Defies belief: but no, it doesn’t. It’s a law of nature, isn’t it: whatever can go wrong will go wrong, at the worst possible moment.
The pool pump crapped out. As you’ll recall, two years ago when Leslie’s tried to soak me for a new pool pump, to the tune of $1500, we learned that Arizona’s endlessly purchasable regulators have decreed that you cannot replace a pump with anything other than one of the ineffably expensive new “energy-efficient” multicycle pumps, to the tune of more than twice what a normal pump costs. Fortunately, the kid they sent to install the thing was young and naive, and he let it slip that despite what his manager said, mine could be repaired with a new capacitor.
Now, though, the thing is flipping off the breaker switch.
The dispatcher at Swimming Pool Service & Repair said sometimes when a filter is clogged it will flip the breaker. And it’s true the filter was running at 18 psi, about 8 psi higher than normal. But really: that isn’t anything out of the ordinary. Typically I’d backwash at 18 psi; it’s gone as high as 20 psi without noticeable harm, though. So my guess is, it’s the end of the beloved old pump, which runs efficiently, runs quietly, and does not have to be left on 24 hours a day.
I’m told these new pumps have to be left on all the time. They cycle back and forth between a faster speed and a lower speed, or some such. You have to learn how to program them, a task said to be pretty difficult. It’s unclear how well or even whether they run a robot pool cleaner like Harvey. And like all “efficient” machinery — toilets that don’t flush, dishwashers that don’t get the dishes clean, clothes washers that deliver a load of laundry to you in one long, tight braid, car engines that go from 0 to 60 in ten minutes — you can be sure these things are going to be a PITA that doesn’t do the job the way you’re used to getting the job done.
So. I’m NOT a happy camperette.
Probably I can’t complain, though: the pump is at least 12 years old, and likely much older than that. I moved into this house in 2004, and the pump wasn’t new then. It’s just that I really do resent having the choice of a reasonably priced option taken away from me by legislative fiat.
At any rate, if I do have to replace the pump now, it means I won’t be having the pool replastered this winter, as planned. I suppose, though, that if the pump was going to give out, it’s probably better before I’ve spent four grand on a resurfacing job.
Ah, but that’s not all.
This morning the hounds and I go out for a much-needed Doggy-Walk, the ambient temperature being a miraculous 78 degrees(!!!). And what should I spot, over by the corner of the house, but a big glittering PUDDLE!
It ain’t rainwater.
Lo! The irrigation system has sprung another leak. This time, it’s in the control boxes in the front of the house.
And that, my friends, explains the $250 water bill…
It also means I’ll have another $250 bill this month (or more). I hadn’t seen it because it’s been too damn hot at five in the morning to go out the front door with the dogs. Who knows how long it’s been leaking? Long enough, I can assure you, to soak the area around the foundation for several feet on either side of the corner. Presumably something over a month, given last month’s water bill.
People around here have gotten bills from the city for undetected leaks that range into the thousands of dollars. So I’m pretty scared about what’s going to come in the mail in another ten days or so.
Gerardo will come around tomorrow to fix that. Meanwhile, I managed to figure out how to turn the water off to the outside valves only. The plumber taught my son how to do that when the backyard box sprang a leak, but of course M’hijito couldn’t come trotting over here to turn a handle until he gets of work. This little discovery having been made around 6 a.m., I really didn’t want to let the water soak the foundation (and run up the bill) for another 12 hours or so. So experimented with valves until the right combination was found.
It’s 11 a.m. now, and the water has soaked into the ground. So evidently that stopped the flow.
But not, we might add, the flow from my bank account…
MAN….When it rains it pours. That is just crazy…and the fact that the new one has to run constantly…salt in the wound. And just when you are trying to get spending under control. Here’s hoping that it’s something simple like a blockage….
Welp, I learned a lot from the guy this afternoon. One of the gems: a variable cycle pump does NOT have to run 24/7. So that’s something. Sounds like a PITA to operate, though he swears it’s pretty easy. Some people think Windows 10 is easy to operate, too, though… :-/
He DID rescue the pump, though. To the tune of $235…
Ick! Such a pain when things break. Does your city do electronic metering for your water? Ours lets us get alerts if we have abnormally high usage during a particular time of day, which is the sort of thing that may help alert you of future leaks.
Is that so? Gosh…if they do, I haven’t heard of it. That would be excellent. I’m going to call the city when I work up the nerve and ask what this month’s bill is and see if I can get dispensation…while I have them on the phone, I’ll ask about this.
Well it appears you did get somewhat of a break…$235 instead of $2K…To me that’s significant. I will share when I had a water line fail a couple of years back at a rental, I called the County and explained what had happened. As crazy as it sounds they were VERY helpful. I just faxed a copy of the repair bill/invoice to the County and they adjusted my bill to what it was the previous quarter….”easy peasy”… Hopefully, the folks in your “neck of the woods” will be as helpful.
I’ll be surprised if they are, but I’m surely going to try!
When it rains it pours, and since everything seems to involve water, it seems kind of fitting. Well, hopefully the bills don’t come in too outrageous.
Well Funny, It would appear to me that they should reward your behavior for wanting to do the “right thing” and repair leaks immediately. But water is a BIG deal in the West….who owns it…what it should be used for…that it shouldn’t be wasted…and penalties for offenders… Hope it works out.
To continue today’s aqua-theme: “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…” (cue the music from “Jaws,” and envision shark jaws clamping down on your savings account)
Thank goodness you walk your own dogs. Although you don’t know how long the leak has been going on, imagine how scary the bill would be if it continued to leak indefinitely.
Hey, I’ll be in Phoenix next month on my way to FinCon. I’ll buy you lunch to (briefly) take your mind off the water bill.
Awesome! Give me a call when you get into town!
In fact the reason I didn’t see it sooner is that it’s been too darn hot to walk the dogs (or me), so I’ve been going in and out almost exclusively through the garage door. Can’t see that spot from there.