The Story of Patch of Pickles

Patch of Pickles was brought into being by the discussions of some long-time backflow professionals about the problems of outdoor installations of backflow preventers in the Austin area. We were experiencing freeze damage long before Covid arrived, but infrequently. We wanted to do something about it, but the installations on the pool backflow preventers in this area were mounted on the wall with various methods of affixing it to the wall. How do we work around those various methods of support and still get some REAL insulation around these things? A real puzzle.

Fast forward a bit to about Covid time. That is when the annual bursting of backflow preventers and water heaters arrived. Once again, we were reminded of the need. We messed around with various methods of achieving some sort of relief for the homeowners. Mainly, unsuccessfully.

We brought in the heavy hitter. My wife. So graciously and with none of the usual coaxing, she offered to work with us to sew us what we needed. We just had to explain what we needed. So, her and I set to work making it — learning more about what materials would do best standing up to the Texas sun. Brutal. Trying materials and potential modifications to the bag. Learning more about what works best.

Finally, in 2024, with a whip in her hand, she decided we were ready. Of course, I agreed. But, for real, we tried materials and designs and settled on, what we believe to be, the best option for the most of these type installs. And since we were going to make this type cover, why not make all the other kinds needed by folks we encountered in our profession? We wanted to raise the bar on the options we were seeing around Central Texas. Green plastic bags, and lightweight nylon wrapped over quilt batting and reflective material. Or green PVC coated material. None of them really stand up to the conditions here in Texas.

So we built something that does. Every Patch of Pickles cover is hand-cut, hand-sewn, inspected, and shipped right from our shop in Lockhart, Texas — with R-13 residential-grade insulation wrapped in heavy-duty, marine-grade fabric built to outlast the Texas sun and the Texas cold.