Friday, June 18, 2010

Fix Things BEFORE they're broken?


My client had been servicing the commercial pool for more than 10 years. On a day much like any other, he received a phone call informing him that water from the pool filter was spraying into one of the apartments. The problem was clear: the filter "O" Ring had split allowing a stream of water to be directed toward the building. My client was shocked when the client's home owner's insurance company demanded reimbursement for over $100,000 in water damage. After all, he was only the service technician.

As it turns out, my client never changed the filter "O" Ring and stated that he never even checked the "O" Ring for wear or deterioration. Had he done so, the damages probably would have been avoided.

A pool service tech will be held responsible for damages caused by his failure to exercise ordinary care. Brake pads on our cars are changed BEFORE they fail because we know that they WILL eventually fail if we don't. The same logic applies to swimming pool equipment.

Service techs should have a practice of routinely checking wear parts and advising their customers before these items break. This includes not only "O" Rings, but plastic hoses and seals as well. It takes little effort and you may be responsible for the resulting damage if you fail to do so.

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