When checking to see if you have power, DO NOT do as my friend’s instructor says, USE A METER. Even a cheep meter is better than nothing.
You should use a meter to check your hot lead(s), your neutral, and your ground. Check before turning the power off at the breaker and then check to make sure that the breaker you turned off really turn off ALL of the power.
V G B compliant main drains are available and should be used even if individual homeowners are not required by law to have them. The old main drains are marked as not available. The are not available because they can not legally be sold any longer.
Everyone should be aware of safety and it is important to keep in mind that a swimmer can get trapped on the old main drain covers. The suction holding them can be so great that not even several strong men could pull a child off of the drain. You need to break the suction and the quickest way to do that is to introduce air into the system. Smashing the pipe to the main drain with a baseball bat would accomplish this.
The biggest thing to stress is safety, safety, and more safety!
V G B compliance for spas deals with suction outlets. You can not buy the old style covers, because it is not legal to sell them. There are several new covers and complete suction assemblies that are compliant. For safety these should be installed even where they are not required by the law, such as a private home.
Safety is always important around a spa and everyone should know where the disconnect for the hot tub is located. It should be within sight and 15ft. of your hot tub. If it is not, one should be installed.
It is important that there are disconnects on all heaters also. And on gas heaters there should be a gas shut off valve for each heater located near the heater. These shut offs and all GFCI breakers for the pool and/or spa equipment be tested every week by who ever is doing the service. If someone other than you does this service. Make sure that it is being done.
If any of the safety items are broken, the pool or spa should be shut down and not used until it is fixed. It is too easy to continue using the facilities and let the repairs slip. If it is a safety issue, you can not afford not doing it. Closing and stopping usages until fixed forces you to fix the problem in a timely manor.
This video is a story about just one reason that you DO NOT BY-PASS A POOL OR SPA SAFETY. In this case all it cost the man was a brand new spa heating element.
All safeties are in your system for a reason. It may seem trivial at the time. The one in the story is such a safety.
But a by-passed safety could also cause harm to yourself or your family. For your protection always practice safety. And DO NOT BY-PASS A POOL OR SPA SAFETY.
Chemical feeders are used to maintain sanitizer levels in your pool or spa. They come in different sizes to hold the different size chemical tablets. Larger ones are used for pools and smaller ones for hot tubs.
If you use a pool floating chemical feeder in your pool over the winter and keep it full, you will find that your pool in the spring will not be very green and will be much easier to bring up. You will not have to treat for algae and will save the expense of those chemicals. You will not have to be cleaning out the yucky gunk that comes from a green swamp instead of a clear pool.
It is important from a safety standpoint to make sure your chemical floaters are in good condition. Broken tops can allow access by a small child and possible ingestion of the chemical tablets.
Adding a floating thermometer to your spa or pool can make it easy to check the actual water temperature. In your spa it is a safety backup to your digital display, which can fail, putting you in line for a shock when you enter. A too hot spa can be a health hazard and a cold spa can be real disappointyment. In your pool the thermometer can tell you whether you are going to have a refreshing swim or join the polar bear club. It can tell you instantly if your pool heater has brought your pool to a comfortable level.
You have other options when choosing a safety handrail for your spa. Again remember to choose a handrail that will stand-up to the wet environment of the hot tub. I recommend a figure 4 handrail that attaches to the hot tub skirting. It is stainless steel for durability and comes with a universal mounting bracket. Again as a reminder it is worth using stainless steel bolts or screws from your local hardware store to mount the railing. Since this attaches to the hot tub skirting, open the hot tub so you can assure that you are securely mounting this railing and also not screwing into any of the hot tub components.
Adding a handrail to your hot tub can not only make it easier to get in and out of the hot tub, but can be an added safety feature around wet slippery surfaces that are always a part of the hot tub environment. It would be wise to look for a handrail that will withstand the wet environment. A stainless steel handrail fits this criteria. The stainless steel swivel handrail is particularly useful because it moves out of the way to allow easy open and close for the hot tub cover. Make sure that you use stainless steel screws or bolts to mount the railing. It is worth it in the long run to use stainless steel connectors from your local hardware store for both visual aspects and longevity. For maximum safety do not skip any of the holes. Use them all!