WHY on earth would someone allow THIS to happen!?! Yes, there was a choice at some point along the way.
I'm pretty certain that heat pumps are supposed to be outside!
Ooohhh the humanity! There's a pump hiding behind that heater!
Anyone want to work on that heater? How about that pump?
There are a lot of 'issues' with this installation which the homeowner and the service/repair technicians get to deal with, daily. The people that designed and built this room must not be the ones that have to go into it and perform any type of task, ever. Do the hate the next guy?
I very rarely refuse work -- this is one situation where I did, for several reasons. I was not there for any of these, but they went through my head while I was standing in front of it.
- I pictured myself pinned upside-down drowning in this room. Which filled with water, because a pipe broke while I was climbing over it, so I could stand on my head, just to see where a small drip may have been coming from, behind the heater on he floor.
- I pictured myself removing every piece of pipe, the heat pump and the pump on the floor just to get a look inside the heater, then putting them back just the way they came out, because the homeowner may not be ready to pay for the extra time to re-plumb it differently, when the call may have been just to troubleshoot the heater - which can't be done with any of that stuff removed or with it in the way.
- I pictured myself in a massive time consuming legal situation, that started as a simple diagnosis call, trying to explain why this homeowner may owe me the the extraordinary amount of money I have billed for when it took over two hours just to get a look at the problem. Or one where I am defending myself, while the homeowner claims I am responsible for re-configuring the entire room because something completely unrelated to my visit went horribly wrong after I left.
Enough with my imagination, I simply decline to be involved in any way, other than a complete remodel.
Now, I am going to try to explain how an equipment room like this comes to exist and suggest ways we can avoid it. It may be that this is not originally how this room was put together, but I can tell that it's close (I think the heat pump was installed after the rest of the equipment, but even without it, this room is way too small). There are some things pictured that are not to code (the homeowner has been notified) and a lot of things that should be considered taboo.
This had to have started at the very beginning, before a shovel was put into the ground to build it. I think this type of circumstance can be avoided easily with a knowledgeable salesperson who has an honest exchange with the buyer. You may lose a sale, but your reputation for building a quality product will make up for that in the long run.
Here is my idea of the progression (just speculation here, feel free to ignore it, or bear with me):
1. The buyer or designer may have said 'I need to save as much money as possible on this project so, can we make the room as small as possible and still have the equipment inside a room?'. (It may be that local code requires the equipment be enclosed for noise elimination, so the entire room could not have been taken away to save money.)
My opinion; Pool equipment should be treated (by law or at least by the builder) just like electrical equipment. There should be a minimum required footprint which includes access area. This will never happen, because not enough people have been killed when they were forced to access swimming pool equipment in an unsafe way (generally, you will just get wet if something goes wrong, but people have been killed by swimming pool equipment mishandling).
2. The person that sold this project may have said to the buyer or designer 'yes, we can make the swimming pool equipment room any size you like' (we all know why sales people say 'yes').
My opinion; The answer should have been 'No, I'm sorry but, this is the required amount of room for this equipment according to the manufacturers, government regulations, industry standards, our policy and simply, for you to get in and maintain it. Please budget and plan for this size...'.
3. The builder may have never suggested a change, prior to or during construction, because the decisions may have already been made.
My opinion; Someone needed to speak up and let the buyer or designer know of the expense, the headaches, the delays, the operational and longevity issues and extra time that would be involved in maintaining this equipment for its entire lifetime. A good example of cutting costs up front becoming much more expensive in the long run.
4. The code inspector was either never on site or the local code does not address swimming pool equipment in a manner which would effect this room.
My opinion; There are some local codes and/or inspectors, in some areas, that are not clear on what to look for when it comes to swimming pool construction, especially in the equipment areas. The upcoming Model Aquatic Health Code may help the entire country with this.
5. The "professionals" that may have been on this property to do any work on this equipment may have had to explain to the owner why it would cost 3-4 times more than normal to replace the heater or pump or anything else that fails (and it all will, eventually) and it may have instantly become cost prohibitive to do even minor work.
My opinion; Stop the hemorrhaging soon -- tear it down and rebuild it (if possible) or start a dedicated bank account just for the ongoing work in this room. It has reached the age when the major items have reached their lifespan.
This is one of the worst equipment sets I have ever seen. There are plenty of other properties with rooms and individual pieces of equipment that seem perfectly installed, but have issues that are very difficult to pinpoint. I will be selecting and presenting some for discussion, more often since they are more common.
I feel like I need to plead with swimming pool buyers, salespeople and builders to communicate all things that will effect the operation and maintenance prior to breaking ground. It will be the most important issue for the rest of its existence.
The question must not always be 'Can this be done?' because, yes, most things 'can be done' (and some of us like to prove that we 'can do anything'). The question must always be 'Should this be done?' and it must be answered honestly, with knowledge based explanation.
Please don't overlook the fact that swimming pool equipment has a lifespan and will need to be serviced and/or replaced, eventually, and the manner in which it is installed directly effects its reliability and longevity.
