Pool and Spa Inspection
The Pool and Spa Inspection domain tests whether you can read a pool as one system: circulation, filtration, heating, water chemistry, electrical bonding, and the safety features that prevent drowning and entrapment. The How to Inspect Pools and Spas content supplies the vocabulary; the exam asks you to apply it to visible conditions and keep the report inside a non-invasive, visible-only inspection.
Circulation and flow math
Water travels skimmer and main drain, then pump, filter, heater, and returns. Turnover is the time needed to move the full volume once; residential pools are commonly designed around an 8-hour turnover, while many commercial codes call for 6 hours or less. Flow in gpm equals volume in gallons divided by turnover in minutes. Rectangular volume is length x width x average depth x 7.48 gal/ft3. A pump starved of water, from low pool level, a clogged strainer basket, or a suction-side air leak, shows bubbles at the returns, a noisy or hot pump, and unstable filter pressure.
Filtration and equipment
Sand filters catch roughly 20-40 microns, cartridge filters 10-20, and DE filters 1-5, the finest. Cleaning method follows the type: backwash sand and DE, hose off cartridges. Clean or backwash when the gauge reads 8-10 psi above the clean baseline, and record that baseline in the report. Gas heaters need adequate water flow, venting, and combustion air, with no soot, corrosion, or leaks. Spa water above 104 degrees F is a safety concern.
Chemistry, electrical, barriers
Typical targets are pH 7.2-7.8, free chlorine 1-3 ppm, total alkalinity 80-120 ppm, and calcium hardness 200-400 ppm. Adjust alkalinity first, then pH. Bonding is not grounding: look for the bonding conductor at the pump, heater, and light niche, GFCI protection for pumps and lights, and cracked light lenses. Barriers should be about 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching gates and no climbable footholds. Intact anti-entrapment drain covers are mandatory; a cracked or missing cover is an immediate hazard, not a cosmetic note.
Worked example
A 30 ft by 15 ft pool with 5 ft average depth holds 30 x 15 x 5 = 2,250 ft3, times 7.48 = 16,830 gallons. At an 8-hour (480-minute) turnover: 16,830 divided by 480 is about 35 gpm. If the gauge also sits 12 psi above baseline, recommend service rather than diagnosing a failed pump.
Traps
Treating clear water as safe; approving a drain cover without checking fasteners; calling 104 degrees F spa water a defect instead of a limit; giving a volume without stating the assumed turnover; confusing bonding with grounding.