Atlantic Canada pool builders tackle a record number of damaged pools due to winter and resulting insurance claims

by jason_cramp | August 28, 2015 1:00 pm

By Matt Remington

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Winter damage to above-ground pools is nothing new in areas that experience harsh weather. Pool builders see this year in and year out one way or another; however, this past winter in Atlantic Canada was like no other—especially in the city of Moncton, N.B. To set the stage, most pools would have been closed in this region by early October. Between October 2014 and April 2015 some parts of Canada’s Atlantic Provinces received 579.2 mm (22.8 in.) of rain and 5.05 m (16.6 ft) of snow. These conditions created a winter and spring with a record number of damaged pools.

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A sinking feeling

By February, this author had a feeling his company was going to be in for a very interesting, and busy spring. One reason for this was because more than 3 m (9.8 ft) of snow fell after January, which would only rest heavy on top of the ice in most pools. The problems that can occur with this much snow worsened when coupled with the fact there were many ferocious storms that were close together.

In fact, most storms were coupled with extremely high winds, making for very high drifts. There were reports of backyards with 2.4-m (8-ft) fences that were no longer visible. For some unexplained reason, Moncton, which is the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces, seems to be the snow belt of southern New Brunswick. When a storm hits Moncton, it always gets more than its fair share of snow. Last winter, for example, some storms dropped more than 1 m (3.2 ft) of snow before they subsided. As a result, homeowners were asking, “Will my pool be okay under all that snow?” For many pool builders, the response was quite simple: “I hope so because there is nothing that can be done until spring.”

Damage control

The main problems this author has come across are buckled walls on above-ground pools, primarily located around the skimmer area. Due to the excessive rain and snow, the ice that typically forms around the pool also formed inside the skimmer, connecting everything together. Then, as more snow falls on top of the ice, causing it to move and sink, the wall buckles at the skimmer area due to the extreme weight. The main cause of this damage is simply the long, hard winter.

In this region, after closing a pool in October, there is a good chance a pool company will need to go back in December and lower the water level again before the hard freeze arrives. In some cases, those homeowners who chose to winterize their pools themselves—rather than hiring a professional—may not have realized this, and it is easy to forget about the pool when it is cold and miserable outside. However, even though the pool water was originally drained approximately 203 to 254 mm (8 to 10 in.) below the skimmer, in many cases, the water level rose in the coming months due to the amount of rain, snow, and sleet that followed the pool closing.

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Insurance claims galore

For pool owners, this type of weather does not bring many positive outcomes. A typical spring in this market (population of 120,000) would yield approximately eight to 12 insurance calls. This season, by May 20, this author had received 47 insurance claims ranging in severity from a simple liner replacement to a full pool replacement. Insurance claims ranged from buckled above-ground pool walls to damaged inground pool liners and steps. In some cases, inground pool walls even caved into the vessel.

Some homeowners started their insurance claims early after noticing some sort of damage, while others found their pools without any water in them at all.

The claim process

Insurance claims can vary from one company to the next; therefore, in a busy year such as this, pool company owners should have the insurance firm conform to what works for them. This season, this author told all of his customers who called for help to have their insurance company e-mail the particulars of the claim. For example, customer name, address, pool type (i.e. above-ground, inground, etc.), claim number, and insurance company.

Once the information was received, the work began. It started with scheduling site inspections and taking lots of photos and then preparing three documents.

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First was a ‘cause of loss report,’ which explained what the cause of the damage was, where it was localized in the pool, along with photos to show the loss that occurred. Next, an estimate for repair or replacement was prepared. This document itemized all of the new components required to repair or replace the pool as well as the labour costs to remove the old pool and install the new one. Keep in mind, insurance is to make a customer ‘whole’ again, so things like water and chemicals were also included. The last document is an invoice for the work to prepare all of these items. This author, along with other pool companies, will notify the insurance company that the invoice charge for the inspection will be waived if they are awarded the job.

While some might think reinstalling a pool where one previously existed might be easier than installing a new pool, they are wrong. There are many variables to consider, for example:

• Was there a deck around the pool that could make it difficult when installing the new pool?
• Did water erode the existing pool base to the point that it needs to be removed and redone?
• If the pool style has changed, will the new one fit?

All of these questions have to be answered before the estimate is submitted to the insurance company. They are likely to cover all costs (except the deductible from their customers), but they do not like to payout additional money once the claim has been funded. If a pool company is careful in going over all of the details of the new pool install, insurance claim jobs can be profitable.

With insurance work, it is often assumed pool companies only repair and/or replace pools they installed. This is not the case, however. This season, this author handled 47 claims of which six were installed by his company. Therefore, this type of work can be a great opportunity to get new customers into the store and become new clients.

It is important to mention, any insurance company that has not had much experience with pool damage will have questions for the pool builder. In this author’s experience, these questions can sometimes be leading with regards to the pool damage. For example, an insurance company might ask: “Is this because the customer did not close the pool correctly?” While most insurance companies want to look after their customers, none want to payout the claim if it is found to be the homeowner’s fault. Therefore, forming the ‘cause of loss report’ to show the real culprit was the extreme winter weather, and not the homeowner, is not only the truth, but important for the claim to be approved. With the winter this region experienced, where in some cases snow drifts were higher than homes, all one could do is wait for spring and hope for the best.

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What does this mean for the pool?

In the case of an above-ground pool, the wall makes up a huge chunk of the structure—as well as the bulk of the cost. As a result, if the wall has failed in an above-ground pool, this author always recommends a new pool should be installed. This is the only way to ensure the complete product is assembled the way it is intended to be installed.

Inground pools with damaged steps and/or ripped liners are a different story. In most, if not all, of these cases, the steps and liner can be removed, the area is cleaned up, repair work is done on the coping (if needed), and a new step and liner is installed. The majority of the pool components are reusable, and in most cases the pool will be back up and running without requiring extensive work.

Unfortunately, it does not end here, as there is another side to this coin. In a typical year, a pool company will have many different types of customers who can be categorized as planners, procrastinators, and instantaneous.

Planners

These customers know they want a pool and purchase it early, for example in October or November.

Procrastinators

This clientele form the middle group. They start to think about booking a new pool installation in January and/or February.

Instantaneous

Lastly, there are the customers who decide “Oh my, let’s go book a pool today,” and show up in March and/or April.

To accommodate all types of customers, coupled with the typical number of insurance jobs, means most companies are booked to install pools right through to August. This year, however, this author (and many other builders in the region) is not only dealing with each type of customer, but also an additional group comprising more than 40 insurance jobs. That said, many customers who called a pool store in the Maritimes this spring/summer asking, “When can you install a pool if I buy one today,” unfortunately got the answer, “Sometime in early 2016.”

The goal for any pool company, and one that is taken very seriously, is to always treat its customers better than they expect. This season has been difficult, as when the warm weather eventually hit, everyone wanted their pools “yesterday.” This author and his industry colleagues knew what they were up against in terms of a long, hard installation season and simply trying to keep customers happy. If not just wrapping up, many are still completing new customer projects and insurance claims today.

The goal for every builder in Moncton this year was to get their customers back in the beautiful refreshing water of their pools quickly. That said, taking the time to ensure the jobs were done right was the priority of every installer. From the customer’s perspective, although a pool in July would have been great, a quality pool installation and/or repair that will last the next 20 summers is a lot more exciting.

[6]Matt Remington has 17 years’ experience in the pool and hot tub industry and operates Remington Home Leisure, a family owned pool and hot tub business in Moncton, N.B. The company has a 1356-m² (14,600-sf) showroom and specializes in fibreglass inground pool, vinyl liner, on-ground, and above-ground pool installation. He can be reached via e-mail at mlrem@rogers.com.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/atlantic-canada-pool-builders-tackle-a-record-number-of-damaged-pools-due-to-winter-and-resulting-insurance-claims/

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