Las Vegas · Commercial pool & spa · A guide to VGB drain coversLas Vegas · VGB drain covers
Read the cover.
Every drain in a hotel, HOA or apartment pool needs a cover built to the federal anti-entrapment standard, and the cover says so on its face: the standard, its flow rating, its life in years. What the law requires, how long a cover lasts, and what a manager should check.
Every drain in a hotel, HOA or apartment pool needs a cover built to the federal anti-entrapment standard. What the law requires, how long a cover lasts, what to check.
01The federal rule
What the law requires.
The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act became law on December 19, 2007. Its drain cover rule is treated as a consumer product safety rule, and public pools and spas have had to meet it since December 19, 2008.
- Standard
Every drain cover made or sold in the US must conform to ANSI/APSP/ICC-16 2017 (16 CFR 1450.3).
- Every drain
Compliant covers on every submerged suction outlet, skimmer equalizer lines included, or the line plugged.
- One drain
A single blockable main drain also needs a second system: a safety vacuum release, a suction-limiting vent, gravity drainage, an automatic pump shut-off, or the drain disabled.A single blockable main drain also needs a second system: vacuum release, vent, gravity drainage, pump shut-off, or the drain disabled.
- Spacing
Drains on the same plane less than three feet apart also need a second system.
- Flow
The circulation system’s maximum flow at or below the GPM rating marked on the cover.
- Enforced by
The Consumer Product Safety Commission and State Attorneys General.
Public, as the Act defines it
Hotels
A pool or spa open to the patrons of a hotel or other public accommodation.
HOAs
Open only to the residents of a residential real estate development or other multi-family area.
Apartments
Open only to the residents of an apartment building or complex.
Clubs
Open only to members of an organization and their guests.
Public
Open to the public generally, for a fee or free.
02Service life
A cover is rated in years.
The standard makes the manufacturer mark each fitting “Life: X Years” and print “Replace within YY installed years” in the instructions. The number is the maker’s, not the law’s.
A cover past its marked life is not, by that alone, a violation of the Act, the CPSC says. A cracked cover is, whatever the date. CPSC still recommends replacing covers that have passed the date on them, and having every cover inspected by a qualified professional at least once a year.
We replace main drains and repair skimmers and drains. Covers have a rated service life: send us what the label on yours says and we will quote the swap.
03The manager’s check
What to look for.
From CPSC’s 2024 drain cover letter and its FAQ, and the health district’s closure list.
- 01
Label
The required compliance label stamped on every cover.
- 02
Life
The installed life in years on the cover, against the date it went in.
- 03
Intact
No cracks, breaks or sharp points; no loose or missing screws. In Southern Nevada a broken, unsecured or missing cover is on the health district’s closure list.
- 04
Flow
The GPM on the cover at or above the circulation system’s maximum flow.
- 05
Backup
One blockable main drain, or drains on the same plane less than three feet apart: a second anti-entrapment system in place.
- 06
Yearly
Every cover inspected by a qualified professional at least once a year, as CPSC recommends.
Questions
What managers ask
Is an expired drain cover illegal?
Not by itself. The CPSC treats the marked life as a labeling rule for the manufacturer, so a cover past its date is not, on that alone, a violation of the VGB Act. A cracked cover, or one that otherwise fails the standard, is a violation whatever the date. CPSC recommends replacing covers that have passed the date on them.
Does the Act apply to our HOA or apartment pool?
Yes. The Act counts a pool open only to the residents of an apartment complex or a multi-family development as public, along with hotel pools, club pools and any pool open to the public.
What does the health district do about drain covers?
Broken, unsecured or missing submerged suction outlet covers are on the Southern Nevada Health District’s list of imminent health hazards. The pool closes, and stays closed until the cover is corrected, the fee is paid and a reinspection is passed.
Our pool has one main drain. Is a compliant cover enough?
Not unless the drain is unblockable. A single blockable main drain also needs a second anti-entrapment system: a safety vacuum release system, a suction-limiting vent, a gravity drainage system, an automatic pump shut-off, or the drain disabled. So do drains on the same plane less than three feet apart.
The new cover does not fit the old sump. What then?
If the sump needs substantial modification, the CPSC treats it as field fabricated: it needs a registered design professional’s approval, or the cover maker’s documentation that the flow and velocity are right for the modified sump.
Can you replace our covers?
Yes. We replace main drains and repair skimmers and drains, and we quote cover swaps. Send us what the label says: the life in years, the GPM, and how many drains share the pump. Send the details.
Read us the label.
The life in years, the GPM, and how many drains share the pump.