Mesh Safety Covers
I know a lot of people out there have a mesh safety cover on their inground pool. If you have had one for a while you probably know how to handle everything when you open up in the spring, but for those that are new to mesh safety cover I have some information that might be useful. The first thing I would tell you is to open the pool up as early as you can. If you do this you will cut down on the possibility of having a really green pool when for the start of the season. Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that you need to watch the water level in your pool. If it gets to high it could cause problems. If it high undo a strap or two and pump some water out. When you do finally pull the cover off in the spring make sure you clean it well and when you fold it up store it in a dry environment away from mice. The last thing you need is to open your cover up in the fall and have it full of mildew and holes where mice have chewed through it. If you take a few precautions it will be a breeze when it comes to maintaining your pool.
Valentine’s Day
I was sitting at home the other evening wondering what a woman might like for Valentines Day, and I came up with a few ideas. Since I am a very thrifty person my thoughts drifted to some items here in the store. If you have a hot tub at home your wife or girlfriend would most definitely enjoy some of our wonderful spa scents. You could also pick up a decorative wine bottle holder that you could place her favorite vintage of wine. If you don’t have a color changing light in your hot tub you could always add one on and it would only a few minutes to install. Throw in some flowers and a little Marvin Gaye and I can almost guarantee your Valentines Day will be one that both of you will remember for years to come.
- Thomas
Winter Wonderland
The snow is falling and over the last week or so it has just kept piling up on the pool covers here at the store. The big thing to remember with heavy snow like this is to keep an eye on the level of water in your pool. As more weight pushes down on your winter cover it will force water out of your pool, and in turn add more stress to the cover itself. If the level of your pool is good you won’t have to worry about it but if you have had a slow leak over the winter you will need to take action. An aboveground pool is strongest when the water is at the proper level and if your pool level is below half of normal you may want to loosen up your cover. If the water level is extremely low in your pool you might want to think about dropping your winter cover into the pool. I know that this is a pain and when you go to open your pool in the spring it will be a mess, but it might just save your pool from collapse.
Thomas
Congradulations To The New Orleans Saints
There have been few teams in NFL history that have been so proficient at losing football games as the Saints, and what they have accomplished is beyond hope for many of their fans. I will say I was not rooting for the Saints or the Colts for that matter, but the magnitude of their win does hit close to home. I was holding out until the very last second of the game that the NFL might break in, stop the broadcast, and say that every team except one who made the playoffs would be disqualified due to rules violations. It obviously didn’t happen but I always hold out hope that my team, the Bengals, would have won by default due to the dirty play of the rest of the teams in the league. When they speak of losing teams of the last twenty years the Bengals always seem to pop up in the discussion. I know how the Saints fans felt as far as never knowing the taste of ultimate victory but I would never speak ill of the team or wear a bag over my head with Aints written across the front. I know it is not the best recipe for success to blindly support your team without voicing opinions when things are going poorly, but I always hold out like the Saints fans that we are going to win it next year. That being said, I will see all of the other Bengal fans in Dallas next year when we bring the trophy home to Cincinnati. – Thomas
Thomas
The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
It may not look like Christmas just yet but it will be here before we know it. Every year I get filled with holiday cheer and try to make the season last as long as I can. I play Christmas music as much as I can and really enjoy putting up decorations and lights all over the house. I try to get every person I know into the holiday spirit, which sometimes doesn’t go so well.
I try to get my tree up on Veteran’s Day or shortly after. I play Christmas music well before Thanksgiving, and people think I have lost my mind when I make them listen along. I have friends and family that will not come to my house until Thanksgiving Day so they aren’t overloaded with Christmas. If I had my way the Christmas season would last all year long. It’s not about the presents. It’s not about the food. It’s about the feeling you have when you know you get to share your love with your family and spend extra time together. I try to go to as many Christmas celebrations as possible (remember it’s not about the food) and have the people I care about near me whenever I can. I want to have this time with my family and friends all year long and that is why this is, truly, the most wonderful time of the year.
Let The Shopping Begin
As Thanksgiving approaches everyone thinks of turkey, stuffing, football, and shopping for the holidays. As “Black Friday” gets closer people begin to gear up for the race to find the best deals on those hard to find items. We camp out in front of the stores so we can be in the front to get the one item our kids just cant live without.
Here at Eastgate Pools and Spas we get into the holiday shopping as we go back to our summer hours and stay open until 8PM Monday through Friday. Our weekend hours are still the same but we also will stay a little later if need be. We offer items such as Air Hockey, Foosball, and Pool Tables, which will bring you and your family together for that long needed bonding. Stop in and see us, and we can help you find what can bring your family together this holiday season.
It’s A Little Windy Out There
The time has come and gone and your pool is now covered for the winter. The leaves are falling and the winds are picking up. As you look out your back window you notice your winter cover on your pool looks like a parachute and you are worried all this wind will destroy your cover and you will have to buy a new one next year. I’m here to tell you there is hope of saving your cover and all it will take is a roll of winter cover seal. The winter cover seal is easy to put on your above ground pool and it takes a very short time. It saves your cover by protecting it from most of the winds that come in contact with your pool and all you need to do is unroll it. Simply wrap it around your pool going from the top to the bottom and now you are ready to relax knowing that you don’t have to worry about the winter cover being attacked by the wind this year. – Thomas
Is It Really Over?
Its almost Labor Day and for some people it means the end of another swimming season here in Cincinnati. I often think of the times I would help close our pool for the season and for some reason it always goes back to one memory.
When I was in my early twenties I had a dog named George. He was half beagle and the other half was basset hound. He was a barrel chested dog who loved to be in the water and during the swimming season he was in there any time we were. George was a bit of a trouble maker and would get into as much mischief as possible and all flower beds would shake in fear anytime he walked by. One day in September we were closing our pool down as we always did and we had it all done but the cover on. Then it happened. George came out of no where as he often did thinking he would just run and jump in the pool but to his dismay the cover was halfway on the pool and he was caught in the middle. After we got him off the cover he was a little shaken but he was his normal self in just a few minutes. We finally got the pool closed and from that day on George never jumped into water without checking it out first. It’s a sad time when you close the pool down for the season but sometimes the memories that come from those days can be wonderful and stay close to your heart for years.
Thomas
Fun With Auto Cleaners
I know many of us have used auto cleaners for years in our pools and for most of us they have given us more time to spend with our family and friends. I make sure the auto cleaners run properly out on our pool lot and it really doesn’t take much to keep them going, but sometimes things can go wrong.
It was a day like any other and I was talking to a potential pool customer about what they might want in their new pool. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and our neighborhood ducks were swimming two pools over. Then out of no where the sky went dark and I was soaked from head to toe. I was shocked and a little upset as I thought the customer had attacked me with a water gun but it turned out to be something less sinister. The pressure side cleaner we had in our pool was about 10 feet in front of me and I saw what had given me such a drenching. The hose from the bottom of the cleaner had come to the surface and instead of spraying the dirt into the bag it had attacked me. The customer thought it was one of the funniest things he had ever seen but at the time I wasn’t very happy about it. Looking back it was funny and I enjoy telling the story to any customer that will listen. I warn them to watch out for that cleaner as he sometimes has a mind of his own.
Automatic cleaners make our lives easier when it comes to taking care of our pools, but no one ever told me they could give you a good story as well. – Thomas
My Favorite Day Of The Year
I look forward to this time of year, not because the weather gets hot, but because of the 4th of July. It takes me back to the time as a child when the entire family got together and we had one day each year where all of our worries and fears were put on hold. It was a day when you hear children screaming but not because they were scared. The laughter filled the air and the smell of hot dogs and hamburgers caught you as soon as you stepped out of the car. I remember running around the pool chasing my brother and being yelled at for doing it. It even seemed as though you really didn’t get in trouble on the 4th. I don’t know if it was because I wanted to keep having fun and I was behaving or if my parents knew that I was just being a kid and it took them back to a place in their memories of days gone by. All I know is the 4th of July in our backyard was the most wonderful place in the world. You had the pool, games, food, and the entire family all in one place, and looking back on those days I smile and hope that it can continue as the next generation of our family makes the day their own. – Thomas
Choosing The Right Inground Pool Size And The Right Options
One of the most important things to remember when looking to buy a swimming pool is why you want a pool in the first place. Some people might buy a pool for exercise and some might want it for their kids to use in the summer.
We even have some people who want a pool so they can float around on a hot summer day with a cold drink. Whatever your reasons are for wanting a pool, you need to ask yourself who is going using it and how much time am I willing to spend on maintenance?
If you’re going to have 15 kids a day jumping into your pool then you should have a larger pool than your neighbor who only jumps in to cool off after lying out in the sun for an hour. If you are a person who uses their pool to swim 200 laps a day and other than that it just sits there then you probably don’t need a pool that is extremely wide. We also have those customers where mom wants to swim laps, dad wants to lounge around on a float, and junior wants to play basketball with all his buddies. This family is a good candidate for a Lazy ‘L’ or a True ‘L’. It doesn’t matter why you want the pool, but it is important to get one that fits your needs. If you want to see the sizes and shapes that are available, just click here.
After you figure out what size pool is going to be best for you its time to decide what options you would want. There are options that can take most of the work out of owning a pool, and others that can add years of fun and excitement. Every pool can be customized to fit your need, and it is usually easy to see the benefits of each available option.
Whether you live by yourself, or have 6 kids at home, there are pools and options that will work for you. You can have lights and fountains, diving boards and slides, or you can keep it as simple as you want. Your pool can be 60′ long, or 12′ wide, or you could go with a more traditional size, but you can always find the right pool and options for your specific lifestyle.
–Thomas
It’s That Time of Year Again!
It seems as though it wasn’t that long ago that we had the smell of hotdogs and brats filling the air around our store. Our employees all lined up next to the customers at the grill and the sight of Max stuffing his face while carrying two more hotdogs to his desk still makes me laugh. The customers were lined up at the gate, backed up al the way to the road, for their free gift and as they rolled in you felt like you would be overwhelmed by all the business. We seem to always make it through, even though people are buying enough chemicals to last the entire year, and the days just fly by. It’s so much fun to watch the families spend time together eating hotdogs and picking out the new toys for the summer. That’s what our anniversary sale is all about. It’s wonderful to find those great deals, but it also gives us a chance to see people spending time with the ones they love. It gives you a preview of what the summer has in store for our customers and their families and that’s when you realize that we do bring happiness into their lives. It may be our anniversary but we hope we can share it for years to come with every person who has been through our doors.
Thomas
Should I – Can I Install My Own Aboveground Pool?
The answer is simple-yes, maybe. Sometimes it isn’t too simple. I am a firm believer that most people have the ability, with a little help from their friends. It’s not a one person job. There are two simple rules for building a round above ground pool. Get the ground level-don’t just eyeball it. Use a long level on a 2-x 4 or better yet, rent a small builder’s level transit at your local tool rental facility. They are easy to use and the rental place can show you how to use one in just a few minutes. The second rule is make sure you keep it round. Get a steel wind-up tape measure, locate the middle of the pool and once you start putting the track down until the time the wall is completely up, keep checking to make sure you have not knocked it out of round. It is VERY easy to get it back in round UNTIL the pool cove is put in place. At that point, the walls are pretty much locked into place. The second type pool is an oval pool and it is much harder for the do-it-yourselfer to install. The key word is ‘harder’, not ‘impossible’, but there is a lot more to the installation and there are lots of angles and measurements you will need t make. For these, professional installation is recommended. -Thomas
Dreaming of Summer
We are now into March and, even though the cold weather doesn’t seem like it will ever end, spring is on the way. It feels as though this winter has dragged on longer than any I can remember, but there are signs of spring everywhere you look. The tree in my front yard has sprouted buds on the branches, and I found my first weed growing in my mulch bed. Normally you don’t celebrate finding a weed growing but in this case it gives me hope that the warm weather is around the corner. I find myself longing for those days of summer lazily swimming in the pool. I can still remember as a child how much fun it was when my brothers and I would get in a huge water fight, and then we would run and hide when our mother would yell at us for splashing the water out of the pool. Looking back on those hot summer days makes me smile and its luckily one of those memories my brothers and I can share with our families. Its wonderful to see my brothers and their children having the same water fights and horsing around in the pool even when we know we shouldn’t. I know that many things in my life are hectic and sometimes responsibilities seem to be a little much, but when I have those wonderful summer days with my family it all fades away.
- Thomas