The Alphabet, As Seen Through the Eyes of a Pool & Hot Tub Veteran
Above ground pools. Started building them in the summer of 1974.
Black Diamond. Cartridge filters that don’t collapse and last longer.
Cyanuric Acid. Better known as chlorine stabilizer, it gives life to chlorine.
Diatomaceous Earth. An alternative to sand or cartridge filters. Ugh!
E-Z Drain above ground winter covers. GREAT innovation!
Floats. Hey, what is a pool without some floats!
Golf. A floating game for the pool. No dirt involved!
Hydromatic. Above ground cartridge filter that saves you time, water, and money!
Innovation=pool lighting, chlorine generators, ionizers, spa sound systems.
Jets. My first spa had 4. My next 26. My current one has 80. Rock on!
Kreepy Krauly. Great automatic pool cleaner. Many customer name theirs!
Lazy Lounge. In-ground pool step and seat, all in one.
Mira. One of our hot tub lines. Made in America by trained craftsmen.
Natural Enzymes. Used on pools and spas to break down oils & reduce work!
Oxidizer. Potassium Monopersulfate. Removes organics from pools & spas.
Pools. Nuff said!
Quality. Products, service, history. Eastgate Pools & Spas
Robotic cleaners. Aquabot, Pool Rover, Nitro. One will fit your budget!
Service Department. Ours is professionally trained & as good as it gets!
Testing. Service and sales are tested for knowledge and procedure.
Umbrellas. Around the pool, on the deck.
Versatility. Not your same old hot tub. Jet, heat, sensory therapy.
Water. 2/3rds of the planet is water and we have your share!
Xylophone. Skip the lessons. Get a pool!
Young. How a hot tub makes you feel. Seriously.
Zeosand. Alternative to filter sand, filters much finer particles with less changing.
Happy Retirement to David ‘Pappy’ Lyle!
One of our own has finally reached that stage of life called easy street. Dave ‘Pappy’ Lyle retired September 18 and everyone here at Eastgate Pools wishes him and his family nothing but the best. Dave gave us thirteen years of quality customer service, sales expertise, and more importantly, friendship. We all got a little emotional when the last day turned to goodbyes and hugs.
Dave – enjoy the retirement that you have earned and stop back in any time you feel like it. You’re always welcome. –The Associates of Eastgate Pools & Spas
Closing The Pool For The Season
Three recommendations:
1. Get any leaves out that are on the bottom. Some people say the heck with a few leaves in the pool. The fluids in the leaves can stain the liner. This is difficult to clean in the spring.
2. If you have an algae bloom, kill it before closing. Brush the liner real good, attack the algae with proper chemicals to kill it, and then close it up. You can always vac out the dead algae in the spring, but live algae will stain the liner too.
3. Do NOT winterize using strong doses of chlorine shock. A better choice is a specialty winterizing kit that does the work without hurting your cover. The problem with using shock to close is the elevated chlorine levels ‘gas-off’, weakening the seams of your cover and greatly reducing the life of the cover.
We will be glad to answer any questions you might have about winterizing your pool. Just call or stop in. –Max
Clean Your Skimmer Basket And Save Yourself Some $!
It’s simple. Leaves drop from the trees and the wind carries them to your pool. The filter does its job and sucks the leaves into the skimmer basket. They build and build, and water flow is reduced. The pressure from the motor cracks the skimmer basket and the leaves travel on their merry way to the basket on the front of the motor. The pressure re-builds and that basket cracks, allowing the leaves to get pulled into the impeller housing where they clog it. Now no water is going through the system and the motor continues to run.
What are you out? At the minimum, a basket or two. Pretty minor expense, but if the motor is allowed to run with little or no water going through it, you may burn out the motor. Big problem and big expense!
The solution: When leaves begin to drop, check your basket every morning and every evening and empty it. It only takes a minute but it could save you hundreds of dollars. –Max
Time To Change The Hot Tub Water
Why not? The fall season is upon us and after that comes winter. The last thing you want to do is try and change it in the heart of the winter when it is bitter cold. So let’s do the math. If you change it NOW, the next change would be due in late December to mid January while the weather and temperature is still manageable. After that comes the spring change—April to early May.
If you wait another month from now to change the water, the following change falls smack dab in the middle of February. Can you say five below zero! Plan now to avoid the February cold and freeze.
A little advance planning will allow you to enjoy the tub in water that still is fresh and balanced. –Max
Spa Pillow Maintenance
In a word, don’t remove your spa pillow unless it is absolutely necessary. We get quite a few people walk through the door with pillows that are torn apart or destroyed from having the plastic nodes broken off. These are the plastic pieces that snap into a receiver in the spa shell. Generally, manufacturers give little or no warranty because they are easy to damage, so any warranty you get is generally through the good will of the retailers. But if you MUST remove the pillow, do this:
- Gently slide your hands in behind the pillow and exert even pressure outward. Try to get as close to the nodes as possible.
- Do NOT simply grab the pillow and yank from the corner. The nodes will not release from the receiver and the pillow will either tear or the nodes will rip out of the back.
The only reason pillows are removable is for when they discolor or wear out. Let them die a natural death. Don’t assist. –Max
My recent vacation…
My youngest son and I just returned from Belize and Guatemala. I saw some old friends, some old sights, and renewed my faith that every place is special, with some more special that others. I first went to Belize in 1976 and back then, it was pretty ‘wild west-like’. And Guatemala was even wilder. Now, the tourists have invaded (I am a traveler, not a tourist), but by knowing where to go and what you want to look for, you can find it without all the tourist trappings. I climbed a mountain in southern Belize (sort of) and went snorkeling in northern Belize at Hol Chan Marine Reserve. I did great until some guy from Oklahoma swam past and clipped my goggles with his flipper. Go Longhorns! I swallowed a few hundred gallons of very salty Caribbean water and then got some help to keep going. We also did some fishing and cleaned the entire Caribbean out of Snapper. Well…there might be a few left for the next guy. But there is something special about catching, cleaning them on shore, then carrying them about fifty feet to a restaurant that cooked them up right there for me.
And Guatemala? If you have ever wanted to visit Maya ruins, there is no place like Tikal. And getting there is half the fun (work). We booked seats on a small plane out of Belize to Flores, Guatemala. We were the only passengers. And our ride from the airport to Tikal was over roads loaded with major potholes. Some were so deep they didn’t have bottoms! The driver never hit one over the fifty or so miles we traveled. Let’s see a NASCAR driver top that one.
If you are thinking of traveling to Belize or the northern region of Guatemala, give me a call. I would be happy to give you some places to visit. More importantly, I can give you names of good people that are honorable and trustworthy. It’s not just a vacation. It’s an adventure. –Max
In Memoriam…Bill Watson
The swimming pool industry was saddened on August 15th with the passing of Bill Watson. Bill was the founder of Watson’s here in Cincinnati But he far surpassed being a local icon and was respected nationally, and was a major force in developing successful selling and marketing strategies that took the pool and spa industry to new heights. Retailers all over the country copied his style and methods. Bill sold Watson’s many years ago but continued to be active, establishing several new companies. He was after all, the consummate salesman and as such, he HAD to keep working and perfecting his trade. It was his nature and selling was in his blood. About twelve years ago, he shared his knowledge and expertise, doing training classes for us here at Eastgate Pools & Spas. He was in a word, superb and listening to him was like being a small child sitting next to an old time baseball player, attentively listening to him tell stories from the past.
When I first starting doing our television commercials years ago, I received a call from Bill Watson. He just wanted to tell me that he liked the job I was doing. He said I came across as honest, friendly, and believable. I was always impressed and honored that he took the time to make that call and I remember it fondly.
Thank you Mr. Watson for your service to the industry and thank you for sharing your wisdom. You will be missed.
On behalf of everyone here at Eastgate Pools & Spas, we send our deepest condolences to Bill’s family and friends. –Max
What’s A Pool Without The Toys?
Okay—so you have a pool. But what about the goodies that go inside? You know—TOYS! Eastgate Pools has a complete line of pool toys, floats, lounge chairs, and mats. But these are the ‘common’ things. How about pool golf? Got it! Underwater skateboard. Yep—we have that too. In fact, we have a really nice selection of uncommon things that go perfectly with pool fun. How about a remote-control Water Soaker or an inflatable pool slide? Maybe you are an aerial acrobat. So how about a small plane that does loop-d-loops—underwater!
These are just a few of the fun items that can keep the kids happy and entertained—and you too. –Max
Keeping Your Pool Algae Free
It is the time of year when some customers run into algae issues. There are several contributing causes:
1. Low pH water will oxidize chlorine much quicker than pool water properly balanced. The rate can be dramatic—twice as fast, or even more. With low pH, it’s hard to keep any chlorine in the water.
2. Low stabilizer. Hey—it’s hot out there and the sun is bright. Without proper stabilizer levels, you will burn through chlorine. Stabilizer, also know as conditioner, is intrinsic to having clear water as it helps ‘hold’ chlorine in the water. Without proper levels you are destined to have a green pool. Low stabilizer=No chlorine? Algae will bloom.
As the water temperature rises, your chlorine need will grow. For every 10 degrees of water temperature rise, beginning with water temperature of about 70 degrees, you will need about 25% more chlorine in the water. Quite simply, chlorine gasses off at high rates as the water heats up. Right now, most pools have water temperatures in the high 80’s or even into the low 90’s. Pools with a water temperature of 90 degrees will need 50% more chlorine than when the water was just getting comfortable back in late April or early May. Adjust accordingly.
Guard Cat??
Never let it be said that our Watch-cat, Dos the Cat, is lazy. Here she is ‘guarding’ our inventory of pool motors. Keep up the good work Dos and there will be a little something extra in your check. Or your food bowl
You Have To Check This Spa Out!
The model I am referring to is the Mira M10000. I’ve never seen a hot tub like this one and while it doesn’t fall into the ‘economy’ price points, it’s not as much as you might think. You can see it on our web site, but here is the gist. 3 pumps, seats 5-6, dozens and dozens of jets that hit just about everywhere you can imagine, jets that LIGHT UP in a variety of colors, a sound system that lets you listen to your favorite music on radio, CD, or your own device, and speakers both inside and outside the hot tub for when you want to entertain with using the hot tub. You’ve got to see it in person so stop in and get the complete tour. –Max
Do You Have An IPhone Or IPod?
Bring it to the store and we’ll plug it into the docking station of our Sundance Hot Tub. Chances are your music will sound it’s very best. I have a great inventory of Sundance Hot Tubs that have iPod Docking stations with JBL speakers and the sound quality is preposterously good. You need to experience it. Don’t have an iPod? We can demo it here at the store with our own units so that you can experience the most amazing sound system on the spa market. You may decide to get an iPod, or even better, a Sundance Spa. –Max
It’s Not Too Late
It happens every year. A prospective pool buyer stops in to check out a pool for “next year”. They say it is too late to do get one this season because they’ll miss too much of this year’s swim season. A couple of points:
- Summer officially arrived on June 21 at 1:16 pm. That means there is a boat-load (or pool-load) of time left to swim.
- The hottest months are July and August. Anybody want to take bets on what month is the hottest? I’ll take July, with August close behind.
- School doesn’t start up until late August and a few places start in September. Do you want the kids hanging around the house watching TV and nagging you? C’mon—get them a pool and have some fun with them.
- Some people think they will be cheaper this fall or maybe even next year. Perhaps some people will find a season-ending deal, but we’ve already sold out of about 30% of our models and sizes. There may not be much selection left because the people that are swimming now got the pool they wanted and are using it NOW!
So, do you want to procrastinate for another year or do you want to cool off and have some fun? –Max
My Yard Needs A Blow Dryer!
I live in the country and like many of you, there are parts of my yard I just can’t mow. I’ve dealt with wet yards on many occasions but have never seen anything like this year! Heck, I’ve gotten my mower stuck and I even dropped it in my pond once. (Had to have a tow truck to get it out. Pretty stupid but stuff happens.) But in all my years I have never looked down to see fish OUTSIDE of my farm pond but I did this morning. After our latest deluge the water was flying over my spillway and into a small drainage ditch. There were at least three small fish in this ditch and undoubtedly many more had washed down the ditch towards a gully. And if fish can think, I suspect they were wondering how they got into that predicament and how the heck could they get back into the pond? Which leads me to swimming pools. If you are waiting for your installation, know that we are doing all we can. Mother Nature has a strange sense of humor but it WILL dry out and it WILL get hot. But until it dries out a little, we’re a lot like those fish that find themselves outside the pond. –Max
