Originally Posted by LubeJobs42

Because the 24” access door is on the side closest to the house. Any closer and you can’t open the door to service it.

I tell him to turn the generator around so the door is on the opposite side facing out. He tells me that then the muffler will be on the opposite side of the unit and it will be less than 10 feet from the window on the garage and won’t pass code inspection.
I ask our options.

He says “buy a smaller generator”.

Of course that’s not an option. I ask him “if I remove the water softener system and relocate the entire pool pump system and heater 2 feet down, can we then flip the generator since we can move it 3 more feet”.

He says yes.

I have my handy man rip out the water softener system, the pool heater and pool filtration system. The pump that runs the waterfall on the pool is burnt out so I figure now it the time to replace it. I call my buddy that is a pool builder for advice on the pump. He was out of town but told me to have my handyman go to the pool Supply Company he uses and get the pump and other materials and put them on his account to save money. He tells me to buy 2 pumps because if the one is bad the other isn’t far behind and they are only about $280 each.
My handyman makes a list and goes to get the stuff. I go to work. I get home after work and expect to see the pool system in. Wrong! He has only 2 of the many many pipes installed. I look on the floor behind him and I see a strange looking pool pump. It’s nothing like my old pump. It’s’ twice the size and has a computer box on the side.

I say to him, “what’s that?” He says it’s one of the new pumps. I start thinking that is not a $280 pump. I get the turning in my stomach feeling again. I look further behind him and I see this tall thing with an lcd read out. I ask, “What’s that”? It’s the new computerized filter system. I said “there was nothing worn with the old filter, why did you get a new one?” He says, “yes, but you need this filter to go with the new pumps so they can talk to each other”. I wanted to puke. I asked him how much all of this new stuff came out to (and charged on my buddies account).
$5800!

I lost it! WTF gave you the idea to spend $5800???!

He said “Im sorry, I know you like the best and the guy said this is the best!” I was so mad I couldn’t see straight. I told him to pack it all up and return everything. He left with the equipment. I wasn’t even sure he would be back I yelled so loud. I felt bad but that was really stupid.

The next morning he calls from the supplier and they will only take the filter back. The pumps already have PVC pipes glued into them so they can’t take them back. I told him to bring them to the house. I would sell them on ebay. I told him to Just get the regular $280 pumps.
He gets everything and installs it all. It took him 4 days to do a 1 day job. He leaves for the weekend. I notice the waterfall doesn’t have much flow and I think few things aren’t right. 2 of the valves are backwards. One pipe is routed wrong. Normal crap. I figure I will have him make it right when he gets back on Monday.

During the weekend he has a fight with his ex-wife. She claims he assaulted her. He gets arrested. He is here on a work visa. They end up sending him to Krome detention center (immigration jail.) It’s been 4 weeks and he is still locked up.

My buddy that has the pool business gets back in town for the weekend and comes by to see what’s wrong and if it’s an easy fix. He starts hysterical laughing as soon as he walked up to the system. He actually took a picture of the system install to send into the pool builders magazine. He submitted the photo to the “how to Not install a pool system” contest. I swear to God! He explains to me that a line run can only have one 90 degree turn in a line run, maybe 2 at most depending where it’s flowing. Every 90 fitting cuts the pressure by a big margin. I have one line with 6 90 degree fittings! That’s why there is no flow!
My buddy says what I hear very often “ONLY YOU”. Turns out the entire system is wrong. He also removed a pipe that had the air tube that goes underground all the way to the pools hot tub to start the jets. This is a big problem. It’s going to be nearly impossible to rerun that tube. My jets in my hot tube will probably not be working for some time.

My buddy tells me not to worry, he has a subcontractor he uses that handles problem systems and he was going to have him come by on Monday to look at redoing the system and correcting all my problem.

The guy came out Monday and texted my buddy “thanks but no thanks”.

I will need to wait until my buddy comes back in town and he wild redo the system for me himself.

Sid, the Generator installer comes back and installs the generator in the correct place and all seems perfect. We are finally done!
I thought!

I get a call from the Propane place and they tell me they could not get the final inspection because the city is requiring us to get a new, updated survey showing the propane tank as well as other changes that have not been recorded over the years. I call and schedule the survey.
The Propane people ask if they can get paid for the job. I figured after all the trouble they had, I should pay them. I get the bill and it’s nearly double what I was quoted. Between the wasted time, the septic tank removal, the moving of the generator with changing the plans and permit it was much more. I also didn’t read the fine print. Tank deposit, permit fees, propane etc not included. I was so pissed but what do I do at this point? I paid.
We had a lot of rain the next week. The first nice day we had the landscape light guy showed up to install my landscape lighting. He walks over the propane tank and sinks in the ground up to his knees. He calls his helper and he sinks as well while pulling him out. Apparently there were air pockets around the propane tank and we ended up with a huge sink hole. I call the propane people and they come out and fill the hole, ruin my sod, made a mess on my freshly pressure cleaned driveway. At least it’s finished.
That night I notice one side of my house is without landscape lights. I’m out checking the transformers and outlets in the yard and I hear my wife screaming from the front of the house. I go out front and over the propane tank there is water bubbling out of the ground like a monster movie. There is a stream running down my driveway and as far as I can see down the block, every house on both sides of the street have a 4 to 6 foot wide puddle in from if it, coming from me. I’m standing there watching my new sod float away. I panic! I try to turn off the water main but the handle on the valve was broken off.

I call the propane people and the owner calls me back. He tells me to check if the sprinklers are on. Turns out they broke the main 1.5” sprinkler feed line and the system was running for over an hour. I get it turned off and again, the propane company comes back the next morning to fill my new hole and repair what they broke.

Friday night comes and I get home from work. 20 minutes after I get home my doorbell rings. It’s my neighbor. “There is a power line down in front of your house, Call FPL”.
We do. 30 minutes later we hear the FPL truck pull up and they knock on my door. They tell me “We are killing the power for a few hours for repairs”.
I think GREAT! I can use my new generator and I can finally tell my wife “I know it was rough, but isn’t it worth it now”?
During this whole ordeal I was thinking that now that I have the generator, we won’t have a power failure for years! This is great! The generator that was so much trouble will save the day and my wife will be over all the problems we’ve had getting it installed having AC and lights while the rest of the block is out.
FPL cuts the power and my power goes off. I tell my wife the generator is supposed to start within 60 seconds. I start counting out loud. I’m waiting about 1 minute and nothing! Maybe it’s 2 minutes? Nothing! It’s just not starting.

I call Sid the generator electrician.

“Hi Sid, this is Gino. Our power went out and the generator didn’t start.”
“Who is this?”
“Gino!”
“What’s the address?”
“Sid, IT’S GINO, SEPTIC TANK, POOL PUMPS, TREE, GINO 3700 25 AVE!!!”
“Oh. 3700. What’s the problem?”
“Powers out and generator doesn’t start”

He says to me “How do you expect it to start with no battery? We need to install a battery. Do you want me to get one and install it”??
I wanted to reach through the phone and choke the bastard. I sat with my wife, in the dark with candles for 5 hours. My wife really doesn’t have appreciation for the generator.
At least I got a good deal on it, Only $9K!!!