Pool service professionals were swamped with work in the wakes of hurricanes Harvey and Irma — and there may be more work yet to come.
They’re bracing for another wave of service requests after the initial clean-ups and pump repairs. Many homeowners were willing to pay out of pocket to get their pools operational, but are postponing more extensive repairs pending insurance payments.
“We do have some customers who are waiting to hear from their insurance first,” said Michael Miller, owner of Miller Pools in Pasadena, Texas.
While technicians will welcome the business, they may also face stiffer competition. Just as earthworms surface after heavy rains, so too do unlicensed contractors. Homeowners in storm-ravaged parts of Texas and Florida are being advised to take extra precautions against frauds.
They’re particularly prevalent in the A/C, electrical and roofing trades. In Florida, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office conducted a two-day sting dubbed Operation Hurri-Con, resulting in eight arrests. While none of these suspects were repairing pools at the time, it’s indicative of the number of bad actors out there.
In the Lone Star State, pool professionals need a residential appliance installer’s license to replace equipment. Earl Jones, owner of Texas Pool Techs in Houston, suspects he’s seen two supposed pool pros providing post-hurricane repairs illegally. He says they’re easy to spot: They use cheap, consumer-grade equipment purchased from big-box stores, and they do shoddy work.
“You can tell they never did a pool before in their life,” Jones said.
Pool pros serving storm-stricken areas describe working 12-hour days in the weeks following Harvey and Irma. Pipes cracked, pool cages were torn apart and equipment was flooded. Some distributors ran low on supplies and equipment. Miller said one warehouse had to ration the number of pump motors to three per company.
As busy as he was, he could have worked even more. Harvey knocked out his phone service. He could only correspond with his existing customers through email.
“There’s no telling how much business I lost,” said Miller, who is president of the Houston chapter of APSP.
Perhaps he’ll make it up on the backend.
“All pools are functioning,” Miller said, “but I think we’re going to see some money spent on upgrading equipment and control systems, maybe even replastering and remodeling.”
Likewise, Jones anticipates repairing heaters in the coming weeks. “They’re going to try to turn them on during the winter,” he said, “and they’ll find the boards are completely shot.”
