Drain cover recall could close thousands of pools
May-27-2011

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled about 1 million pool drain covers Thursday - a move that could result in the temporary closing of hundreds of thousands of pools across the country.
CPSC Chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum urged public pools with recalled covers to close immediately until they can be replaced. She said private pool owners should contact the maker of their drain cover immediately.
"I know this is a very difficult message for many communities to hear so close to Memorial Day weekend, but we cannot risk a child becoming entrapped in a recalled drain cover," Tenenbaum said in a speech at a pool safety event Thursday in Chula Vista, Calif.
Drain covers were mandated by a 2008 law intended to prevent accidents in which swimmers - usually children - can get trapped underwater by the suction of pool or spa drains. An investigation by the CPSC found that many of those drain covers were certified by labs that used faulty standards.
The commission said not all pool drain covers will need to be replaced. The drain covers are being recalled because they have inaccurate flow ratings - but it's possible some drain covers are rated high enough for the pool they're installed in. Pools with multiple main drains or gravity drainage systems do not have to replace their covers.
The recall is the result of months of investigation in which the CPSC subpoenaed 17,000 pages of documents from testing laboratories, which the agency says used bad standards in testing the drain covers.

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