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Who fixes broken splash pad features?
Quick answer
Parks department mechanics handle most routine splash pad repairs — clogged jets, tripped breakers, and replaced gaskets. Major repairs go to specialty pool/aquatic contractors. Manufacturer warranty covers feature failures for the first 1-3 years, after which the city orders replacement parts directly from the OEM.
Repairs flow through a tiered system. The parks department's in-house mechanics handle 80% of issues — clearing clogs, replacing jet nozzles, swapping out solenoid valves, resetting the controller, and rebuilding pumps. They keep a parts cabinet stocked with common gaskets and o-rings. For controller failures, ozone system issues, or major pump rebuilds, the city calls a pool/aquatic specialty contractor on a service contract. New pads are typically under manufacturer warranty for 1-3 years on the features and 10 years on structural concrete. Replacement features (the frog, the bucket, the arch) are ordered directly from the original manufacturer (Vortex, Waterplay, Empex, Aquatix) and usually take 6-12 weeks to arrive. Long lead times are why broken features sometimes stay roped off for months.