(A) General. Pool design and construction shall be in accordance with accepted engineering practice, shall be in conformity with applicable provisions of the adopted building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical codes, and shall be structurally suitable for the soil, topographic and geologic conditions prevailing at the construction site.
(B) Expansive soil design.
(1) Pools constructed below grade shall be designed on the assumption that their construction is to be in an area of moderately expansive soil having an expansion index of 51-90 and an equivalent fluid pressure of not less than 45 pounds per cubic foot (45 p.c.f.). Where tests indicate that soils at a pool site are non-expansive or have low expansion charac-teristics from the ground surface to the full depth of the pool, structural design may be based on an equivalent fluid pressure not less than 30 p.c.f.
(2) In highly expansive soils having an expansion index of 91-130, pools shall be designed for not less than 60 p.c.f. equivalent fluid pressure.
(3) In very highly expansive soils having an expansion index over 130, pool design shall be subject to special requirements based on a site investigation, soil testing, and engineering analysis by a registered civil engineer to determine appropriate design parameters for the site.
(C) Hydrostatic uplift. In areas of anticipated high water table an approved hydrostatic relief system or device shall be installed.
(D) Thermal protection for plastic piping.
(1) Between the inlet of pool water piping connected thereto, a check valve shall be installed to prevent thermal damage to such piping due to back flow.
(2) Between the outlet of the pool heating equipment and any plastic water piping connected thereto, not less than five feet of approved metal pipe shall be installed for the purpose of dissipating heat.
(E) Safeguarding suction drains. Bottom drains and suction intakes in pools and spas shall be covered with grates or other protective devices which cannot be removed except with tools. The slots or openings in these covers shall be of such area, shape and arrangement as to prevent bathers from being drawn thereto with such force as to constitute a safety hazard.
(F) Grab bars. Wherever egress from a pool by bathers is restricted by the presence of a vertical wall or other barrier which extends more than 12 inches above the water surface at the pool's edge, permanent handrails, grab bars, or equivalent device(s) shall be installed within 12 inches of the water surface, capable of being securely grasped and adequate to support the weight of a user of the pool.
(Ord. 990, passed 11-6-95) Penalty, see Ch. 13