San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Freezing weather can sink expensive pool systems
Many floors saw major damage from winter blast
“What was so damaging to the equipment and plumbing is people lost power for days. If the water didn’t circulate, it froze, causing substantial damage to equipment and plumbing.”
– Sean Powers Service manager, The Pool Man Inc.
This winter storm didn’t mean to take its toll on swimming pools, Texans’ cure for sweltering summers, but it did for many homeowners. Combine wind chill factors, long-term freezing temperatures and loss of power, and many pool owners were devastated by the impact this year.
Pools can withstand freezing temperatures, but not for an extended period of time, according to Sean Powers, service manager at The Pool Man Inc.
“What was so damaging to the equipment and plumbing is people lost power for days. If the water didn’t circulate, it froze, causing substantial damage to equipment and plumbing. Many customers have thousands of dollars’ worth of repairs to be made,” Powers said.
Pool companies are ready with vital solutions, though.
Powers said their focus has been on getting main filtrations systems running as quickly as possible since they’ve had an overwhelming number of service requests as well as limited availability of key components. He added that water features, spas and secondary cleaning systems are “on the back burner” until parts are available and customers’ main filtration systems are operational.
“We are fortunate to have qualified repair technicians working six to seven days per week to take care of customers,” Powers said.
Looking past February’s frigid blast, paying attention to winter storm predictions and preparing pools for freezing weather is advisable.
Powers said main components of the pool equipment have removable plugs to allow water to drain. By removing these in case of a power outage, the potential for damage can be alleviated. He added homeowners should be familiar where these plugs are in case of another loss of power with freezing temperatures.
“As long as pumps are running while the temperature is below freezing, either by freeze protection activating or manually being turned on, there is minimal risk to the system,” Powers said. “Every single system is unique, so there may be a pipe or two that would still need to be insulated. The best thing to do would be to contact their service company in the fall to ask questions about the location of the equipment drain plugs or which pipes may need insulated.”
Below-ground issues could also occur, but aren’t as likely, Powers said.
“When pipes break during a freeze, it can sometimes cause a crack to run the length of pipe. With major underground areas, they are very unlikely, as most plumbing is buried deep enough to not be at risk for freeze-related damage,” he said.
Waiting for repair
Handling a pool damage problem until help arrives is simple as leaving at least one pump circulating if possible. Even with a circulating water feature pump, it can slow the growth of algae.
“Most pumps can run independently, but there are some that should only be run in conjunction with another pump. Turn breakers off to equipment that needs repair. When in doubt, turn off all of the breakers to the pool equipment to prevent further damage from occurring to pumps and related components,” said Powers.
If the storm caused extensive damage to wood, tile or carpet flooring in your home, don’t wait until you get assistance money to begin the repair process, advises the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The agency offers some advice about getting things in order, and the best process to follow:
■ Clean up debris as soon as possible post storm.
Don’t wait for an insurance adjuster or FEMA home inspector to come to your home.
■ Take photos or videos of damaged flooring and label them before you remove anything.
■ Keep samples of carpet and flooring.
■ Separate damaged from undamaged personal property items to show the adjuster.
If covered by insurance, call an adjuster or insurance company to let them know what flooring repairs are needed. Then, after applying for federal disaster assistance, contact FEMA to make an appointment to have an inspector come out
You may receive an email, auto-dial call, or text message to provide FEMA with the extent of damage from the storm. You may also get a call from FEMA to determine eligibility.
Based on the information you’ve given FEMA, you will receive a determination of award for personal and/ or real property. If FEMA deems a home inspection necessary, a FEMA inspector will contact you to schedule an appointment. As eager as you are to fix or install new flooring, because of the large number of damaged homes, it could take as long as 30 days for an inspector to
schedule an inspection.
Options
The best way to repair many seriously waterdamaged wood floors is to eliminate and replace bad boards and then refinish the entire floor.
If a carpet has been wet for 72 hours or longer, it may have to be replaced, especially if it has layers of padding. Also consider that a professional water-damage restoration company can salvage carpets with special cleaning materials.
The good news is that there is no shortage of flooring professionals in Texas.
Many offer free estimates, said Christopher Oliver of Houston Flooring Warehouse in Houston.
Oliver offers the following tips for finding a qualified flooring professional:
■ Try to get three estimates, which may be difficult, because flooring companies are overwhelmed. Two estimates are OK if need be. Search for companies that are well established.
■ Prior to getting estimates, do some research. Look for companies that have good social media reviews, and that care about good media image.
“We’ve always cared about the importance of excellent social media reviews,”
Oliver said. “The result is we have more work than we can handle.”
■ When the estimator comes out, don’t be shy about showering them with questions, Oliver said.
“Ask for a written and detailed explanation of what exactly has to be done and what it costs,” he said. “Don’t accept generalities.”
Oliver suggests thinking like this: “Is there a question I should be asking you? I don’t want any surprises.”
In short, cover all bases, so that the job, whether it’s replacing carpet or wood flooring, will meet all specifications.
Finally, when it comes time to choose a contractor, Oliver said to listen to your instincts.
“While price is important, quality work is ultimately your most important criterion,” he said.
The best way to repair many seriously water-damaged wood floors is to eliminate and replace bad boards and then refinish the entire floor.
Feedback, action
In addition, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Division of Emergency Management are asking Texans to complete a voluntary Self-Reporting Damage Survey, which does not replace reporting damage to an insurance agency and does not guarantee disaster relief assistance. It’s designed to help emergency officials understand the extent of damage sustained across Texas. The information is also needed to provide information to FEMA about the extent of need for assistance.