Keeping the water in check
Behind the scenes, back in the mechanical room, the chemistry system is powered by a Neptune Benson Blu Sentinel SE chemical controller. This controller measures free chlorine in parts per million (PPM), oxidation reduction potential (ORP), and pH, as well as temperature.
If connected to a category five cable (CAT 5) connection, this controller can be remotely monitored. However, owners are always cautioned nothing compares to going into the mechanical room to physically check everything, listen for any different sounds, and smell anything that may hint to a bigger problem. Most operators get to know the sound of their pumps—when ‘healthy’—and will know when something does not sound right. So, while remote monitoring is great as a secondary method to check on the water chemistry, it is still recommended one goes into the mechanical room once a day, at minimum. Another nice feature of the chemical controller is all the operator must do when walking into the mechanical room is look at the flow cell to check the pool’s status. If all the levels are within the set parameters, it will be illuminated blue. If it is illuminated red, something may be wrong, indicating the attention of the operator is required.
Structurally sound
Structurally, this pool is built to last. Using cast-in-place concrete, 30 MPa concrete mix reinforced with 10M (11.3 mm) and 15M (16 mm) rebar, this pool is heavy-duty. This is a high-strength concrete suitable for suspended structural beams, pre-cast beams and flagstones, heavy-duty workshop floors, and suspended reinforced floors.
The pool floor was poured first using a ribbed rubber water stop implanted into the concrete around the perimeter where the walls were poured later. Once the walls were formed and poured, all the concrete was properly vibrated to ensure there were no voids to affect the structural integrity of the pool shell. Further, the concrete was fibre reinforced for extra protection from cracking. Lastly, the use of a crystalline waterproofing was used to ensure the shell would remain watertight for many years.
Despite the pandemic, this pool was completed on time, and the owners were able to open the pool to their guests for the summer of 2020, albeit with restrictions. Acapulco prides itself on completing projects on time and on budget, and this one proved challenging as the installation team not only had to deal with prolonged winter weather, but also many setbacks brought on by COVID-19 such as increases in material costs, material lead times, and labour.
Greg Keller is a service and sales representative at Acapulco Pools Ltd., a commercial pool builder and service provider based in Kitchener, Ont. He graduated from Conestoga College’s architecture-project and facility management program in 2011 and was hired by Acapulco upon graduation. He can be reached via e-mail at greg@acapulcopools.com.
