Pool Inspections 101: What Home Inspectors Check for and How to Limit Your Liability

Welcome to the Inspection Insider. Here, seasoned home inspectors share their technical expertise and experience to help you improve your own inspections. 

In this post, Jon Bolton of Launchpad Home Group in Florida discusses swimming pool inspections. Bolton has been performing home inspections since 1998. He received his Bachelor of Science in Building Construction from the University of Florida and taught at Home Inspection Academy. Now he teaches at Home Inspection University Florida. Bolton is the author of “Tactical Real Estate Negotiator” and “How to Be a Home Inspector Badass.” He has been featured on several radio programs, podcasts, and publications, including The New York Times, Orlando Magazine, and Inspekt Magazine.

Now, here’s Bolton with his article on pool and spa inspections.

Pool Inspections: Less Scary Than They Seem

“Doing pool inspections is way too risky.”

This is a statement I’ve heard a hundred times, and believe me, I sincerely appreciate the respect that statement gives pools. When you respect the lethality of the gun, you don’t do stupid stuff like stare down the barrel. When you fully understand something, you have psychological safety.

Everything we do as home inspectors comes with risk, including inspecting pools. Therefore, everything we do as home inspectors should be looked at through the lens of limiting risk. (And no, Will, my broker at InspectorPro, didn’t tell me to write that.)

So why does a pool inspection seem so much scarier than a standard inspection? Personally, I think it’s a fear of the unfamiliar. Everyone can go to Home Depot and see what a shingle looks like. But few people have the same familiarity with a swimming pool, like what it looks like inside a skimmer or what a skimmer actually does. 

I’m going to help you break that fear and unfamiliarity with what happens during a pool inspection. In this “1,000-foot view” article, I’ll talk about my inspection process and common defects you may find during pool inspections.

I understand there may be company or state restrictions, so use or discard this information so that it serves you best.

Another note: Commercial pool and spa inspections are very different from residential ones, so never attempt to take on a commercial swimming pool at a hotel and equate the two. They are just too different. So we’ll just be focusing on residential inspections here.

My Process as a Swimming Pool Inspector

What happens during a pool inspection? What do pool inspectors look for? 

When creating or modifying your process, it helps to break the pool inspection down into three parts: the pool shell and deck, the barrier and safety items, and the equipment.

As with any component or system, we start with the macro approach. I want you to stand back, hands tied behind your back (figuratively speaking), and look at those aforementioned, three major parts of the system. Since it would be impossible to list everything to look for in a short article, I will highlight some of the critical things to spot in each of these major parts.

The Pool Shell and Deck

When examining the pool shell and deck, here are some key things to note:

• The deck should slope away from the pool to provide adequate drainage. There should be no settling, which could indicate significant concealed damage.
• Turn the pump off to examine the pool shell and finish conditions.
• Look for any previous repairs, deteriorated areas, or obvious damage, including cracks.
• If the waterline is not parallel with features in the perimeter tile, you may have a shifted or settled tank.
• Identify proper egress from the pool.

One of the most common shell and deck defects you’ll find is deteriorated surfaces. An average cost to resurface a pool will be low to mid thousands; it’s not a hundreds game. If you strictly follow an association, company, or state standard that says you don’t have to touch the water, you could miss a deteriorated pool shell finish and have a very upset client.  

To determine if resurfacing is necessary, all you have to do is check the condition of the finish. On marcite or painted shells, use your hand to wipe the sidewall of the pool, as illustrated in the photo. On exposed aggregate pools, employ the Hamel scrape method by running a screwdriver over the tile and watching for falling aggregate.

Shifting Tanks

Another common issue with the shell and deck is shifting tanks. The tank is the vessel or actual bowl, basin, or shell.

Water will always be level.  So if the water line does not align horizontally with the tile pattern, the tank may have settled or shifted. If there is enough settlement, it affects the plumbing lines. This could be financially crippling for your clients, so you must know how to recognize, quantify, and disclose a major issue like this.

All you need are your eyeballs and maybe a tape measure to determine the distance between the water level and the deck. Take pictures and state in your pool inspection report exactly what you see. If the tank has shifted, encourage your clients to contact a pool builder to evaluate the extent of repairs or full tank replacement costs. 

The Barrier and Safety Items

The barrier systems, or the physical obstacles that limit pool access, are critical components with a lot of liability. So you must pay close attention during pool safety barrier inspections. Recognizing barrier requirements and defects can literally save lives. It’s not really hard, but it’s a no-negotiation, gotta-know subject.

There are many physical and audible barrier types, including fencing and ladder access barriers. Here are three essentials to keep in mind during pool barrier inspections:

• Identify any breaches, gaps, indentations, or structural components that might allow a child to crawl under, over, or through the barrier. This includes something like a tree or small structure, like a condensing unit or storage bin, within three feet of the barrier that may allow a child to climb up and over. You must consider approaches from the public side (street) as well as from the private side (house).
• If a window on the side of the house could provide access to the pool, there must be a barrier between that window and the pool. Any and all access points to the water must have a barrier system.
• There are also audible barriers that alert when fenestrations are open or water in the pool is disturbed. These may substitute or add an additional layer of safety protection.
• If a barrier is not intact, you’re not expected to pull out a mesh fence from the shed and install it. But you will need to disclose its current condition in your report.

Similarly, electrical systems and bonding are must-know items. Identifying proper protection from electric shock and other safety features, like bonding, is critical, and you must understand them before you can offer pool and spa inspections.

Bonding involves joining all metal components associated with the pool, deck, and metal objects close to the pool to eliminate voltage potential. If you want to employ visual and advanced inspection techniques for proving metal continuity, consider taking pool inspection and electrical courses.

The Equipment

When examining pool equipment, know the components of the system and what each does, like how a skimmer works, how a salt pool works, what a pump actually does. Follow the piping as it routes from the pool pump and through each component in the system to identify proper installation and placement. Furthermore,  ask yourself:

• Do you see any leaks?
• What does the pressure gauge read?
• Can you identify proper bonding and lighting protection? (That’s a deep subject that warrants an article of its own.)
• Are the components (pumps, filters, heaters, and chlorinators) in their proper sequence? An improperly located chlorinator can kill an auxiliary pump or heater pretty quickly.
• Does anything sound or look odd? Measure the water level, amperage draw on pumps,and hardware height with a tape measure and an amp meter to confirm or deny compliance.
• If there are additional features, like a jetted spa, a water fountain, or another water feature, will you operate valves to determine feature functionality? This is typically out of scope but, if you have the skillset and apply it consistently across inspections, you may provide your clients with more helpful information.

Meanwhile, when it comes to equipment, a common defect that is simple to find but costly to miss is damaged skimmers. Missing a skimmer that is cracked or has chlorine degradation could cost you a few thousand dollars and your reputation. 

During your pool inspections, always remove the skimmer cover, the interior weir, and basket to view the skimmer. Look for cracks, displacement, and chlorine degradation. It takes just seconds and reduces your liability.

Pool Inspections: Unlocking the Deep End of Opportunity

Pool inspections take time, and they should. If residential swimming pool inspection services were nothing but 1,500 words in seven minutes, every home inspector would do them and diminish their value.

With a little knowledge and a process, pool and spa inspections are just like doing residential home inspections. When you’re well-versed on the subject, you can limit your liability and provide a great service.

And before you reject these ancillary services because you live in an area like Connecticut that doesn’t have the same number of pools as a place like Florida, think again. If the supply is low, the price you can charge is higher! Ask me about Fred, who averages $500 per pool inspection!

We hope you enjoyed Jon Bolton’s article on swimming pool inspections . To learn more about these inspections and developing multiple streams of income, check out Bolton’s pool class and certification.

Plan on offering pool and spa inspections as an additional service? Be sure to add the pool inspection insurance endorsement to your policy and to add a pool addendum to your pre-inspection agreement. Learn how our other home inspector insurance solutions provide peace of mind.

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