|
|
May,
2005
|
Diversifying
Your Business
|
Issue
#37
|
One
of the primary methods of assuring a steady revenue stream
is to diversify your business or offer additional services.
One
additional service is pool and spa inspection. With summer
coming now is a good time to offer this service.
Pool
and Spa inspection consists of four phases: inspection of
the pool/spa placement and protection fencing; inspection
of the pool/spa shell (the vessel) and coping; inspection
of the equipment, including gas and electrical connections;
and function test of equipment. Many inspectors do not include
the pool body (shell) but many of us will look for obvious
defects such as deteriorated plaster and loose or missing
coping.
Today
I will discuss protection fencing. First to keep in mind is
we are trying to keep children out of the pool, so it is the
exterior side of the barrier that is most important, not the
interior height of the fence. Most jurisdictions require a
48-inch high (some are higher) fence around the entire pool
area, with a gate that swings away from the pool (children
learn to push before pull). The gate latch should be on the
inside of the fence so adults can reach over the top and open
it. The fence rail spacing should reject a 4-inch sphere in
the field and a 2-inch sphere in the space between the bottom
of the fence and grade. Any doors from the house to the pool
that are inside the fenced area should be self closing and
latching and be equipped with an alarm to alert persons in
the house of possible unauthorized entry to the pool area.
I
would always provide my clients (any one buying a house with
a pool or spa, even if I was not retained to inspect the pool)
the Consumer Product Safety Commission publication 362 regarding
pool barrier safety. Go here to download the PDF file: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/chdrown.html
and learn more about pool barrier safety and pass it on to
your clients.
Kaplan
offers many "Learn to Earn" specialty courses to
help you diversify your business and offer more services.
For a packed day of pool inspection learning, check out our
Pool and Spa Inspection course.
We'll
talk next month,
Mike
Casey
Kaplan Professional Schools
Now You're Ready For Business!™
|
