SwimmingPoolSurveys - Legal Issues and Insurance Claims

Alan Pugh (Fellow of the Institute of Swimming Pool Engineers) brings you 30 years of practical, managerial and consultancy experience. With Associates we offer expert opinions and help you decide on realistic solutions.

Legal Issues and Insurance Claims

	A client was very unhappy with the quality of refurbishment work to a large public lido carried out by a main contractor. There was poor finishing to the new concrete floor; slight leaks and slumping even though watertight concrete had been supplied. Also the existing old wall render had been patch repaired and was not waterproof, and the water stops between the new and old work were incorrectly installed. Detailed remedial work by the main contractor proceeded on receipt of my report.
	A large panel pool had been installed and over five years the liner had split, pipe connections cracked, the panels became distorted, and the pool unusable. The pool had been built in a sloping clay garden without proper sub-soil drainage and the panels had not been back-filled with the correct shingle. The pool company's expert witness suggested further site investigation. However on receipt and consideration of my report, the company settled out of court.
	An Earthquake in Lincolnshire resulted in a home owner over a hundred miles away claiming that ground vibrations had caused a crack in their outdoor pool and subsequent water loss. My inspection revealed that, in spite of the earthquake, the lower walls and floor were sound and waterproof. I recommended pressure testing of the pool pipework by a specialist company to check for leakage. Repairs were also required to the upper pool walls which had been damaged by the distortion of the pool cover channels (automatic rainwater drain pumps should always be fitted on top of covers and active to avoid this).
	A preformed glass fibre pool and spa bath was cracked, leaking below the waterline, and tilting so much that the circulating water system no longer worked. The pool had been placed on top of site debris and back-filled with concrete instead of pea shingle, which should have been added when the pool was first filled with water. We expressed our belief to the Insurance Company that the vandalism claim was invalid.

17 Linden Grove

Great Linford

Milton Keynes

MK14 5HF
Tel: 01908 662441
Email: alan.pugh@livemailuk.com