Yes: Pools are worth it....

[HookEm 2463]

I have had 2 companies with filter covers “in stock” now tell me to expect a major delay. On to the 3rd company.

[markersmake 15]

On 2/21/2021 at 8:19 PM, markersmake said:

Tied going the JB weld route on my heater manifold.... didn’t work. Started splitting back open as soon as I started torquing the 10 bolts that holds it on. Going to bypass my heater so I can run the pump until I can locate another manifold. Kicking myself in the ass for forgetting to drain it, plug is sticking right out in the open. 
 

 

Was able to get heater bypassed til a new manifold comes in. Have a friend that owns a water well supply house. Got the hook up on some parts.  Lot of stuff out of stock due to COVID and now the freeze, called companies all over the country looking for the manifold, all said, “you must be in Texas, good luck”...

[HookEm 2463]

And now my check valve orders have been canceled. It is going to be a nightmare to get parts.

[Catpfish 618]

My pool guy asked if it was okay to go with ball valves instead if the check valves. He said that there was no way to estimate when there would be check valves available. I know they won't be as "pretty" but is there any reason not to go with the ball valves and get the equipment up and running?

[joe dirt 285]

new issue, not sure how it could be weather related.

my return side actuator is only going in to spa mode in the aqua link app. when i switch to pool mode, only the suction side actuates. i have to loosen the lever and manually turn it back to pool mode. not sure why it’ll turn one direction but not the other. question now is do i bother trying to fix, or do i just get a new actuator before they’re sold out everywhere?

[MonkeyDoughnut 10230]

7 hours ago, joe dirt said:

new issue, not sure how it could be weather related.

my return side actuator is only going in to spa mode in the aqua link app. when i switch to pool mode, only the suction side actuates. i have to loosen the lever and manually turn it back to pool mode. not sure why it’ll turn one direction but not the other. question now is do i bother trying to fix, or do i just get a new actuator before they’re sold out everywhere?

what kind you got, sound like a micro switch is bad on one side... pull and check ebay/amazon for replacement

Here is a Pentair one being replaced/tested to give you an idea of how simple it is (assuming that is the issue)

 

[Hefeweizen 5310]

Furk we found more broken pipes this morning.  Oh well now the plaster job has turned into a rehab pipes also job.

 At least I have water to fill the pool after they plaster.  Wait, I can’t do that either because WD 10 is still under boil water?  Fine we will reschedule until next month.  
 

Luckily it isn’t pool weather for a few months.  This is a depressing month.

[joe dirt 285]

3 hours ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

what kind you got, sound like a micro switch is bad on one side... pull and check ebay/amazon for replacement

Here is a Pentair one being replaced/tested to give you an idea of how simple it is (assuming that is the issue)

 

it’s a jandy actuator, but looks pretty similar internally. i tried switching it with the return side and nothing. the toggle not working either. seems like it’s not getting power at all, yet it does turn over to the spa mode. it’s baffling. our build was completed in november so surely it’ll be covered under warranty, if i can get my builder to reply haha. 

[MonkeyDoughnut 10230]

58 minutes ago, joe dirt said:

it’s a jandy actuator, but looks pretty similar internally. i tried switching it with the return side and nothing. the toggle not working either. seems like it’s not getting power at all, yet it does turn over to the spa mode. it’s baffling. our build was completed in november so surely it’ll be covered under warranty, if i can get my builder to reply haha. 

yeah, could be the little board gone bad then where the wires connect up in the actuator. Definitely if under warranty would wait for builder and manually adjust for now

[mchookem 16323]

$1400 estimate, they're starting tomorrow. could have been worse. we're first in line and they'd ordered extra parts already in preparation for the weather event.

hopefully they don't find any more leaks once they repair the obvious... haven't been able to actually turn the system on yet to see bc so much of the plumbing is just blown. 

good luck everybody!

[Catpfish 618]

24 minutes ago, mchookem said:

$1400 estimate, they're starting tomorrow. could have been worse. we're first in line and they'd ordered extra parts already in preparation for the weather event.

hopefully they don't find any more leaks once they repair the obvious... haven't been able to actually turn the system on yet to see bc so much of the plumbing is just blown. 

good luck everybody!

Not bad on the estimate.  Mine was $10,500 and I'm hoping they don't find anything else.  Wide open exposure to the north wind in the country did a number with a quick freeze of the equipment and pool.

 

 

 

[woohorn 1131]

My main pump just hums, so I ordered a new motor/seals Monday, but it hasn't shipped yet and I am worried.

Assuming I can replace just the motor myself and the rest of the pump still works, no telling what the heater, etc. will look like when I turn it on.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10230]

27 minutes ago, Catpfish said:

Not bad on the estimate.  Mine was $10,500 and I'm hoping they don't find anything else.  Wide open exposure to the north wind in the country did a number with a quick freeze of the equipment and pool.

 

 

 

Damn that sucks.  The one time that awesome setup / view of yours comes to bite you. 

[Catpfish 618]

30 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Damn that sucks.  The one time that awesome setup / view of yours comes to bite you. 

To quote that 80's classic..."You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the Facts of Life.  The Facts of Life."

#TeamJo by the way

 

 

[billfromlaketravis 11448]

Does anybody have a recommendation for an inexpensive silt vacuum? 

Additionally, my pool skimmer/cleaner hasn't come back from the freeze. I assume there's some ice in the line, but we're going on 5 days of warm weather now, so I'm slightly concerned. Any ideas on what it could be? It sounds like I might have to replace the pump on the cleaner. 

Edited February 24, 2021 by billfromlaketravis

[mchookem 16323]

1 hour ago, Catpfish said:

Not bad on the estimate.  Mine was $10,500 and I'm hoping they don't find anything else.  Wide open exposure to the north wind in the country did a number with a quick freeze of the equipment and pool.

 

 

 

yeah, that's what i mean...estimate is just for visible plumbing issues i'm assuming...i don't see how they can test the innards of the pumps (main and booster) without turning it on, and that ain't happening until the plumbing is all fixed. 

sorry about yours 😒

[TexasEd 8066]

Progress!

 

[Catpfish 618]

1 hour ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Does anybody have a recommendation for an inexpensive silt vacuum? 

Additionally, my pool skimmer/cleaner hasn't come back from the freeze. I assume there's some ice in the line, but we're going on 5 days of warm weather now, so I'm slightly concerned. Any ideas on what it could be? It sounds like I might have to replace the pump on the cleaner. 

I bought a Ryobi battery powered vacuum that seemed to work pretty well, you just attach it to a sweeper pole.  I got it at Home Depot.  The drawback will be if you have a sun deck or something that is shallow since it has to be totally submerged.

 

 

[PantsTent 2002]

On 2/21/2021 at 10:01 AM, PantsTent said:

I also pulled all drain plugs at 2am Sunday night after power went out.  The valves did all freeze but with everything open I think it had plenty room to expand.  I was able to get them to turn freely yesterday. At that point I checked the chlorine and it was < 1 ppm.  Also a new owner and had everything pretty much perfectly balanced and crystal clear and didn't want to start all over if algae started.  Fired everything up around 5pm yesterday and no issues observed.  Assuming I did everything correct, at least I now know how to charge and coat the DE filter and prime pump.

 

Spa is draining to pool overnight.  Ordered a check valve cover and flapper on Ebay for $45.  Seems to be the extent of my damage.  I assume pool ownership involves lots of ordering of random parts, tools, accessories, etc and should get used to that.

 

[Storm the Field 5294]

Welp, pool guy was finally able to come out yesterday and give the full inspection. Have cracks in the housings for both the pool cleaner and waterfall pumps. On the bright side, main pump and filter were fine, no damage to any pipes.

Those housings are not terribly expensive so I consider myself fairly lucky, but the next problem will be when we can actually find them in stock to have them replaced.

[TexasEd 8066]

More progress

 

[HiggyBaby 2529]

my main filter line cracked, but the water fall/fountain pump kept going so the pool did not freeze.  Power or something stopped the pumps for about 3-4 hours and that's all it took.  have not opened up the filter yet, but it seems ok.  damage is in the in-line chlorinator and one section of pipe around a check valve.
if I had to do it again, i would just drain and cover the pipes and throw in pool floats and stuff to try and keep the surface from freezing.  

If you can’t source the chlorinator, cap it off. I haven’t used mine in years. I opted for this guy instead, much easier to maintain.

[Fudbelty 2788]

$1700 quote for me. I guess considering what many many others are going through this is truly first world problem.

[williemackgarza 1826]

$1250.00 pentair intelliflo vsf pump thru FWP shipped from a florida branch.
Should be in this week.
Not sure on labor.Id do it, but want the pool company to get all valves set and add 2 actuators.
Well under the cost of my deductible

[HookEm 2463]

I have now had 3 different companies cancel my order for a new Pentair filter top.  So frustrating since I was early to the game ordering one and they have all showed it in stock.

Anybody have a connection to get parts?

[williemackgarza 1826]

Hook em, I can maybe help or at least try.
Have a part number? Where do you live?

[BradInATX 9208]

Flagstone/coping started today. They're telling me that's going to take about two weeks. Not sure what it looks like after that, I guess pool finish and equipment set? Seems like I'm looking at a startup date sometime in April.

[Spur08 382]

Anyone have a recommendation for a good suction side cleaner?

[Tailgate 3021]

I’m still waiting for the tech to come out for repairs. It was inspected the Sunday after snowvid hit...cracks in some pvc and the swaterfall filter had a crack also...likely a couple other things. I was able to drain the pool filter and a couple things the night power went out.

Hoping it’s not too nuts...doesn’t appear so..and I heard today parts are the issue as noted above.

The good news is if it gets crazy I do have insurance. The deductible isn’t small...but enough to make me not sweat if it all adds up to an amount higher than anticipated.

And yes, first world problems. Luckily we do have a few months before swim time...so hopefully we can at least get pool “running” by then. Hardest hit looks like the waterfall pump and I don’t need those to swim.

[C-Man 27197]

15 hours ago, Tailgate said:

The good news is if it gets crazy I do have insurance. The deductible isn’t small...but enough to make me not sweat if it all adds up to an amount higher than anticipated.

Who is your carrier? I've got tons and tons of clients with pool equipment damage from the winter storm. Exposed pool equipment that is damaged due to freezing is excluded from every single policy I've been able to get my hands on, including all the HNW carriers like Chubb, AIG, etc. I'm hearing one-off anecdotal stories of pool equipment being covered by some of my clients' neighbors but I don't actually know they're being paid ultimately. You can file a claim for anything -- doesn't mean it will get paid. The grey area is if the company considers the equipment being damaged by governmental action (ordered rolling blackouts, etc) there might be some coverage.

[Damor 1236]

Yep, my Cincinnati policy clearly states that frozen pool equipment is excluded.  I contacted an advisor who said if I took some mitigating steps there might be some coverage, but not to count on it.  By some miracle my equipment seems to be holding together, so I haven't pursued it.

That did teach me that if this situation comes up again, I will take photos of everything I do (wrapping pipes, covering equipment, documenting freeze guard running, etc.) for documentation.

[mchookem 16323]

hallelujah and praise our pool company...repairs are complete and everything appears to be working well. all external PVC replaced, with one additional piece needed once they'd got the plumbing done...final tally, slightly under $2000. whew.

 

  

Edited March 4, 2021 by mchookem

[TexEx15 17509]

On 3/3/2021 at 6:35 PM, Spur08 said:

Anyone have a recommendation for a good suction side cleaner?

Yes.  Replace it with a robot like a Maytronics Dolphin.

[C-Man 27197]

Yep, my Cincinnati policy clearly states that frozen pool equipment is excluded.  I contacted an advisor who said if I took some mitigating steps there might be some coverage, but not to count on it.  By some miracle my equipment seems to be holding together, so I haven't pursued it.
That did teach me that if this situation comes up again, I will take photos of everything I do (wrapping pipes, covering equipment, documenting freeze guard running, etc.) for documentation.

I actually might’ve heard about Cincy covering a pool claim. We were told no by underwriter and conveyed it to client. He was pissed and called Cincy directly and was told otherwise. Again, I’ll have to check how it’s turning out.

I’ve got Pure personally and it’s pretty clear they aren’t paying any pool claims. We were fortunate that we didn’t lose power (too close to Love Field, I think) so my main concern was keeping pool level high enough that the equipment didn’t burn up. We had to run a hose from the kitchen sink because our outside faucets were frozen. Also had to get out and keep chopping up the ice on the surface. I’m sure if we didn’t do that, I could’ve ice skated on it. Slight pump leak it appears is the only casualty. We were very lucky.

[Catpfish 618]

I have Germania and they covered about 40% of the equipment replacement after deductible.  I think total replacement of everything ended up being about $11,000 (as noted above, lost everything.  Had power about 12 hours total between early Monday morning and 9pm Friday night) and they are paying about $4,400 after deductible.  I was surprised, but I'm not going to turn it down.  I sent them the estimate and pictures of the damage and they approved it...check is in the mail.

 

 

 

[billfromlaketravis 11448]

The cleaner/skimmer was the only thing that broke. First they thought it was the line and fixed that for $50. It didn't work. Another $140 later, they came out and fixed the pump. I can live with $190 in pool repairs for a once in a decade weather event. 

[LosIllini 91]

Feeling very fortunate.  Didn't lose power on my block in East Dallas.  Only damage was a 10 year old (guessing) cleaner booster pump that went out.  Locked up, assuming the bearings seized.  Plumbing/ main pump/ filter are all o.k.

$350 for a new pump from Amazon.  UPS lost the first one.  Still waiting for the replacement to come in.

[HouTex 1866]

The cleaner/skimmer was the only thing that broke. First they thought it was the line and fixed that for $50. It didn't work. Another $140 later, they came out and fixed the pump. I can live with $190 in pool repairs for a once in a decade weather event. 

I’m 58 and have lived in the greater Houston area the entire time except for my four years at UT. I’ve had pools a lot of that time. The December 83 freeze is the only thing that comes close. My family had a broken pipe in the garage from that one but no pool damage. I don’t recall ever seeing the extensive pipe/pool damage from a prolonged freeze in central/SE Texas that we got with this one. I’d say it’s more like a once in a lifetime event. 89 and 2011 had cold periods, but I didn’t see the extensive damage to pipes and pools like this.

[markersmake 15]

Was able to get my heater and actuator fixed. Replaced heater manifold, and pipe from heater return to a broken actuator that Tee’d to the pool and spa.  Was worried about removing actuator, but it came off pretty easy.  Sawed as close to it as I could, and cut the old pieces off, used a hot ass 3” rigid coupling, glue released.  Got a little close on one side with the saw. But it didn’t go though. All in about $600.00

[freyguy 4265]

1 hour ago, markersmake said:

Was able to get my heater and actuator fixed. Replaced heater manifold, and pipe from heater return to a broken actuator that Tee’d to the pool and spa.  Was worried about removing actuator, but it came off pretty easy.  Sawed as close to it as I could, and cut the old pieces off, used a hot ass 3” rigid coupling, glue released.  Got a little close on one side with the saw. But it didn’t go though. All in about $600.00

What is that grey module between the filter and heater?

[markersmake 15]

1 hour ago, freyguy said:

What is that grey module between the filter and heater?

UV Filter.... pool builder sold my wife on it....

https://www.1paramount.com/ultraviolet_ozone_sanitizers/ultra-uv2/

[HookEm 2463]

Hook em, I can maybe help or at least try.
Have a part number? Where do you live?

Mainly need a Pentair filter top. 170022. Live in Leander. Appreciate any help.

[Tailgate 3021]

On 3/4/2021 at 1:46 PM, C-Man said:

Who is your carrier? I've got tons and tons of clients with pool equipment damage from the winter storm. Exposed pool equipment that is damaged due to freezing is excluded from every single policy I've been able to get my hands on, including all the HNW carriers like Chubb, AIG, etc. I'm hearing one-off anecdotal stories of pool equipment being covered by some of my clients' neighbors but I don't actually know they're being paid ultimately. You can file a claim for anything -- doesn't mean it will get paid. The grey area is if the company considers the equipment being damaged by governmental action (ordered rolling blackouts, etc) there might be some coverage.

USAA, I called and they said freeze damage was covered. We already used some a year ago with lightning damage to multiple pieces of av equipment and our pool control panel.

[Hate 20107]

24 minutes ago, Tailgate said:

USAA, I called and they said freeze damage was covered. We already used some a year ago with lightning damage to multiple pieces of av equipment and our pool control panel.

Was that separate from the homeowner's policy?  My policy is set for the deductible to be 1% of home and contents so even with all of my pool issues I don't meet my deductible.  I've got about $2300 worth of damage to my pool system. 

[DaysOff 7947]

We lost the polaris pump, in line chlorinator, and the heater is fried. Might barely be above the deductible. Guy ran a bypass until the heater comes in, so at least we're pumping water.

[RMac5 1551]

Great looking pool DaysOff, where is that? 

[DaysOff 7947]

Hill Country. Spring Branch.

[Tailgate 3021]

8 hours ago, Hate said:

Was that separate from the homeowner's policy?  My policy is set for the deductible to be 1% of home and contents so even with all of my pool issues I don't meet my deductible.  I've got about $2300 worth of damage to my pool system. 

Yeah...believe it’s called “additional structures” or something similar. As long as it’s not contained inside a screened porch or the house...it falls under that.

Edited March 8, 2021 by Tailgate

[Hate 20107]

Yeah...believe it’s called “additional structures” or something similar. As long as it’s not contained inside a screened porch or the house...it falls under that.

Was that a separate deductible different than the house and contents?

[C-Man 27197]

6 hours ago, Tailgate said:

Yeah...believe it’s called “additional structures” or something similar. As long as it’s not contained inside a screened porch or the house...it falls under that.

Yeah, pools are "Other Structures." Other Structures includes things that aren't permanently attached to the main structure -- detached garages, gazebos, cabana house, pools, hardscape, pergolas, etc. Structures connected by a common roofline are part of main dwelling (garage attached by breezeway, for example.

But it's going to fall under your "All Other Perils" deductible unless you have separate Equipment Breakdown coverage. Freezing of outdoor pool equipment is pretty explicitly excluded in all the policies I'm seeing, so the fact that USAA is covering it surprises me a little. I'll be curious to see if it's ultimately paid out -- please follow up and let me know as I'm genuinely curious.