Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Band-Aid for a Slippery Diving Board


If you have a Duraflex Diving Board and the non-slip surface is starting to show signs of wear, the ONLY acceptable "fix" is to send your diving board back to the Duraflex Factory for inspection and refinish.

Despite what you may hear from friendly sales people at Swimming Pool Supply Stores, there are NO acceptable products sold that you can use on your slippery (Duraflex) diving board that are approved by the Duraflex Factory. The question becomes, what can you use on your diving board to get you through the end of the season at which time you can then send your diving board back to Duraflex for a factory refinish. The factory approved answer is "3M Safety Walk Strips" that are sold at most big box or hardware stores around the country.

As you can see in the picture above, the adhesive backed stair tread strips are placed ACROSS the diving board with a half inch space between them. This spacing allows water to run-off the side of the board. Normally, you need cover only the last 24" - 30" of the diving board (out over the water). Be sure to periodically check these to make sure they are all in place and securely attached. You may need to replace one or two as the season progresses -- it just depends. As soon as the season ends, contact Springboards and More to arrange pick-up and shipping of your diving board back to the Duraflex Factory. While at the factory, your diving board will undergo three different inspections and in most cases be approved for refinish. A factory refinished diving board looks brand new and includes new rubber channels, a new number strip and new attachment bolts. The approximate cost with shipping in both directions is about 1/3 the cost of a new diving board so it is an economical way to extend the life of your diving board.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

The "Perfect" Installation (Part 3 of 3)


The final piece of the puzzle to create a "perfect" installation of a Duraflex Diving Board onto a Durafirm Diving Stand is to make sure the Roller Clamps ("C" shaped metal bands that hold the fulcrum roller to the fulcrum assembly) move between the 1st and 2nd "rib" of the diving board (on the foot wheel side) and between the 7th and 8th "rib" of the diving board on the non foot wheel side of the board.

If you get the 2nd element of a "perfect" installation correct AND you get one of your Roller Clamps to line up as shown in the photo above (between ribs 1 and 2) -- then the roller clamp on the other side of the fulcrum assembly will line up exactly the same on the other side of the board (between ribs 7 and 8). Since the rubber channels of the board and the slide tracks of the fulcrum are parallel (see part 2 of 3) -- the roller clamps will stay positioned between the ribs as the fulcrum is rolled back and forth.

The situation you want to avoid is where the rib of the diving board is directly on top of the roller clamp. When the diving board is bounced, it puts undue stress on all the working components of the fulcrum assembly and usually means your board is out of alignment and therefore not bending "squarely" over the fulcrum.

The "Perfect" Installation (Part 2 of 3)


The second element of a "perfect" installation of a Duraflex Diving Board to a Durafirm Diving Stand is to make sure the Rubber Channels on the underside of the diving board are PARALLEL to the Slide Tracks of the Fulcrum Box.

Look at the picture above and notice how the Rubber Channel on the outside edge of the diving board is parallel to the Slide Track of the Fulcrum Box. This is important because it insures that the diving board and the fulcrum roller are PERPENDICULAR to each other and as a result, the diving boards bends in a straight line over the fulcrum.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The "Perfect" Installation (Part 1 of 3)


In order to achieve a "perfect" installation of a Duraflex Diving Board to a Durafirm Diving Stand, look for three things.

#1) The Diving Board is LEVEL.

In theory, the diving board should be level no matter where the fulcrum is set or or no matter where you "check" the board for being level. If we were to suggest a "standard" check -- it would be to set the fulcrum at the number "5" (on the calibrated number strip of the diving board) and then place a six foot long level on the installed diving board with the mid-point of the level over the fulcrum. In most cases, the TIP END of the diving board will be level if the standard check discussed above is level. (It is just difficult to get a level this far out on the diving board and be able to see it without falling into the pool. The photo above was taken of a dryland diving board.

There are several ways to level a diving board, but the most common way is to use Duraflex shims to first level the diving stand -- left to right and front to back. Then (in theory) the installed diving board will be level as well.