Keep swimming pool water crystal clear to pass regular inspections in Houston.
In Houston, Texas, residential swimming pools are governed by the Environmental Health Code and regulated by the Health and Human Services Department. You must have a permit to install a pool that at any point is deeper than 18 inches, whether you are installing a swimming pool, a hydrotherapy spa or hot tub. Does this Spark an idea?
Permitting
You must submit two sets of complete plans to the Department of Health and Human Services. Each page of the plans must include the property owner's name and address and the name of the contractor. Include a plot survey. Information on the plot survey must include the address where the pool will be installed and show the fence line. In addition, you must list the color of any plaster used on the pool walls.
The plans must include drawings of the pool enclosure with the gates highlighted. Specify on the plans what material will be used for the fence or enclosure, i.e. wrought iron, chain link or wood. Show the filter type, backwash system and prevention devices, skimmers and hoses on the plans. Draw the hose bibs on the plans and specify what type of backflow prevention is being installed for the hoses.
Details
Regulations require that gates installed in the pool enclosure have automatic closing and latching mechanisms. Plaster used on the walls and bottom of the pool or spa must be white or another light color. Overflow from the pool must be piped to the storm sewer system. Main drains from the pool must be A112.19.8M R 95 rated according to standards of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) or American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and listed this way on the plans.
Maintenance Requirements
No object not related to safety, recreational use or sanitation of the pool may be placed in the pool.
All pumps, filtering systems, drains and lighting must be kept in good working order, and accessory items like diving boards and ladders must be kept in good repair. The pool water must be free of algae and clear enough to see the drain at the bottom or a black disk placed at the bottom of the deep end. Maintain a free chlorine residual of 1.0 parts per million units of water in a swimming pool, and 2.0 parts per million units of water in spas.
If you plan to swim or soak in your spa at night, you must install lights bright enough to illuminate the walls and the bottom of the pool or spa.
Tags: must include, pool must, swimming pool, bottom pool, from pool
