The past two years (2020-2021) have been anything but normal, to say the least. Between the pandemic, extreme weather, and shortages nationwide, businesses and companies faced unprecedented challenges. All of these factors have caused large-scale changes in many industries, and the swimming pool industry is no exception.

---

The Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic largely impacted swimming pool companies nationwide, including ours. Unforeseen shortages, longer delivery times, and capacity demands were a few of the many factors that pool companies had to hurdle.

• Pandemic Shortages

- Due to the lack of supplies, some companies had to cut their production by 75% in March and were unable to resume full capacity in the summer.

- Increase of demands of pools, hot tubs, and supplies but limited supply nationwide.

- Major shortages of pool chemicals, especially chlorine.

• Longer Delivery Times

- Delivery times went from 3-4 weeks to now up to 6 months.

- Shortage of delivery drivers + trucking companies.

- Many products are on backorder for companies to catch up on.

• Capacity Demands

- Trucking capacities are in short supply largely due to driver shortages.

---

Hurricane Laura

Hurricane Laura struck New Orleans in August 2020 creating major damage to homes and businesses and most importantly Biolab. Biolab unfortunately was hit by Hurricane Laura which then caused a fire that lasted three days.

Effects of Hurricane Laura

• 115 million pounds of “trichlor” and “dichlor” (chlorine) were burned in the fire.

• 40% of the nation’s supply was lost as a result.

• This created a major shortage of chemicals and panic for many manufactures.

---

The Texas Freeze

Just when the pool industry was somewhat adjusting to the changes caused by the pandemic, in February 2021 Texas froze over, literally.

Effects of the Texas Freeze

•  This caused a large amount of damage to filters, pumps, heaters, pumps, and more.

• Many resin manufactures had to retool their plants as a result of this freeze.

• Resin is used in making swimming pool filters, pumps, heaters, fittings, fiberglass pools, and the list goes on. This created additional supply chain shortages and delays.

• Chemical plants shut down, causing massive shortages

---

Moving Forward

The past two years have brought obstacles that many companies have had to overcome. The pool industry has had to adapt to these changes fast while moving forward efficiently. As a result, pool companies are now buying in bulk, and are forced to act as distributors. Many vendors have announced price increases of 15-25% effective January 1st, 2022.

For the consumer:

“Buy now for 2022 to lock in the BEST possible price.”

EZ Pool & Spa Supply has exactly what you need, buy now before prices rise and stock runs low! To learn more visit us in-store or online at eztestpools.com