5 Reasons Why Retail Swimming Pool Stores may be Extinct in 10 Years

This is one of those articles that may not win me many fans in the swimming pool industry, but I'm frankly OK with that. I write about subjects that are on my mind--subjects that I feel are true and have merit, and this is certainly a subject that I've been thinking much about as of late.

A few years ago I was driving through our town with my wife and we passed by a movie rental store called ‘The Movie Gallery', which, at the time, was one of the largest chains of its kind in the country. Notwithstanding, as we passed this particular store I told her with a slight frown that I knew they would be out of businesses within just a few years. And not only would The Movie Gallery be out of business, but so would Blockbuster and every other business that shared such an antiquated business model.

Fast forward a few years. The Movie Gallery has now closed all its stores. And yesterday, I read in the Wall Street Journal that Blockbuster would soon be no more.

I do not mention this little story here to infer that I'm any smarter than the average Joe. I only say it because the movie rental industry, because of innovations like Netflix, The Red Box, and Pay Per View, is no longer viable. It can't work the way it used to and that's just the facts-- which in many ways mirrors the swimming pool industry and brings me to the point of this article.

Times Have Changed

I love the pool industry. I really do. I love what it does for families and I've developed great relationships with many pool builders and retailers all over the country. Notwithstanding, when I take a hard look at the world as we now know it, I have a strong feeling swimming  pool retail stores may soon be practically extinct, and here are five reasons why I've come to this conclusion:

1. Big Box Stores and Wal-Mart

One of the biggest hits swimming pool retailers have taken over the last 10 years has been the shift of consumers to do practically ALL their shopping at stores like Wal-Mart. Yep, despite their lack of service and knowledge, the Big Box stores are able to offer pool chemicals at prices that are often times 30% less than what a normal pool retailer could. For consumers, the choice between Big Box vs Joe's Pool Shop comes down to a debate between spend more and get much better help and service, or spend less and get no service at all. Sadly, especially with the difficult economy, Big Box often wins. Heck, I've had scenarios where customers came in our retail store to have their water tested and then drove directly to Wal-Mart to buy their chemicals....ouch.

2. The Internet

Just like Wal-Mart, online swimming pool stores have the ability to sell chemicals for much, much less than a normal brick and mortar store can. Despite the fact that online companies typically have practically no hands-on service, their growth over these last 10 years has been unbelievable, making it harder and harder for the mom and pop pool stores of the world to survive.

3. Salt

The popularity and rise of salt chlorine generators has scared some pool retailers for many, many years. In fact, there have been quite a few chemical manufacturers that have tried their best to hurt the image of salt water systems by spreading bogus claims regarding their negative impact on swimming pools. But regardless of this, salt chlorine users have almost no need for chemicals other than salt and a few water balance chemicals-hence the major concern of their introduction to the US market a few years back.

Despite all this, salt water systems have had a major positive impact on the swimming pool industry as well. Consumers are spending less time fooling with chemicals and maintaining their pool than ever before, which, in my opinion, is leading to a great and positive image shift for swimming pools throughout the world.

4. Increased Regulation

More and more, chemical manufacturers are having to deal with huge amounts of environmental and safety red tape from government agencies. With such red tape, the overhead for chemical production just keeps going up, forcing retailers to increase their prices and ultimately causing consumers to save money wherever they can.

5. Brick and Mortar Doesn't Equal Sales

When we opened River Pools and Spas almost 10 years ago, it was our goal to have as many retail stores as possible, which we figured would correlate directly with more inground pool sales. But within about 6 years, we realized two very important realities:

1. Inground swimming pool shoppers now do their research online, not by physically going store to store. Just look at the biggest inground pool builders in the country: Anthony Sylvan Pools and Blue Haven Pools. Neither one of these companies has much of a retail division at all, yet they have installed way more pools than any other company over the last few years.

2. It's extremely difficult to turn a profit in retail due to overhead costs, staffing, building expenses, etc

These two realities have forced us at River Pools and Spas to completely change our business model over the past 3 or 4 years. Today, we realize that consumers view a company's ‘store' as its website, not what's found behind actual brick and mortar. Also, our retail division, which once consisted of 2 substantial stores, is now being phased out.

The Future is Still Bright

But I do not write this article with a frown. Although I feel bad for the great mom and pop swimming pool retail stores that may not be around in just a few years, I also see this as a great opportunity for pool companies to make their businesses better, stronger, and more consumer friendly. I envision more and more companies investing the money they used to spend on retail and instead inverting it into their company websites, thus creating better content for consumers and a stronger learning environment for anyone considering ownership of this wonderful product we call a swimming pool.

But those are just my thoughts, and only time can tell us the real answers. Be rest assured though, as the trends in the pool industry make themselves more and more apparent we at River Pools and Spas will continue to discuss their happenings and do our best to keep the market informed.

Marcus Sheridan

Questions? Agree or Disagree? If you're a builder or retailer, feel free to leave your thoughts regarding what you feel the future of retail will be in the swimming pool industry.

Video of a 6 Year Old Showing How to Clean/Vacuum an Inground Swimming Pool!!

Just how hard is it to clean an inground swimming pool???

Many swimming pool shoppers and owners question whether or not they need an automatic vacuum with their swimming pool. Such a question is quite valid, especially considering that homeowners in 2010 have enough to do and worry about beyond the rigors of swimming pool ownership.

But as we have discussed many times on this blog, technology like fiberglass pools, cartridge filters, and salt water systems have changed the paradigm of swimming pool ownership throughout the world from hard-work to simple and relaxing, which bring us back to the question of automatic vs. manual vacuums.

Of our 600 customers, the majority do not spend more than 30 minutes a week maintaining their swimming pool. Of these 30 minutes, about 20 of it consists of one good cleaning/vacuuming of the bottom of the pool. And despite the fact that many persons think (before they own a pool) that vacuuming is a major task, it certainly is not. In fact, I created the following video with the help of my wonderful son ‘JT' to show just how easy it is to vacuum an inground pool.

 

 

So there you have it. Not that difficult, is it? This is why many people, when purchasing an inground swimming pool, don't buy an automatic vacuum initially as they are very easy to add at a later date. So if you're debating on the merits of an automatic vacuum, you may just want to give it a try without one for a time and therefore you'll easily be able to tell as to whether or not it would be a good investment for you and your family.

Questions about how to manually vacuum a swimming pool? Concerns over pool maintenance? As always, feel free to leave your thoughts below as we appreciate any reader involvement.

Should I Get a Salt Water System in my Pool?

Now that the summer is here, many pool owners are again facing the question that they've been asking themselves for the past few years now: Should I get a salt water system in my swimming pool?

For those readers that are already enjoying the wonders of salt, please feel free to go back to doing whatever you were doing. But for the many that have still not decided to take the plunge, please consider the following arguments to be made for such a wonderful piece of technology:

‘It Costs Too Much'

Yes, salt chlorine generators do cost a good bit of money. The average system is anywhere between $800-$2000 installed, but look at it this way: Swimming pool owners that use salt, in many cases, will spend less than $100 a year on chemicals. Yep, $100. Pretty awesome, huh? Without  salt, I've seen regular chlorine users spend well over $300 a season on chemicals. Compound this over the course of 5 years or so and you've easily paid for the system. And as for Baquacil users, the savings are monumental. It's nothing for a Baquacil user to spend over $500-$1000 on chemicals alone for just one pool season. For this reason, it is my opinion that anyone using Baquacil over salt may need a head examination.

‘It's Too Hard to Maintain'

Say what?? Salt water pools make for the ultimate low maintenance swimming pool experience. Most users check their water once a week to make sure the system is producing natural chlorine. Beyond that, there is very little one needs to do, other than balance the water on occasion. This is also why salt water pools are perfect for people with weekend homes or those that are constantly traveling and thus unable to attend to their pool. With its consistent feed of natural chlorine in the water, salt practically eliminates the ‘hard work' and vigilance issues that come with swimming pool ownership.

‘It Will Hurt My Eyes'

Again, almost never true. Keep in mind that salt pools are nothing like what we swim in when we're in the ocean. In fact, salt pools have 1/10 the level of salt that an ocean has. To give you an example, my son is 6 years old and he rarely uses goggles in our pool, despite the fact that he's is under water 50% of the time and always has his eyes open. And of the 1000+ systems we've installed, I've never had a customer that said their eyes were adversely affected by the salt.

‘It Tastes Funny'

Well, I guess if you like to drink pool water this could be the case....But seriously, just as I mentioned in the last paragraph, the salt levels are so low in the pool that most people don't even know they are swimming in it. Yes, you can taste it just slightly if you lick your lips while in the pool, but again, no customer has ever told me this was an issue of concern.

‘It Will Affect My Pool and Equipment'

Yes and No. There are debates in the pool industry as to the effect of salt water on concrete pools, with the majority of professionals, myself included, recognizing that a salt system will cause a concrete pool owner to resurface their pool sooner than they otherwise would have. The real debate lies in just how much quicker salt speeds up the process. As far as a fiberglass pool though, salt will have no impact on the shell's surface longevity. And as far as the general equipment is concerned, the only drawback we've been able to notice as a company is the fact that pump seals (w/the filter system), an inexpensive part to replace, wear out quicker with a salt generator.

 

So there you have it folks. If you are debating the merits of salt in your swimming pool, I do suggest you stop delaying the inevitable and make the call. I've literally had pool owners that have used Baquacil or regular chorine for years switch to salt and absolutely rave about its benefits and ease of use. After all, the whole purpose of owning a swimming pool is to relax more, not work more. Salt chlorine generators will certainly accomplish this goal.

Marcus Sheridan

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When is the Best Time to Open My Swimming Pool?

When Is the Best Time to Open My Swimming Pool?

Well it's that time of year again folks. And after the winter we had here in Virginia, I say Gooooooood Riddens. But with the warmer weather, the ‘swimming bug' will soon be affecting all of us. (That is, if it hasn't already done so.) In fact, as I write this article and sit in my car at a parking lot in Yorktown Virginia, the temperature outside is about 93 degrees on April 7^th. Wow, now that's what I call skipping spring!

But during this time of year, many pool owners debate about when they should open their pools. When is too early? When is too late? This is a legitimate concern, and this article will discuss my thoughts on the matter. Keep in mind though, the answer to such a question can vary drastically depending on the region, which is why I've tried to come up with a general, all-encompassing rule of thumb, which is as follows:

When the temperature is consistently above 70 degrees during the day, it's time to open the pool.

Why so early you ask? Well let me give you 5 main reasons.

1.       Warmer temperatures breed algae in a swimming pool: For those swimming pools with mesh winter covers (allowing sunlight through), too much sunlight can spell days of work to get the pool up to ideal swimming conditions. Personally, I'd much rather open up the pool earlier to find a cleaner pool than wait an additional month to be welcomed by a mountain of algae.

2.       Mother Nature: Mother Nature is a funny lady. She loves to play tricks on all of us. This was certainly the case this past weekend when I opened my pool. My neighbors thought it was silly that I was opening the pool so early in April. Of course, when they saw my kids in the pool yesterday, they didn't think it was such an odd decision any longer. And this is without even having a heater on the pool. The fact that it's early April and my kids are literally in our pool as I write this article is quite satisfying.

3.       Pollen: In Virginia, pollen is a major pain in everyone's tail during the month of April. The problem with pollen though is that it wreaks havoc on un-circulating water. For example, all the pools that are closed right now (at least in the Virginia/Md area) are allowing pollen to get in the water and just sit there. This will make it even more difficult to open and clean the pool later. But for the pools that are open and circulating, the pollen will be simply sucked into the skimmer, caught by the filter, and will in-turn keep it from turning your pool into a yellow lagoon.

4.       Expense: Many people hesitate to open their pool early because they feel it's too expensive. But considering that most swimming pool owners now have salt water pools and two-speed motors on their filter systems, the chemical and electrical cost is almost nominal. On average, if a pool owner runs their pump on low speed for a month and has a salt system, they'll likely spend less than $50 in total expenses. And when you compare that to the extra chemicals and cleaning required with a late-opening, doesn't an early opening make more sense?

5.       Beauty: I don't know about you all, but to me there is nothing better than firing up the grill in April and having great food and fun with friends and neighbors. And nothing says ‘Summer is Here!' like having a beautiful swimming pool running and open to complete such a scene. Remember, the average pool owner spends more time on their pool's patio than they do in the actual pool, so the sooner the pool is open, the sooner one can enjoy the beauties of their backyard investment.

So there are my top five reasons not to wait on your swimming pool opening. For those of you who have an inground swimming pool and would like to watch our How to Open an Inground Pool Video, click here.

As always, we at River Pools hope everyone has a wonderful summer in their swimming pool and if you have any questions or comments regarding pool openings and timeframes, please don't hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments below.

Marcus Sheridan

Boats Vs Swimming Pools: Which is a Better Investment For My Family?

By Jim Spiess, Co-Owner, River Pools and Spas

Should I invest in a boat or a swimming pool? Such a question I've heard over and over again from customers over these past 9 years of owning a swimming pool company in a part of the world (Virginia) where boats, in many ways, are a major part of the life and culture.

Some other questions that homeowners are confronted with:

• What would be more fun?
• Which would get used more?
• Which holds its value better?

Personally speaking, I have owned both a swimming pool and a boat. Both are certainly fun and exciting but in this article I wanted to relate to the readers my experiences and thoughts relating to the pros and cons of boat ownership.

 

My Experience

I owned a smaller 15 ft tri hull with a walk through bough and a 75 horsepower Evenrude motor. Needless to say this boat could move and served several purposes-- fishing, skiing, tubing, hydro sliding and just plain relaxing on the water. Because I live within a quarter mile of the Rappahannock River and in a community that has a boat launch and boat slips, I had the best of two worlds. I could put my boat in a slip when I was done or I could pull it out and bring it home.

I used the boat quite a bit; I was single and had the spare time to go out on the river on the weekends. I was doing construction at the time and I had a job on the river so I would take the boat to the job on some days. I was making good money and a single dad with two kids so spending a hundred dollars on the weekend pulling skiers and such was not that big a deal.

Boat Maintenance

Owning a boat does come with maintenance issues like any expensive toy. The maintenance issue I found to be the most cumbersome was the need to clean the bottom constantly. I did not paint the bottom because you lose around 5 mph when you paint a boat bottom. The reason I had to clean the bottom was because in salt water if you leave the boat in the water for any length of time you will get a buildup of slime and barnacles. I tended to leave my boat in the water because it was easier than pulling it out after each use. Of course, that was until the automatic bilge pump did not work during a big storm and I received a call saying my boat was almost underwater. Bailing a boat out in a huge storm is no fun, and then I had to pull it out and take it home. It was then I decided it was not worth keeping in the boat slip, so I would bring the boat home each time I would use it. Such was a pain but it came with the territory.

Times Change

The kids liked the boat, but my son learned that being on the river in the fall can be very cold and decided fishing was not worth the cold. They enjoyed the skiing and tubing parts of the boat, not the lazy days on the river or fishing. So sometimes they went and others they didn't. Although it was not a large boat it seated six people comfortably. I then got married to a young lady that had four children living at home with her. My new wife and family moved in and the boat seemed to stay parked in the yard. I also started a new business which was a pool business, and guess what went in the back yard? Yep, you're right, a swimming pool. The boat did not make one trip out after the pool went in. So I gave the boat to my son in law. I could have sold it and taken a huge loss, so I decided that my son in law would enjoy it and it would be nice for him and his family. They used it a couple of times but then it sat in his yard. That boat with a perfectly good engine sat and went to waste because it was less fun to take care of than it was to use.

The Difference of Pool Ownership

Now for my experience with the pool. On the first day the pool was being used by my son and his friends, my wife was looking out the kitchen window and said "it doesn't get any better than this-- the kids using the pool and I can watch them right here from the kitchen window."  I also thought it was great because I didn't have to haul the pool to the water for the kids to use it and I did not even have to be there. We could have friends, family, and neighbors all swimming at once and have a blast. The work was minimum-- around a half hour a week and the cost of operating a pool for season is less than the cost of operating a boat for a couple of weekends.

 Now please understand, this is in my case, and not everyone's experience is the same with a boat. For example, it is certainly less expensive if you just fish or anchor and relax. But I had kids, and fishing and relaxing will only go so far as they wanted skiing and action, which gets expensive.

 The Joys of Children

What I enjoyed about our swimming pool was that when I was mowing the grass and doing yard work all I had to do to cool off was jump in. I also enjoyed coming home in the evening and just climbing into a float and relaxing (at times too much because I would fall asleep). One of my biggest enjoyments was watching the grandchildren call out ‘PePe, PePe watch me!', and they would jump into the pool without any swimmies. (Those are the floats that go around their arms to help them learn to swim.)

 

 It is amazing how fast children learn to swim when you have a pool. At the public pool my step son was terrified of letting go of the wall and was not interested in wearing swimmies, but when we had our pool he quickly adapted and wanted to jump in and swim. The pool would bring our children back home with the grandchildren, so they could swim and that was always a pleasure. My wife could use it with or without me, so could the kids, so could the grandkids, none of that was possible with a boat.

When it comes down to it, the pool was all about low maintenance, low operating cost, and high fun. And oh yeah, the people who bought my house bought it because of the swimming pool. So pools do add value to the home, do not let the real estate company fool you. I did not plan the day the people showed up at my house to look at it, but it could have appeared that I did. My step daughter showed up with the van full of my grandchildren and their friends who all jumped out yelling and carrying on while they ran for the pool. House Sold. I never missed the boat at all, and that is why they say it is better to know someone who owns a boat than to own one yourself. In my opinion swimming pools win hands down.

 A Final Review

• Boats depending on use can be as much as $50 dollars a day to operate; this does not include gas to get the boat to the launch site.
• Fiberglass Swimming Pools cost $1 a day to operate; this includes chemicals and electricity.
• Boats are limited as to when you can use them due to time restrictions.
• Swimming Pools are unlimited with use; they are there when you are ready to jump in.
• Boats are limited on how many can go out at any given time.
• Swimming Pools the whole family and friends can enjoy together.
• Boats have high maintenance; cleaning boat each time it is used, taking to launch site, pulling boat out of water can be as much as one hour if you live within one mile of the water.
• Fiberglass Swimming Pools are less than one hour a week.
• Boats lose value very quickly.
• Fiberglass Swimming Pools increase the value of your home.
• Boats are very costly on long term maintenance, the motor and the interior components of the boat like the fabric on the seats and electronics. Over a 5 year period over $2000 that is why they say it is a hole in the water you throw money into.
• Fiberglass Swimming Pools very low cost of long term maintenance, the pump and electronics. Over a twenty year period maybe $2000
• Boats will last you between 5 and 10 years
• Fiberglass Swimming Pools will last you a lifetime

How to Close/Winterize a Fiberglass Inground Pool (Video)

By Marcus Sheridan, www.PoolSchool.us

The following video shows the main steps to the proper winterization/closing of an inground fiberglass pool. Because of time, the video is unable to show certain steps, so I'll just list them here first, then display the video. If you have any further questions regarding a proper pool winterization, don't hesitate to comment below:

10 Steps to a Proper Inground Pool Winterization/Closing

**Note: Before taking these steps, it's important to raise the sanitzer levels of your pool the day before you close it. This means that if you use regular chorine, you'd add enough bags of shock to get the chlorine above 10ppm. If you have a salt water system, just hit the boost button. I also recommend adding 1 bottle of Algaecide 60(make sure it's a quality version not from a Big Box store) per 15,000 gallons of pool water. Finally, it is a good idea to have the ph in a range of 7.0-7.8**

• 1. Take out eyeballs of existing returns.
• 2. Drain pool water down to bottom of skimmer (do NOT drain below this point).
• 3. Take off salt water cell and clean.
• 4. Drain pool pump and filter system (take off plugs).
• 5. Blow out return lines and plug each line (an air compressor or a shop-vac can be used to accomplish this).
• 6. Place gizmo in skimmer.
• 7. Blow out main drains and skimmer line, then plug the top of the gizmo
• 8. Cover pool
• 9. Make sure ALL electrical components are turned off (breakers should be in off position)
• 10. If you have a cartridge filter, make sure the filter is taken out and cleaned very well, then stored in a dry place.

 

Baquacil: Cloudy Water, Problems, and Why It's a Rip-Off

I was sitting with an inground pool customer last night that had owned her previous pool for about 19 years. It was a small, 12'x24' design with only about 7,000 gallons of water. She was in the process of tearing out her old pool and getting a new one, and when the subject of pool chemicals came up she mentioned to me that she had spent $700 this past summer to keep the water clear. Before she even mentioned what type of chemical she had been using, I knew there was only one that could cost so much for such a small pool for just one summer: Baquacil.

Having owned a retail pool store now for almost 10 years, there was a time when we at River Pools and Spas carried Baquacil Products. Being new to the business and wanting to offer a chlorine alternative to our customers, the representatives from Baquacil met with us and told us that not only was it a great chlorine alternative, but we could also make quite a bit of money off of its tremendous residual sales. Seeing Baquacil's popularity throughout the industry, we decided to bring in and promote the product. It did not take us long to realize, though, that the representative from Baquacil had only been partially accurate in his assessment of the product's benefits. Yes, it was quite profitable. No, it was not a good chlorine alternative. In fact, it's the type of product that hurts the swimming pool industry and gives it a bad name. Allow me to explain.

What is it?

Baquacil, which is classified as a Biquanide, is a non bleach/halogenic product whose main oxidizing component is hydrogen peroxide. With peroxide being the main oxidizer, the problem with the system is that waste builds up in the pool water over time and eventually a pink sludge build up results in the pool's plumbing. This is also why most Baquacil users have good success with the product the first year or two, and then have to use more and more ‘Shock' to keep the water clear. Again, this phenomenon is due to the un-oxidized waste build up. Once we as a company started to realize just how ineffective and expensive Baquacil could be after a few years of usage, we started recommending to our customers that wanted to stay on the system to open the pool at least every other year with chlorine, and then they could switch back to Baquacil. Because chlorine is such a great oxidizer, it quickly cleans out any sludge and waste build up, which then allows Baquacil to work effectively again in a more cost-effective manner.

Striving for Low Cost and Low Maintenance

Notwithstanding Chorine's ability to cure this problem, after a few years of selling Baquacil we stopped recommending it to our customers. Because the goal of our business is to promote low-maintenance swimming pool ownership experiences, Baquacil clearly didn't fit the bill. Yes, it was making us a nice supplemental income but it was also leading to many trips to the pool store for our customers and hundreds and hundreds of dollars each summer for clear water. This is why we switched to salt water about 5 years ago and haven't looked back since. Not only have we installed about 700 salt chlorine generators on new pools, but we've also converted another 300-400 customers who were either using regular chorine or Baquacil to salt. Such a conversion, especially for previous Baquacil users, can be a major paradigm changing experience when they go from spending $500-$1500 a year on chemicals to, in most cases, less than $100. The feedback we've gotten since we've made the switch has been phenomenal and as owners of the company, we are happy to know that our customers are now spending very little time at our retail store and much more time as a family enjoying their swimming pool. We've also been thrilled by the fact that we almost never deal with salt customers who have algae in their pool. Baquacil is notorious for allowing algae to grow in the pool and it's incredibly expensive to remove the algae once it has started to grow with Baquacil's weak oxidizing components.

Salt: A Better Choice

To close, I'd just like to recommend to all those pool owners out there that are not currently on salt to consider the option. We've got quite a few articles about salt chlorine generators on this blog and on our website and if you have any questions regarding Baquacil or any other pool chemical for that matter, please don't hesitate to comment below and we'll answer promptly.

As always, happy swimming and don't forget to subscribe to this blog on the upper right hand portion of the page.

Marcus Sheridan, http://www.poolschool.us/

How to Identify, Treat, and Remove Algae in Your Swimming Pool

 

How to Identify, Treat, and Remove Algae in Your Swimming Pool By Marcus Sheridan, http://www.poolschool.us/   During the months of July and August, algae can be a very big problem for swimming  pool owners. With the higher temperatures during these months, as well as inconsistency in a pool's sanitizer levels, algae can rear its ugly heard. This article will discuss the different types of algae and how to deal with each.  Algae is a single-celled plant form. It utilizes the process of photosynthesis to manufacture its own food and comes in very wide variety of colors and forms making it adaptable to almost any condition.

Due to algae's microscopic size, it takes literally millions of these plants to accumulate to be noticed by the naked eye!  By that time it may be too late and very costly to correct. As we tell all our customers: This best way to eliminate algae is through prevention! (This is also why we are such proponents of salt water chlorine systems.) Green Algae The most common form of algae in swimming pools is "green" algae.  Green algae (varies in color from blue-green to yellow-green to dark-green) can be free floating in the water (turning the water a hazy-green) or can be wall-clinging (patches of green). Green algae can be treated fairly simply with the right amount of brushing, shocking, and algaecide. Treatment:  Have water properly analyzed to ensure PH is at proper levels and balance the pool water. Pools treated with chlorine should be brushed thoroughly, then shocked, raising the chlorine levels above 30,000 ppm.  Also, add a strong dose of Algaecide 60 to the water. Continue to check the pool's filtration throughout this process to ensure proper water flow. You may have to repeat this process a few times in order to eradicate entirely the algae. Black Algae "Black Algae" (actually blue-green algae) forms in cracks and crevices on pool surfaces, especially plaster finishes. We normally find black algae growing in, but not limited to, shady areas of the pool. Black algae is more typically found in concrete or plaster finished pools because of their rough surfaces. It is known for a heavy slime layer and "skeletal growths" that make it impervious to normal chlorine levels.  Black algae usually doesn't have any effect on water clarity, it just makes your pool appear to have black spots on the surface. Treatment:  Have water properly analyzed and balanced. Prior to and during treatment, the algae MUST be thoroughly brushed in order to "break open" the slime layer.  Failure to do this critical step will prevent the treatment from working.  Shock the pool very aggressively and continue to brush the black algae. Add substantial amounts of algaecide 60. Mustard Algae Mustard algae is a chlorine-resistant form of green algae (yellow-green to brown in color). It often resembles dirt or sand on the bottom or sides of a pool. Treatment:  Same as black algae. In certain cases, when a pool is full of algae, the algae must be vacuumed directly out of the pool. This can be accomplished by brushing the algae off the walls, then adding a ‘floc' to the water, which coagulates the algae and causes it to settle. Once it settles, it should vacuumed directly out of the pool. When attempting to floc a pool, follow the directions on the bottle very carefully. Well hopefully you will not be burdened with algae in your swimming pool this year. As I mentioned earlier in the article, salt chlorine generators are the best way to prevent algae in your pool. This is because they produce a consistent feed of natural chlorine going into your pool all the time, which will also allow you as a pool owner to be gone for a few days without being too vigilant of your pool, but still coming back to a crystal clear, algae free body of water. I'm always amazed at how many pool owners think that algae a standard part of swimming pool ownership. This clearly does not have to be the case, as we have many customers at River Pools who have never even seen algae in their swimming pool. Of course, this is also why just about every one of our customers uses a salt chlorinator. Good luck and happy swimming!

How Much Can a Mistake Cost on a Swimming Pool Purchase?

 By Jim Spiess, www.riverpoolsandspas.com

 

There are many factors to consider when purchasing a swimming pool. First- Is the type of pool you will purchase, will it be an above ground pool, or an in ground pool? Let's look at above ground pools first.

How much will our above ground pool cost, and if it is an expensive pool does that guarantee quality and durability? Just because an above ground pool is expensive does not guarantee anything, for that matter most of your more expensive above ground pools are generally cheap pools that will cost you upwards to ten thousand dollars, and only last a few years. Beware of companies that advertise on television and show a beautiful pool with a ridiculously low price. If it looks too be true it probably is. These companies will do the same with magazine ads, only to do a bait and switch when they show up. There are many good above ground pools out there, Artesian Pools and Strong Pools make great pools, but beware of the riser pool made by Strong Pools, because it has its issues. These two manufactures have a difference of about one thousand dollars in their price; both have great warranties, and will not only last for many years of enjoyment, but will keep their look over the years. How many times have you seen an above ground pool get put up in the neighborhood and a year or two later they look twenty years old? An Artesian 24 foot round pool should cost you in the neighborhood of five thousand dollars with installation, the Strong Pool would be about one thousand more. How much can you lose on an above ground pool purchase? Up to ten thousand dollars if you make a bad choice. It is not a good idea to purchase an aluminum deck for an above ground pool. I recommend a wood deck or a composite deck, which is much more attractive, more durable, and will probably cost less too.

Now let's take a look at inground pools. Here we have really five types of pools to choose from: There is the natural pool which is filtered with plants and can even have fish in them, with a structure that is basically a vinyl liner pool. Initial cost can vary upon plants, type of fish, and stone work, but will generally run around thirty thousand. This is a great pool if you are more interested in a pond than a pool. Personally, I would not spend much on it because vinyl liners have a limited life to them, and it can be a mess to replace the liner on a large pond with vegetation, rocks, and fish. The cost is not that cheap because of the designing, planting, installation, and more, and your loss could be up to ten thousand after replacing liner and surroundings.

Second we have the vinyl liner pool. Its initial pool cost is around $25,000, and it falls into the category of a temporary pool. Liners today generally last between five to ten years, depending on how your pool was installed. If the pool did not have an over-dig and was put in exactly to specifications than that will increase the life of the liner. The problem is a lot of vinyl liner pool companies put the pools in fast and do a slight over-dig to make sure they do not get wrinkles in the liner. This causes the vinyl liner to get stretched and it has now had years taken off the life of the liner. Also, if the pool is put in out of square, it will shorten the life of the liner. We have people who call us to replace the vinyl liner in their pool, and they want to give us the spec sheet for the liner that came with the pool. We never go by that. We have to  measure the pool ourselves and it has not once come up to the measurements on the spec sheet of the customer. Replacing a vinyl liner will cost you between four thousand to six thousand dollars with water. This is also what will bring the value of your home down when you go to sell it. The problem with swimming pools and home sales is that three red flags come up when someone sees a pool. 1. How much maintenance is the pool going to take? 2. How much will it cost me to run that pool each year? 3. What are my future expenses on that pool? With vinyl, you have fairly high maintenance, more cost in chemicals with the pool, and future expenses. Home value can even go down ten to twenty thousand.

Third we have gunite pools or concrete pools. This is a permanent pool, which is high maintenance, high chemical cost, and elevated electrical costs. This pool will have to be resurfaced on average every 10 years, and that can cost from ten to fifteen thousand dollars depending on the type of surface. The price of gunite pools depends on the size and scope of the work, although there are large companies out there that are selling them very cheap because of the economy. My feelings on this is if you have thousands of pools that you have put in and you kept your customers happy then you should not have to cut your cost on your pools so drastically. Most reputable gunite company's pools range around thirty five to fifty thousand dollars. I would beware of the companies that are offering the same pool for ten thousand less. These pools can bring the value of your home down too, usually less than a vinyl pool, around five to ten thousand dollars. Your loss can be as much as twenty five thousand if resurfaced twice during your ownership.

Fourth we have the fiberglass pool wall with a concrete bottom. Initial cost around twenty to twenty five thousand. This pool is still a high maintenance pool due to the concrete bottom, and a lot of times I have seen these pools put in and the bottom painted with a waterproof paint, this can lead to disaster. The life of these pools is determined by the installer, but the bottom of the pool will need resurfacing at a cost of around five thousand dollars. The pool tends to look cheap and will take away from the value of your home, around five to ten thousand dollars. Your loss is around ten to fifteen thousand dollars.

Last we have fiberglass pools. There initial cost is around thirty five to fifty thousand dollars, around the same as a good reputable concrete pool installer. Maintenance is low, operation cost is low, and future cost is very low. Adds value to your home because of all the above. Your gain is extra money when you sell your home, and years of enjoyment without all the work and headaches. But going with the wrong manufacturer, or picking the wrong company, because you are basing your decision on price can cost you more than you save. For instance the pool you have chosen appears to be the same, but the cost difference between the two companies is around five thousand. Well, you could end up the loser when the concrete does not turn out right or the pool was installed improperly, etc. There are many things that could go wrong that will cost you more than the five thousand you saved. Maybe you picked the wrong manufacturer and save five to ten thousand and then find out that you really lost around twenty five thousand and now have a non functioning pool in your backyard. Pool choices are tough decisions, you are spending a lot of money, the last thing you want to do is make a mistake that will cost you even more. For more information on fiberglass pool cost go to http://www.riverpoolsandspas.com/ or http://www.poolschool.us/

Why are Inground Fiberglass Pools so Low Maintainance?

Why are Inground Fiberglass Pools so Low Maintenance?

by: Jason Hughes 

If you have done any research on inground fiberglass pools you have certainly read that one of their primary advantages is low maintenance.  If you have gone as far as to speak to an owner of an inground fiberglass pool they probably said something like "...they said it would be low maintenance, but I had no idea how easy the pool would actually be to take care of. "  It is a fact.  Inground fiberglass pools are a breeze to maintain....but why? 

 

2 Reasons:

 

1.  A non-porous pool shell:

The gel coat surface of the inground fiberglass pool shell is non-porous.  With pools, pores are bad.  They give dreaded algae a place to live and breed....YUCK!  The surfaces of concrete pools are very porous and algae embeds into this surface.  This is why weekly brooming or sweeping of the entire pool shell is recommended and periodic draining and acid washing of the pool is required; all to prevent and kill algae.  Because algae is tougher to kill when it's embedded into a pool shell, concrete pools also use 2 to 3 times more chemicals than inground fiberglass pools.  With a non-porous shell, inground fiberglass pools eliminate the need for all this extra work and expense because algae doesn't have anywhere to hide.  Imagine your beautiful pool on a 90 degree day.  Would you rather be manning a pool brush or laid back in the float with a cold drink listening to the kids have a blast?  In the off season would you rather fork out close to a thousand dollars to drain and acid wash the pool or close the thing and forget it until next year?

 

2.  A chemically inert pool shell:

Inground Fiberglass pools do not react with the water in the vessel.  Would you believe that concrete pools do?  Yep.  Because concrete is very alkaline, it actually raises the pH of the water in the pool.  This means a constant battle to keep the water balanced....and it's important to keep it balanced.  Pool water that's significantly out of wack is hard on pool equipment and the finishes used on concrete pools.  This is why concrete pool owners buy muriatic acid in bulk; they're always adding to the pool.  Inground fiberglass pools have no effect on the water because they are totally inert.  Get your water balanced and keep it that way!  Sure make up water and rain water may cause you to make a few minor adjustments over an entire season, but the inert nature of the inground fiberglass pool shell eliminates the constant battle to keep your water balanced.  Again, what would you rather be doing with your pool; enjoying it or maintaining it?

 

Are inground fiberglass pools really that easy to maintain?  Find out for yourself.  Give us a call or email.  We have hundreds of clients that will literally talk your ear off about how wonderful and low maintenance their inground fiberglass pools are.  We have many who are former concrete pool owners and they would be the first to tell you to ditch the pool brush and hop on the float.