Back To School
It is that time of year again. Buying school supplies, figuring out schedules, what day is cheer practice, what is the bus number? These are all questions that every parent asks themselves this time of year, along with the other question “Where do I find the time to do all of this?” On top of all this there is still the pool in the backyard. Realizing that with the hectic schedules there will be very little time to use it, but periodic checks do need to be made. This will insure that the basket is not packing with leaves, or the pump is not running dry from the lack of rainfall and not dropping the hose in. As the old adage says ” An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – Chris
Service Testamonials
Tim and Brian and the rest of our Service department are just too modest to blow their own horns, so I’ll do it for them. These guys are super and know what they are doing. Customer comments are on our main website. Check out the recent letters customers have sent us. – Max
Toys
Recently I was at a grill out at my father-in-laws, and I noticed all the kids were in the pool, but they weren’t playing anything. Maybe it was because they didn’t bring anything with them or nothing was at the house. Regardless, they should have something to play with like a beach ball, dive sticks or water guns. At Eastgate Pools and Spas we have a great selection of toys, floats and other games to keep your kids entertained for a long time. Stop in today!!
Dos: Mighty Hunter
Those of you that know Dos may not realize that you are in the presence of one of the most talented tracker/hunters this area has ever seen. She may look timid and playful as she just lies around, but inside lays an animal that cannot be controlled. Of course she has caught her share of mice and moles, and even taken down a rather large snake in our parking lot but she is much scarier to watch when it comes to one certain prey. She has her favorite table that she likes to lay on throughout the day and from time to time she stalks and attacks the umbrella hole. If the umbrella hole on the table had been a live animal it would have been a mess. It doesn’t matter if she goes after a live animal or an inanimate object she is a mighty hunter.
Thomas
Early Birds, Procastinators & Great Furniture Deals
They say that the early bird gets the worm, but sometimes the procrastinator gets rewarded as well. I know, for us planners, this doesn’t always seem fair. What does this have to do with Eastgate Pools & Spas? Plenty!
Recently, we received a phone call from Telescope Casual, a 100+ year-old American casual furniture manufacturer. They were preparing to update their Chicago Merchandise Mart Showroom with 2011 product. The Chicago area dealer that was supposed to buy the showroom full of 2010 product backed out at the last minute and Telescope needed a another dealer to step up to the plate. Having purchased the showroom numerous times in the past, Eastgate Pools was familiar with the logistics involved, and we made Telescope an offer. The offer was accepted and last Wednesday a group of us made the trip to Chicago to prepare the showroom for its move to Cincinnati. By Thursday afternoon, several 53’ truckloads of Telescope Casual furniture were on their way back to our store.
So, how does this all fit together? For those customers that were planning on buying new outdoor furniture this spring and haven’t gotten around to it yet, you can purchase quality Telescope Casual furniture at greatly reduced prices. We bought right and we are passing on the savings. So don’t worry that spring has become summer. Your procrastinating has paid off! Sounds like you should reward your good fortune and excellent planning with a relaxing afternoon enjoying some new Telescope patio furniture.
WGRR Is Here On August 21st
Stop out and see us as August 21st as WGRR does a live remote from Eastgate Pools & Spas! We will be featuring incredible deals on casual furniture and WGRR will be here to tell the world! Come for the fun but with savings of up to 65% off list on some sets, drive a truck so you can haul home the goodies.
–Max
Don’t Be Bashful – Stop And Say “Howdy”!
I do our radio and TV commercials. Nothing especially artistic about my work, and quite truthfully, I’m not very photogenic. But a lot of people recognize me from TV. I had somebody the other day say they saw me in a store and wanted to say ‘hello’ but didn’t want to bother me. Don’t worry about it. If you see me and want to say ‘hi’, I’m always glad to meet future customers and friends. Just walk right up and introduce yourself. But beware—I may end up boring you about the virtues of Eastgate Pools & Spas. I’m pretty proud of this place, our history of community involvement, and our recent induction into the Aqua 100 Hall of Fame. So be prepared to get your own little live advertisement. –Max
Longevity And Eastgate Pools
We frequently have people ask us how long we’ve been here at the store or in the pool and spa business. It seems that qualifications and experience still mean something. It is pretty amazing how little turnover we actually have. The shortest tenure of any of our sales people is my son Rich. And he’s been working here off and on for the last 10 years while he was in high school and in college. As for the other primary sales associates—we have a couple of 25+-years, 14, 13, a couple 8’s, a 6, and two 5’s. Service is loaded with crew leaders with over 10 years. And me? Well I started building pools in New Jersey while in college at the great Harvard on the Hocking, Ohio University. This was in 1974, and I’ve been in the pool business in some capacity with Eastgate Pools & Spas almost non-stop since 1982. All in all, it totals out at 29 years.
So when you stop in Eastgate Pools & Spas, know that you are in good hands, with somewhere around a million years of combined experience in the industry. Well…maybe not a million, but certainly enough to offer you good advice and guidance. – Max
Automatic Pool Vacuums
A hint: When you are not using the unit, do not coil the hose. It will develop a ‘memory’ and then when you put it in the pool, it will miss large areas. Keep the hose straight and if you must coil the hose, reverse the direction of the coil every time you do so.
Rain And It’s Effect On Pool Water
It’s a pretty common occurrence that after a big rain storm, a lot of customers come in complaining of green pools. I will try to explain, as best I can, what rain does to your pool water and how to treat your pool to prevent it from going green from a heavy rain storm.
When it rains a lot, it brings in a lot of contaminants into your pool. It brings in pollen and other organic debris from many valleys over and your chlorine is often used up getting rid of these contaminants. Therefore your pool has used up its sanitizer and there is nothing there to prevent algae from gaining a foot hold in your pool.
Rain is very acidic and chlorine is also very acidic. If PH is not regularly adjusted and your pool drifts on the acidic side it burns off your chlorine in a much faster rate then it normally would.
So, sometimes it’s a combination of things that will lead to your green pool after a rain storm. The simplest and best recommendation is to maintain your PH in a regular fashion and when a big rain comes, shock your pool. Shocking your pool, in most cases should keep your pool clean and clear. The dosage for shocking your pool is 1 gallon of shock per 10,000 gallons of water. I often hear customers that have a 25,000 gallon pool, explain that they’ve shocked their pool with a gallon and it didn’t help. It’s not enough. If your are having problems, at least put the recommended dosage. Sometimes, you’ll even need to double it or triple it depending on the severity of your issue.
Safety Cover Storage
I often get asked about what to do with the winter cover after the pool is opened. My suggestion would be to clean it really good, let it dry and store it in something dry if possible. I have seen people use garbage cans, and that seems to work really well. Whatever you decide, do not leave it outside. It can get wet, dirty and mice can get into it and eat thru the cover. By leaving it outside it will also shorten the life span of the cover. Over the years it will shrink and dry root. So when you are taking off that cover, don’t just throw it off to the side, give it the attention it deserves. – Tim
Liners
We have many customers call us every year in a panic over their liner. If they get a small hole in the liner they believe it’s the end of the world when in fact it is not. A hole in your liner can easily be patched with the water still in the pool and anyone with a set of goggles can do it themselves.
We also have the customers that call in and ask about what the warranty of their liner covers. The liner warranty covers only seam separation or in their terms manufacturer defect. I have seen customers cut out a portion of the liner and bring it up for us to look at only to realize they have nothing more than a tear right at the seam. The manufacturer will not cover this under warranty and it can be easily patched.
Thomas
Safety Cover Storage
I often get asked about what to do with the winter cover after the pool is opened. My suggestion would be to clean it really good, let it dry and store it in something dry if possible. I have seen people us garbage cans, and that seems to work really well. Whatever you decide, do not leave it outside. It can get wet, dirty and mice can get into it and eat thru the cover. By leaving it outside it will also shorten the life span of the cover. Over the years it will shrink and dry root. So when you are taking off that cover, don’t just throw it off to the side, give it the attention it deserves. – Tim
Come On In And Take The Ultimate Furniture Test
- Come to Eastgate Pools & Spas.
- Find a set of casual furniture that you think you like.
- Sit in it and relax. No, I mean get real comfortable, not just a little. Put your feet up if you like.
- Close both eyes and go to your Happy Place, kind of like Happy Gilmore did in the movie.
- If you did all this and possible feel asleep, I think you’ve found the right set.
- Buy it and repeat at your home.
–Max
It’s Almost Time!
It won’t be long until we get to enjoy our beloved Cincinnati Bengals once again. Training camp begins on July 29th this year and I am excited to see the show they will be putting on. The team looks poised for a run at the championship and for those of you that doubt our team get ready to jump on the bandwagon. The first preseason game is August 8th and it is at the Hall of Fame in Canton. Since it is in Ohio we need to get our fans up there and make it feel like a home game. In the immortal words of Todd Rundgren “I don’t want to work I just want to bang on a drum all day.” WHODEY!
Thomas