|
|
| |
|
|
 |
Industry News
|
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
|
| |
Service Tip
When upgrading your customers to a two-, multi- or variable-speed pump, give them advance notice about the potential need for a filter cleaning. The new energy-efficient pumps reduce flow and allow for significantly improved filtering. With all the new dirt and debris being captured at a lower flow, a filter may need to be cleaned in as little as a week after the new pump is installed. Warning your customers about this potential expense ensures they aren’t surprised about any unexpected costs on the way to a lower electric bill.
|
|
| |
ADVERTISEMENT
|
|
| |
MOD Design Tip
 What great design concept are you working on?
For our newest development, we are working with engineers to run solar and geothermal heating through the shell of pools, to provide a more efficient way to heat the water. We’ve incorporated it into one pool, and it seems to be working.
How does it work?
Instead of directly heating the water out in a mechanical room, the heat is being brought into the shell of the pool, heating the mass of the structure from the bottom up.
It takes a combination of mechanical items that a plumber would be more inclined to install, because it’s going to be tied into their systems. So it’s more of a collaborative, coordinated effort.
We put snow-melt tubing — like what you’d see in heat-melted decks and driveways — in the shell of the pool, throughout the floor. We make sure that the engineering is right — that we’ve got enough tubing and it’s spaced correctly. The tubing is mounted to the rebar. You have to take more care applying it to the shell itself, and working with structural engineers and mechanical engineers to maintain the integrity of the shell. When shooting the shell, you’re definitely trying to keep the shadowing to a minimum, just as you would around any other type of piping.
— Marshall Foote, partner, Colorado Poolscapes, Glenwood Springs, Colo.
2007 Masters of Design Winner - Spas
|
|
| |
ADVERTISEMENT
|
|
| |
Snapshot
 “We are primarily an Internet-based company, selling aboveground and onground pools. One of the things we’ve noticed in this economy is the possible devaluation of products based on price. When there are companies selling pools for $5 to $10 more than what we’re buying them for, you know there’s something wrong with that picture. We are competitively priced on some loss leaders, but we certainly aren’t going to take a quality product and not make [a profitable] margin on it.
“Like everyone else, we’ve felt the impact of the economy, so we’re doing everything we can to squeeze every penny out of everything we do. In the process of doing that, though, we don’t want to give any less service to the customer. My whole spring has been spent updating our databases with proper product info and costs, so we can provide the most relevant data for our customers. It adds value to our business.
“Product-wise, we doubled our 54-inch pool line this year. People want to get more for their money — they want the maximum amount of water. The other thing we’re seeing is a push for onground pools. The flexibility of these pools is great.”
— Brian Lane, marketing director, Propools.com, Nashville, Tenn.
|
|
| |
ADVERTISEMENT
|
|
| |
Upcoming Events
Webinar: Outdoor Kitchen Design
Scott Cohen of The Green Scene, a landscape design and construction firm in Canoga Park, Calif., is hosting free outdoor kitchen design Webinars. The sessions are April 1, 14 and 29. To register, visit the firm’s Website. He also has a book out, Scott Cohen’s Outdoor Kitchen Design Workbook (BookSurge Publishing, 2009).
• More Events |
 |
Featured Article
Going to Extremes
See what some pool
and spa retailers are
doing to exceed their
customers’ expectations.
• More Articles |
|
|
| |
ADVERTISEMENT
|
|
| |
Trade Show News
Housing is Now Open for the International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo
Online housing reservations can now be made for the 2009 IPSPE, taking place Nov. 16-18 in the Bayside Halls at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
The official hotels include Mandalay Bay (headquarter hotel), THEhotel, Excalibur, Luxor and MGM Grand. American, Continental, Northwest and WestJet will serve as official airlines, while Avis and Budget offer discounted car rental rates.
To receive Expo discounts, you must book your reservations through our online reservation system at www.HanleyWoodHousing.com. Only this site can sell rooms in our official housing blocks and at the lowest possible rate.
 Exhibits: Nov. 16-18, 2009
Conference: Nov. 13-18, 2009
Mandalay Bay Convention Center
Las Vegas, Nevada USA
972.536.6350
www.PoolSpaPatio.com | info@PoolSpaPatio.com
|
|
|
|
|
