From reading various media reports, there is an apparent equipment shortage nation wide, due to a range of factors, but I haven’t much comment here about it being a problem. My PB assures us it was ordered long ago, but there isn’t a pump available anywhere. We are at a deadstop until one arrives...excavation done, trenches built, gunite dried, coping and tile done, deck finished, but just a big hole in ground for three weeks now. Since misery loves company, wonder if any one else on forum is having simliar problems.
Equipment delays?
- Thread starter NewPoolSF
- Start date
BigPapaSmurf
Well-known member
It sucks, my PB has my equipment stored in her garage. She is a hoarder, when it come to equipment.
Ah, BigPapaSurf, sorry if I sounded naive in my question! It is just that I keep seeing pictures of new pools that other people on the forum are just finishing or filling or fussing with the water quality and my eyes turn green with envy...knowing full well that I don’t want a green pool. My PB has expressed his appreciation that I haven’t been jumping down his throat like other customers, but I want some support like we are all in the same boat (rather than digging thru your PB’s secret stash). Did I make a mistake going with a high quality local builder rather than a big chain who has better access to equipment because of volume...does that matter?
- May 3, 2014
- 58,649
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Welcome to the forum!
I suspect your pool builder is only willing to use one manufacturer. And has a single supply house that they will use. So you are waiting on that supply chain. With diligent effort and lots of research, it is possible to get pool equipment. But you have to be flexible, willing to mix manufacturers when it makes sense.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
I suspect your pool builder is only willing to use one manufacturer. And has a single supply house that they will use. So you are waiting on that supply chain. With diligent effort and lots of research, it is possible to get pool equipment. But you have to be flexible, willing to mix manufacturers when it makes sense.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
Thanks! He did tell me a few days ago that he was checking to see if he could get a different brand of pump, so I do think he is trying. I suspect you are right that he does normally rely on one supply house. He said he is starting to see some parts coming in so is hopeful things will change soon. It is hard to be patient and not second guess my choice of a small builder rather than a chain that might have more leverage on supplies. We got our permit at end of February after various covid related delays with the city and things moved forward on pace, a slow, but not unexpected pace..now dead stop with a big hole in backyard (albeit with a nice deck area). Grandkids ask everyday..how soon. Like driving them somewhere and they ask “how soon will we be there”.
My PB told me they are having trouble getting trucks to haul the equipment to the warehouses. I got all of my equipment without issues, but I know he is struggling to get some things for others. Mine was just finished last week. I ended up with a Pentair 5G light with color sync controller(wifi! I was excited) was supposed to be a Hayward ColorLogic with basic switch. I'm pleased with the free upgrade. I went with a small reputable local guy versus a big name.
Hey NewPool and Welcome !! I had quite the time getting my own equipment recently. There were only one or two supply places for all the little PBs / pool stores so when I called all around, they were calling the same place. With the same answer.
See if you can get your own and have him credit you. My PB allowed me to get my own because of the problems he was having. Here is my saga if it’s any consolation
www.troublefreepool.com
See if you can get your own and have him credit you. My PB allowed me to get my own because of the problems he was having. Here is my saga if it’s any consolation
The equipment struggle is real / 2 steps forward 1 back
Hey all. Hopefully this thread will morph into a build thread but at the moment, I’m not so sure. I told my PB that we wanted to go ahead with a build this year and he said that he could do June/July but he couldn’t garauntee what equipment he could get between now and then. He agreed to...
www.troublefreepool.com
Thank you for the link to your “saga” thread. I was trying to search the forum to see if there was one like that, but obviously didn’t use the right search terms. I actually had seen a news story about someone searching out their own equipment and thought about whether I wanted to try that route. I guess not, but enjoyed following your saga. I saw some news story posted about backorders until August...sigh. Somedays, I tell myself to live with it, other days I feel like crawling the walls in desperation as the summer rolls towards us..Hey NewPool and Welcome !! I had quite the time getting my own equipment recently. There were only one or two supply places for all the little PBs / pool stores so when I called all around, they were calling the same place. With the same answer.
See if you can get your own and have him credit you. My PB allowed me to get my own because of the problems he was having. Here is my saga if it’s any consolation
The equipment struggle is real / 2 steps forward 1 back
Hey all. Hopefully this thread will morph into a build thread but at the moment, I’m not so sure. I told my PB that we wanted to go ahead with a build this year and he said that he could do June/July but he couldn’t garauntee what equipment he could get between now and then. He agreed to...
- May 3, 2014
- 58,649
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Summer does not start in the Bay Area until September. Coldest place I have ever been in June and July.
Haha...The funny thing is, we had two previous pools, but when we moved to SF Bay Area, we said it wasn’t hot enough to justify a swimming pool, but after three summers with many days over 100...up to 107 several time...we decided a pool did make sense!!
Equipment finally arrived. Installing this week. Plaster next week. Maybe swim in August. For those still waiting, there is hope. There were 14 container ships outside SF bay a few days ago with half dozen at anchor inside the bayand another group at the Oakland dock..all full of equipment, refrigerators (regrigerators all sold out at many local stores)...
A final update. We got plastered, a temp pump installed, later replaced by the permanent variable speed and were swimming at beginning of August. Heater installed early september, continued swiming thru yesterday, October 17! We just had two 80 degree days here in SF Bay area (30 miles or so south of the city). It is a small pool, about 6000 gallons, so it heats up about five degrees an hour with the 4000 gas heater, but a cold front with rain is arriving so air is getting colder than the water in pool. we won’t “close the pool” but may not swim for awhile unless we get one of those California surprise sunny days. Still waiting for the auto cover which might inspire a longer swimming season. Will be studying how to handle the “still open” but too cold to swim (or rather too cold to walk out to the pool) pool. (Will update my signature soon)
I also got a free upgrade in my lights! It was the only thing our PB was having trouble getting.
Ah, see. You need to treat a pool build with the grandkids like the first trimester of a pregnancy. No one finds out until the danger is reduced!
Though, also like a pregnancy, I suppose it's hard to hide a gaping hole in the backyard during other visits...
The "too cold to walk out of the pool" is my current argument with the wife against a heater. Not to mention that the swim season here in central Florida is already like May to November... Water temp was still 83F when I did my tests yesterday, warmer than the evening air when we went swimming for sure!
I'm sure I'll eventually lose.
Regarding the original topic, my PB showroom is literally covered in pumps, and they have a whole warehouse area directly behind the showroom. So yes, hoarding is definitely happening.
After our cold front (with the first rain in SF Bay area in memory..well before the excavation for our pool) passed through last night, the morning air temp was 48, but the pool was at 68 (with no cover yet). Heated to 80 on saturday am so it held temp well and heater off since then. If I had turned it back on this a.m., it would have been back around 80 again in a little more than two hours. I have read, but not yet calculated for myself, that running a 400k pool heater for a hour costs about $6 so I could have another swim today for about $10 which is less than the daily pass to some public pools. Strangly, it is going to cost less to heat here in SF Bay Area once we switch to winter gas rates since we have a tiering system and the cheapest, first tier has a very small allotment for summer and a much more generous allotment in winter. I was able to connect the pool heater to a separate gas line that feeds a small apartment over our garage that is basically unused and doesn’t draw much gas so hope we will stay in the cheaper first tier for winter pool heating on those sunny days.
We have been calculating the time for the “run” from the pool to the warm house and will be doing it when the California sun is shining thru the winter, recalling how someone on this thread “mocked” me for wanting to swim in August in SF I feel the need to have a good, long year round swim season!
We have been calculating the time for the “run” from the pool to the warm house and will be doing it when the California sun is shining thru the winter, recalling how someone on this thread “mocked” me for wanting to swim in August in SF I feel the need to have a good, long year round swim season!
we are in the 60s - tomorrow will be low 70s and wednesday mid 70s - i wanted to get some caulking done under my coping that will require me to get in the pool - I think I am going to run my heat pump all day tomorrow and overnight into wednesday so that on wednesday i can get it done. Pool is currently at 70 degrees with the solar cover. I hope to get the pool up to 85. I assume this will cost me probably around $25 bucks in electricity.