN ONE CONTINUAL ACTION. Failure to do so will result in a so-called ‘tidal mark’. This mark is not easily removed and can be permanent.Concrete pools with a cement based interior can take between 4-6 weeks to cure fully.

During this time the interior is vulnerable to chemical damage. Immediately after ‘handover’, the following procedures must be strictly adhered to for the first three weeks.

• Add the recommended chemicals or agents as instructed (if not already done by the Contractor)
• Monitor and balance water chemistry – weekly
• Manually brush and vacuum the entire surface finishes – daily, checking and clearing the skimmer basket/s and lint pots in the pump/s for small particles brushed off the surfaces. The use of a filter sock in the skimmer basket during this time will greatly assist in catching these small particles.
• Run the filtration system for a minimum of 10 hours a day
• Check and adjust the ph of the pool/spa water every 2nd day
• Maintain ph in the range of 7.2 to 7.6
• Attend to algae flashes promptly
• Newly finished concrete pools (with a cement based internal finish) require at least 200-250 mg/L calcium hardness in order to prevent the extraction of calcium from the cement products used in construction (ie to prevent etching)

The concentration of calcium hardness may be increased by 10mg/L with the addition of either:

• 150g of calcium chloride; or
• 170g of calcium sulphate

for each 10000 litres of pool/spa water.

Removing CALCIUM BUILD UP is no easy task, however preventing calcium from adhering to pool surfaces can be as simple as following the above recommendations. Failure to do so may cause irreversible damage as calcium scaling is not always able to be removed evenly (oxide added interiors are in extreme danger of this).

Pools which continually appear cloudy may need to be flocked to trap suspended solids. Allow 12-24 hours for floc to settle to the floor and then vacuum sediment to waste, topping up pool water level if necessary.

When do the pavers need to be sealed?
Should your pool have “Paver Coping” or “Rock Water Features”, they need to be sealed immediately and then annually. Paver Coping is to be sealed following the Supplier’s instructions and using the Supplier’s approved Sealant. The recommended product for Rock Water Features is “Extend Aware Plus.”

Maintenance and safety
Careful monitoring and attention is required by the Owner/Occupier immediately on “Handover’, and thereafter, strictly: in accordance with the practices and procedures given by the Contractor, Supplier or Manufacturer to ensure that your investment is protected and that your Warranty or Guarantee requirements are preserved and maintained in accordance with the contract, and the protection provided under it.

Handover

1. You could jeopardise any claim you are entitled to under “Statutory” or other warranties if these guidelines are not followed, or, the recommended chemical balances and procedures are not maintained
2. All warranty claims must be forwarded to your Contractor, in writing -as soon as you become aware or concerned.

When the Pool/Spa is filled (in preparation for “Handover’), the water supplied often contains impurities, chemicals and metals etc, and may not have the correct calcium hardness or correct water chemistry balances suitable for the purpose of a Swimming Pool/Spa.

Like a new car, a Pool/Spa and its water requires “running in” while the materials used “cure”, and the water chemistry settles in, and like a new car – it is completely in the operators hands.

lf you follow the recommended “start up and running in” procedures, followed by the recommended, regular maintenance schedules, your Pool/Spa and accessories will provide you with many years of trouble free enjoyment, and the water will be clear, clean and healthy.

Your Contractor should provide you with the manufacturer’s warranty and instructional brochures on the use and maintenance of all the Pool/Spa equipment/accessories and other items supplied or used. If not, ask for them or phone the equipment manufacturer. The methods you use should be in accordance with these instructions.

You must follow the instructions provided by the Contractor, and should now locate, read (and then keep in a safe place), any “third party” instructions/warranties relating to equipment, supplies or accessories.

If your Pool/Spa is saltwater chlorinated
Your handover technician will advise you when the first lot of salt can be added (which may vary from immediately up to 4 weeks, depending on the initial water supply and/or the curing requirements of the internal lining).

If your Pool/Spa becomes cloudy

• Top up the water to operating level (1/2 way up the skimmer box)
• Use a “flocculent” to treat the suspended solids and allow about 24hrs for the floc to settle,
• Brush and vacuum the sediment to waste, then top up the water to the operating level, again (if necessary).

or

• may require the delaying of the normally required salt or other chemicals during the “curing” period

As a General guide, you will need to:

• Add the recommended chemicals or agents as instructed (if not already done by the Contractor)
• Monitor and Balance water chemistry – weekly

For the first 3 weeks:

• Manually brush and vacuum the entire surface finishes daily, checking and clearing the skimmer basket(s) and lint pots in the pump/s for small particles brushed off the surfaces.
• The use of a “filter sock” in the skimmer basket, during this time will greatly assist in catching these small particles.
• Run the filtration system for a minimum of 10 hours a day, check and
• Adjust the pH of the Pool/Spa water every 2nd day
• Maintain pH in the range of 7.2 to 7.6
• Attend to “algae flashes” promptly
• Newly finished concrete pools (with a cement based internal finish) require at least 250 mg/L
  calcium hardness in order to prevent the extraction of calcium from the cement products used in construction (ie. to prevent etching).

The concentration of calcium hardness may be increased by 10mg/L with the addition of either:

• 1509 of calcium chloride;

or

• 1709 of calcium sulphate for each 10,000 litres of Pool/Spa water

Removing calcium build up is no easy task. However, preventing calcium from adhering to pool surfaces can be as simple as following the contractor’s recommended procedures for the first 4-6 weeks.

Also, there are a number of metal sequestering agents available that can counteract the effects of calcium scale, and which allow for the easy removal of unsightly solid particles by brushing and then vacuuming.