When we look at Tomball, we see a suburb with good schools, young families, and a diversity that makes the city unique. Located northwest of Houston, it is an area where a good of the residents rent their homes. In a study made by DataUSA.org, only 47% of homeowners live in the area while the other 53% rent their dwellings. But it doesn’t stop swimming pool construction in the area.
If you live or rent a residential property in Tomball, most likely, you may want to include a swimming pool. Don’t forget that an oasis is an amenity that will increase the value of the property.
Like all other towns and cities in the Houston area, each has its ordinances and permit requirements. Let’s look at them for Tomball:
1. Hose Bib and Anti-Siphon
The hose bib with anti-siphon prevents water from siphoning through an outside faucet, helping to avoid contamination of drinking water used in your home. Therefore, the City requires for swimming pool builders to indicate which device will be in use.
2. Self-Closing/Latching Gate
As required by law in the state of Texas, the gates must be, at least, 48″ tall, self-closing, and self-latching. It means that it must fully close and latch without any human intervention. In the case of Tomball, the gate must open away from the swimming pool.
3. Copper Wires
Your Builder must use a #8 bare copper wire with thermoplastic insulation for direct burial. Also, the wire connectors must be in 3M DBR, or an approved size. The connectors should be watertight and provide continuous electricity.
4. Engineered Proximity Letter
If the construction is less than five feet away from the foundation of a building or structure, a document issued by a licensed engineer will determine if it is in good standing to proceed with the project.
5. VGB Compliant Drains with ASME/ANSI A 112.29.8-2007
All drains must be compliant with the VGB requirements. If you are not sure or cannot confirm, the best solution is to replace the drain cover. However, all drains must have the VGB Compliant visible. For example, the MDX is a VGB compliant debris drain that allows dirt, leaves, and other debris to remove effectively from your pool.
6. Backwash and P-Trap
Backwash or backwashing is the process of thoroughly cleaning your pool’s filter by a method of reversing the flow of water to flush out contaminants. Therefore, all swimming pools in Tomball must have a P-Trap, a filter, and a cop on the P-Trap to avoid rainwater and objects from entering the sanitary sewer.
7. Fence Before the Fill
The city of Tomball requires to place a fence around the swimming pool before filling it with water. In that way, you can avoid drowning accidents.
8. Layout
A layout of all wiring and gas connections, as well as other essential elements, is required for approval. It must also have dimensions, and pool location in reference Property Limit, and all BL and UE.
9. HOA Permits
If you live in a community that’s run by a homeowner’s association, you should request approval from the association before requesting any building permit.
10. Property Limits
According to the city ordinance, the construction of any commercial pools cannot be within five feet from the side and fifteen feet from the rear of the property lines. Residential pools are only limited by utility easements on the property.
11. Gas Meter Surcharge
If you want a heater for your swimming pool, then the Builder must fill out and submit a Gas Verification Form. It must have information such as total current BTU load on the house and the full BTU additional load. There is a connection fee before any gas meter is provided, installed, inspected, and activated for use by the City. The City determines the charge by the number of BTU’s and meter size.
And there you have it! If you live in Tomball, Platinum Pools is ready to take you through building your dream pool step by step; from the initial drawing, up to the physical oasis in your backyard. Give us a call at 281.870.1600 or visit our website.