Masterton pools' cost soars

Repair bills are growing and the cost of trying to heat Masterton's indoor pools are mounting as engineers struggle to find out what's making the water so cold.
The Masterton District Council paid contractors nearly $40,000 to fix electrical faults in the system in the past year, only now to be burdened with a mechanical fault which can't be resolved and a mounting power bill.
Parks and recreational manager Grant Hathaway said the pool's heat pumps were fully functional until May, when moisture was detected in the primary heat pump's oil.
It was decided to shut it down and rely on the backup system until the oil and filters had been changed.
"Difficulty in obtaining correct oil and filters led to the backup system being used for longer than expected so pool temperatures have been below normal set-points for a prolonged period," Mr Hathaway said. The backup system was maintaining the temperature to within a degree of the set points, but sometimes it struggled with cold weather.
Engineers were on-site about two weeks ago to fix a filter and change the compressor's oil, and found a different problem.
Oil and filter changes are required every one to two years, and are considered routine.
"In the course of doing that, they identified a mechanical failure in the compressor," Mr Hathaway said.
The compressor had been removed and was in Wellington being fixed by McAlpine Hussmann.
A thrust bearing was also showing signs of abnormal wear, Mr Hathaway said. The engineers still had to open the other half of the machine with a special tool to check for other damage. He was unsure how long the inspection would take.
A sign at the reception desk let people know the pools would be cold, he said. On Tuesday afternoon, the seven-lane pool was 3.9C below the usual temperature, and the leisure pool 5.2C below normal. The toddlers' pool was 32C, only a 2C in difference to its normal temperature.
Mr Hathaway said there had also been issues with the temperature of the water in the showers. Parts in the heating system - separate to the one for the pools - had been changed, but though the showers had reportedly run hot since, staff were reserving judgment on whether the problem was fixed.
Manager Kieran Te Whare said the pools were causing ongoing problems.
"Everyone in the Wairarapa and Masterton has heard about the pools being cold, and it does show in our patronage," he said.
Finance manager David Paris said electricity usage at the centre was up 11.3 per cent from May to July, compared to the same period last year.
"The dollar increase is some $22,000 more than the same period last year, but about half of that relates to the increased cost of electricity," he said. The council paid its contractors for work completed on the heating system from last November to January after it was hit by electrical faults.
In April, McAlpine Hussmann was paid $5930 for re-building a compressor in February, including labour costs. In May, it was paid $24,418 for rebuilding the electrical wiring in the heating system in November, and it also received $8070 for repairing the back-up heat pump in January.
Mr Paris said the heat pump was working perfectly in April and May.
He was unable to provide a cost for the latest repairs, with the council still to be invoiced.