Tips to keep your pool budget afloat - aquatic facilities

Swim facility operating costs (overhead) have been and continue to be a major concern. And, while today's newer facilities reflect high-tech efficiency, management level staff must continue to assign a high priority to eliminating wasteful spending.

Pool Staff

When scrutinizing your overall program, one of the first items you may want to evaluate, or reevaluate, is certain staff members. Take, for example, those responsible for operating the pool's recirculation equipment. To date, there still is little consensus concerning appropriate minimum qualifications for pool operators. Many state codes, while stipulating the need for qualified operators, offer no guidance as to what that really means. This has led to an abundance of well intentioned but relatively unknowledgeable individuals operating pools all across the country. Recently, several pool-related organizations, including NRPA, have begun pool operator certification courses to help correct this glaring problem.

It is important to point out that untrained operators are quite capable, however unintentionally, of driving operating costs up to the point of budget insolvency. From major damage caused by improper winterizing, to ill advised day-to-day operating procedures leading to pump failure and other unforseen budget busting costs, inexperienced or untrained operators can cause unacceptably high costs.

The best way to avoid this problem is to choose an operator very carefully. Operator candidates should be thoroughly questioned by those who have sufficient knowledge of pool operation procedures. Prior operating experience should be considered, along with any formal training completed. Keep in mind that almost all training now available is entry level, and does not necessarily qualify one to operate any particular facility. Also, the fact that an individual has operated other pools does not, in and of itself, mean the individual is competent. Check to see how well the job was done at those other locations before attaching too much importance to his or her experience. Pool operation is as much an art as it is science, so asking questions that call for good judgment and subjective reasoning helps to reveal an applicant's true worth.

If the foregoing raises questions about how to determine if your operator is costing your overall program too much, examine previous spending patterns. For example, how much, or how often is money put towards unexpected pool-related needs? Is spending frequently over budget? Is there a pattern of recurring pool problems, such as bather complaints about burning eyes, or cloudy water? Is the operator spending a lot of money on special chemical formulations to correct stubborn water-related problems? If the answer is yes to any of the above, then some concern about the pool operator's ability may be warranted. It is not sound practice to simply compare your spending with another facility. It has been my experience that many pool facilities have unique enough conditions to the point of making comparisons too inaccurate.

Even the highest "roost," the pool manager, or aquatic director, should not be above scrutiny. Does the aquatic program meet the needs of the surrounding community? Are the various programs and events thoughtfully scheduled, or do they create conflicts? Is the manager open to suggestions and willing to adapt or put new concepts into practical application as the need arises? Are their administrative skills equal to the challenge, and do they delegate responsibility effectively? Is a sound inservice training program in place? The way in which this position is carried out does much to determine just how financially successful the facility will be.

Choose your lifeguards carefully. While it is true that this job may not carry the same financial impact as the foregoing, it is none the less important, especially from a liability standpoint. Certifying agencies, such as the Red Cross and "Y" organizations make no judgments as to an individual's character or maturity. There is a distinction between "certified" and "qualified" that those in charge of hiring must take into consideration. The cost of poor supervision can be somewhat hidden until an accident occurs, then become all the more dramatic if a lawsuit follows. Litigation frequently lasts several years, and can be very costly in both time and money.

Preventive Maintenance

Because of seemingly endless budget constraints, many pool managers choose to ignore sensible preventive maintenance programs since this appears to save money. This is, at best, a very dicey gamble, since limiting unforeseen or emergency spending is so important to financially successful pool management. A savvy preventive maintenance program is a worthwhile investment to long-term solvency, and is certainly more cost effective.

Every pool is, in reality, a small scale, ongoing water treatment system. The water is recirculated continuously through a filter, and chemically treated before being returned to the pool. Each of the key items in this system must be monitored on a regular basis, and serviced as needed. For example, filters must be periodically shut down and checked in order to avoid possible breakdown. The pool operator should not assume that backwashing is all the preventive maintenance required. With pressure diatomite earth filters, for example, when backwashed, the operator might assume that when the sight glass is clear, the filter elements are clean. Not so. The elements are only as clean as the backwash flow provides, and in fact may still have considerable amounts of "DE" still in place. Over a period of time, less and less filter surface area is available to new "DE" precoating, the result being shorter and shorter filter runs. More and more "earth" is used, along with more water for backwashing. Over an extended period this can become quite costly; much more than the cost of routine disassembly of the filter to thoroughly clean the elements.

Other filter types have their unique requirements as well, along with pumps, chemical feeders, heaters and so forth. It is very important that those responsible for this equipment understand its design parameters and limitations, and structure a program of daily, weekly and periodic checks to ensure that unexpected costs can be, for the most part, eliminated.

Product Selection

One of the more frantic areas of the pool industry is chemical product promotion. Some vendors, who want to move their products quickly, may put profits somewhat ahead of a facility's true needs. Worse, there is a bewildering array of chemical types and brand names. Those in charge of purchasing must know enough to recognize truth from promotional hype.

Choosing a chlorine product, for example, can be difficult since there are not only several different kinds, but several brand names for each. Aside from elemental gas chlorine, which comes in pressurized cylinders only, there are liquid and granular hypochlorites, and sunscreened "stabilized" chlorine compounds in granular and tablet form. With each type are a number of brand names and price tags.

When choosing, make sure to compare like chemicals. Otherwise, it is easy for an operator to "flimflam" him or herself, or, even worse, be led down the road to unnecessary expense. An operator who compares the price of calcium hypochlorite to stabilized chlorine might think that, based solely on price, the calcium product is by far the better deal. However, if it's an outdoor pool that receives a great deal of sunlight, the stabilized compounds may actually be just as good a deal, given the sunscreen advantage. In this case, price alone should not be the determining factor. On the other hand, if the same operator works an indoor pool that receives little or no sunlight, then anything but the stabilized product could be suitable.

Specialty products are a good example of aggressively promoted items which can be useful, or a complete waste of money. The hype surrounding these products could easily lead one to conclude that a pool cannot run well without them.

In truth there are two distinct kinds of specialty products: those that are unique formulations targeted for a specific need, and "great pretenders" that are merely common chemicals which are cast in the role of a special purpose product, complete with the "hot sauce" packaging.

A good example of a true specialty product is Sodium Thiosulfate. Its role is limited to, and specific for dechlorinating water, and is a good item to have on hand. Calcium hypochlorite, aside from its widely popular role as a routine daily chlorinator, is also marketed in small packets and containers with different labels as specialty products for "shock treatment." True, the premeasured containers may be more convenient. However, if you use it as your daily chlorine of choice, it makes little sense to buy more of the same, and pay more per pound.

There are times when special formulations seem to be indicated, but in fact are not. For example, if the water becomes cloudy, do not automatically reach for the water clarifier product. First, check the pH, chlorine level, pressure and flow guages, and the hair and lint strainer basket. Usually, routine solutions, such as backwashing and water chemistry adjustments, will solve the problem just as quickly as using the clarifier. If everything checks out, and the water remains cloudly, that could indicate a mechanical problem in the filter. While the clarifier might help temporarily, filter problems tend to worsen over time, so attacking the cause rather than treating the symptom is the least expensive approach.

Heat Conservation

Keeping the pool water at a comfortable temperature is a major expense. The higher the temperature, the harder it is to maintain. Obviously, conserving heat should be a major goal, as this translates into significant savings. Today's newer facilities can be designed with a wide range of energy saving features; older facilities can be retro-fitted with much of this new high-tech equipment, much of it paying for itself in a very short period of time. From heat pump and dehumidifying equipment to solar heating devices and insulating pool surface covers, there is more to evaluate and choose from than just a few short years ago. When you consider just how much thermal energy is lost through evaporation, thermal radiation and conduction/convection, becomes readily apparent. Depending on the amount of water and surface area and surrounding atmospheric conditions, literally millions of BTUs can be lost in a surprisingly short time; that is money unnecessarily lost.

There is no question that swimming pool management is a vastly different deal than it was in the past. The pool industry had a great deal of very dynamic growth during the relative economic calm of the 1950s and '60s. Now that much higher overhead costs are a fact of life, pool managers must constantly reevaluate their programs in order to hold budgets within tighter constraints.

The industry, to its credit, has rallied to the call for more efficient equipment, and continues to turn out some very interesting and innovative items which should be evaluated from a cost/function standpoint. Management should stay in touch with what's happening on the cutting edge of aquatic technology, and put into practical application that which makes economic sense in order to help ensure a bright economic future.

COPYRIGHT 1993 National Recreation and Park Association
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group