By Pamela Mills-Senn
Contributing Writer

Compared with dry-land amusement park rides, water slides are fairly straightforward to maintain. Even so, slide manufacturers say that park operators can’t afford to be lulled into a false sense of complacency. Water slides of all types and all ages require a watchful eye and daily inspections to ensure that guests enjoy thrilling — and safe — rides all season long.

The daily routine
Manufacturers are unanimous in their belief that operators must inspect all water slides before the start of each business day. These inspections don’t necessarily require a lot of time, according to Scott Deisley, director of sales and marketing at NBGS International, New Braunfels, Texas.

“[An inspection] can be nothing more than a cursory look at the slide path to make sure there’s no debris on it, or that there are no chips or gouges,” says Deisley, whose company manufactures a variety of conventional and nonconventional slides.

Tim Boothman agrees that daily inspections don’t take long. “Most slides you can check in 10 minutes,” says Boothman, project manager at Whitewater West Industries, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. “You can see the obvious defects, such as chips or scratches in the gel coat, flaking paint, or leaking joints when you turn on the pump. We recommend that someone walks the slides every day.”

Simple visual checks can turn up additional problems, according to Harvern Davis, general manager of Morning Star Manufacturing Inc., Crump, Tenn. Davis says to look for evidence that the slide requires cleaning, such as film on the slide from body lotions. Davis, whose firm makes a variety of open, closed, free-fall and super-flume water slides, also recommends checking the water flow, which can be affected by a clogged line or a pump failure.

Deisley also suggests taking a stroll around the slide, looking at the structure for anything out of the ordinary, such as sagging of the flumes, wear around bolt holes, and joint misalignment or separation, which could indicate support problems that require an immediate call to the manufacturer or water-slide expert. (See “Creating a water-slide inspection checklist.”)

“You should also look for bulges or soft spots in the fiberglass,” says Michael Brenner, marketing coordinator at Amusement Leisure Worldwide Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, Canada. “The minute you see soft or spongy fiberglass, you should call the manufacturer.”

Call for help
In addition to soft or bulging fiberglass and significant leaking around joints, manufacturers assert that when operators spot anything more than minor chips or leaks, they should call the manufacturer. Here are some other red flags:
• Movement in the flume or the joints, or joint separation, says Brenner.

• Signs of “glinting,” often seen on older slides. Boothman, whose company manufactures standard and custom slides, explains that when the gel coat starts to wear down to the fiberglass layer, it exposes the ends of the fiberglass, which can glint in the sun. This indicates erosion down to the fiberglass resin layer, which doesn’t resist water as well as the hard gel coat. This could lead to rapid deterioration of the slide’s structural integrity.

• Large “star” cracks in the gel coat, structural cracks in the flume and large, loose gel-coat areas, says Mark Witt, product manager at Miracle Recreation Co., Monette, Mo.

Do it yourself
Operators can perform many minor slide repairs on their own. Here are some examples:
• Small, superficial gel-coat surface chips, star cracks and small gel-coat-related fractures generally require a small amount of sanding to remove any loose gel coat around the area. Witt recommends 220-grit wet/dry sandpaper for the job. Then, apply gel coat to these areas and allow it to dry, which can sometimes take 24 hours, depending on the weather. Finally, wet-sand to a smooth finish.

• Minor joint leaks can develop when caulking wears out. Boothman says it’s “relatively simple” to chip away at, and replace, the caulking. Operators also can wire-brush and paint over minor rusting.

• Using a high-speed buffer on the slide will keep its surface smooth, bring out its sheen and help to keep the slide performing as it should, says Davis. Operators can buff slides several times a season, depending on use.

• Applying a coat of wax at the end of the season can help protect a slide during the off-season.

Pamela Mills-Senn is a free-lance writer based in Signal Hill, Calif.