Check out our latest ‘Horror File’ entry
February 14, 2021
Check out our latest ‘Horror File’ entry

CAN YOU TOP THIS?

Welcome to the latest edition of our popular “Can You Top This?” column, featuring the newest entry in the Service Industry News “Horror File. ”

This issue’s entry comes to us from English Pool Consulting, of Rick English, in San Diego, California.

“I don’t know if this is a horror, but it sure is funky,” writes Rick.

“This is a fill line for an older pool. It was probably originally plumbed correctly, but somehow this Rube Goldberg was contrived.

“The ball valve, which should be an antisiphon valve, is about 9 feet above the ground. I had to do some serious climbing to test it. A garden hose dangles from the valve down to a PVC pipe which is the fill line. The existing owners had no idea that there was a fill pipe. They had been using a hose.”

Well, that sure is something, isn’t it? The road to invention certainly is a long and winding road.

Other publications like to print lots of pretty pictures of beautiful pools, spas and well engineered installations.

At Service Industry News, we would rather go behind the scenes and take a closer look at the type of stuff our readers encounter everyday — cracked tiles, tree roots, spaghetti plumbing, rats in the heater, cars in the pool and more!

When you are out in the field and you see something that doesn’t look right, send us an email along with a picture and a brief description: Attention Horror File, serviceindustrynewscd@yahoo.com.

LATEST NEWS
Florida code to retain single-wire bonding
2026 Florida building code unchanged: HB-405 requiring equipotential bonding grids defeated
April 14, 2026
By Marcelle Dibrell Two proposed bills that drew opposition from the pool and spa industry failed to advance before the close of the 2026 Florida Legi...
April 14, 2026
Water testing should drive nearly every decision on a service route — yet in practice, it is often rushed, minimized, or skipped altogether. When it i...
TX drought tightens new pool permits
April 14, 2026
Ongoing drought conditions in South Texas are creating uncertainty for the pool and spa industry, particularly in Corpus Christi and surrounding commu...