Hello. My name is Drew Chandler, and I am the Inground Pool Coordinator for Eastgate Pools. When you purchase an inground pool, I will be your primary contact throughout the construction process, which means that you will benefit from both my experience and expertise in pool construction, so anytime you have a question or concern, I am the person who can address it. My primary concern is the structural integrity of your pool, and this quite literally begins with a good foundation. I will therefore meet with you prior to starting your job to review the process, learn your wishes and assess the specific requirements of your yard. Once underway, you will see me frequently on your project and may rely on me to schedule and coordinate all of Eastgate Pools’ crews and materials. Upon completion, I will meet with you to review the operation and maintenance of your new pool, and afterwards should questions arise, I am happy to assist. I understand that an inground pool is one of the largest purchases you are likely to make, and I hope you’ll consider me your partner in the endeavor to make sure it is a successful one.
Come See Us At The Northern Kentucky Home & Remodeling Showcase!
February 5-7 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington Kentucky. Our resident in-ground expert, Craig Weaver, will be there to discuss new pool construction. He will also be happy to help you with any questions you might have about an existing pool or spa.
Northern Kentucky has always been a great market for Eastgate Pools & Spas and we are thrilled to set up house for a weekend at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center.
Craig has six FREE entry tickets for the first three couples to stop in at the store and ask for them. (Limit 2 free tickets per couple). First come-first serve.
Winterizing Your Pool With Proper Chemicals
Some of our customers insist on using liquid chlorine (shock) to winterize their pool. They dump in a case or two of shock and then slam the cover on the pool. The problem is that chlorine is an oxidizer and when the water is super-chlorinated and it comes in contact with the winter cover, it immediately starts chewing up the winter cover.
Big mistake!!! Use a professional winter kit that has components that won’t damage the cover. Plus, most (all of ours!) have time release ‘ingredients’ that work all winter long. Closing with proper chemicals pretty much assures a clean pool in the spring and extended life for the winter cover. Winterizing with liquid chlorine assures that somewhere along the line, you are going to have a cover that splits out with all the gunk on top going into the pool.
Don’t Forget Me!
Hello, your pool here. You know the big thing in your back yard, holding a lot of water, turning green. Yeah that’s me, I realize that the kids are going back to school and practices are running you ragged, but don’t forget about me. You like to yell at me every year for the same thing, the fact that you are forgetting me and I am turning green. All I need is a couple minutes of your time and just a little chemical attention. If I get these things I won’t turn green and you won’t have to spend the time or money to clean me up. I realize that it is almost time for me to go to bed for the winter, but I want to be ready for the Labor Day party. I also do not want to but put away a murky, green mess for the winter where I can become stained and then have to be cleaned up in the spring.
Thanks,
Your loyal pool
To Add Salt Or Not To Salt – That Is The Question
At some point in the life of your salt system you will have to add salt. You lose salt through splash out, drag out, and when you backwash the filter. Also when you lower the water level. You do not lose it through evaporation.
Your salt system will tell you when you are low. There are factors that can make these readings false. Temp of the water, how dirty the cell is or a malfunction in the system.
If you try to add on your on add salt a little at a time and wait aleast 24 hours before adding more. 40 to 80 pounds should move the readings at least 200 ppm on your meter or indicator. If it does not STOP. Bring you water to us and we will check with an electronic salt meter that we calibrate. This way we can tell if there may be something wrong with the system or tell you the exact amount of salt to add.
The correct amount of salt is important to the operation of the system as well as it life
I’ve Just Been Thrown To The Wolves
This happens far too often every year. Someone goes out of town on vacation and puts someone in charge of the pool that has no clue of operation. There are several things that you can do to make the time that you are on vacation easier on the person who is pool sitting: Make sure that there is an ample supply of chemicals on hand, and the pool sitter knows where the chemicals are and what they do. There is a level of frustration for customers that who don’t know how to take care of pools, nor what chemicals do. We are always more than willing to assist customers and pool sitters alike with any issues that they may have, but there is certain information that we will need as well such as pool size, and what is wrong with what. By providing the person watching the pool with the right information it is easier on them and the chances are greater that they are willing to pool sit again. – Chris
Keep Chlorine In Your Water – Keep The Pool Clear!
A tip: If you use chlorine as your sanitizer there are two key points to remember. 1. As the pool water gets hotter and hotter, you will burn through chlorine quicker. At about 96 degrees, chlorine gasses off’, meaning it turns to vapor. Make sure you maintain a good level of stabilizer or conditioner. A minimum of 30 ppm (parts per million) is recommended-higher if you have a chlorine generator salt system. 2. If your pH is low, chlorine burns out much quicker than when it is in the proper range.
Keep your pH and stabilizer levels in line and you’ve got half the battle won. Let us fight the rest of the battle by having us do a complete water analysis. It’s a free service from Eastgate Pools & Spas and we’re happy to help. –Max
Bubbles Up or Down?
The swim season is here, and as more and more pools open, more solar pool covers will be purchased or will come out of storage. Now comes what is probably one of our most frequently asked questions here at Eastgate Pools & Spas. Bubbles up or bubbles down?
Bubbles down is the correct answer. And yes, in answer to another frequently asked question, solar covers really do work. A solar pool cover works by the sunlight heating the air that is trapped within the small bubbles. This heat is then transferred to the water, and this is why the bubbles go down into the water. But solar covers also work because they help trap heat in the pool, so on cooler evenings, the pool water will retain the heat that it gained during the day. Solar covers use simple but very effective technology that will allow you to swim more comfortably earlier and later in the swim season.
Want your solar cover to last longer? When the solar cover is off of the pool, please either cover it with a white sheet to reflect the sun’s rays, or place it in an area like a garage or shed where it will not be sitting in the sun. Solar covers are very good at collecting heat, and when left sitting in the sun off of the pool, solar covers generate lots of heat, which in this situation they can’t transfer to the water. The end result is that the solar blanket “bakes” itself, and this significantly reduces its life.
Do I Have A Leak Or Is The Water Just Evaporating?
We get quite a few calls from people that think they have a leak in their in-ground pool. Remember that evaporation rates change during the year so if you experience a quicker loss of water than you believe is normal, it does not necessarily mean that you have a leak. There is a simple way you can test this yourself. First make sure that your pool level is normal. Take a 5-gallon bucket and fill it with your pool water. Then place the bucket on the 1st or 2nd step of the pool so that the bucket AND the water in the pool are at the same level. (If you have a vinyl liner step, make sure the bucket does not have a rim on the bottom that could leave a ring mark on the step. The bottom of the bucket needs to be smooth. You can always put something smooth under the bucket but make sure it will not disintegrate and that there is no print or ink on it that could stain the liner.) Twenty-four hours later, check the levels and see if there is a difference. If you can’t tell, check back again in another twenty-four hours. The pool and bucket will have the same rate of evaporation but if the pool’s level drops below the bucket’s level, you know you have a leak in the pool. –Service
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
Trouble-shooting Your Automatic Pool Cleaner
When it comes time to open pools in the spring, we get lots of calls from customers saying that their automatic pool cleaner is not working properly. More often than not, the cleaner seems to get stuck in a pattern where it only cleans part of the pool. Here’s a helpful hint: when you store you cleaner for the winter, don’t roll up the hoses if you can avoid it. If the hose is actually a series of small hoses that slide together, separate them and keep them straight. If you have a single hose, try and avoid rolling it up. If you have to, unroll it in the spring and let the sun warm it before rolling it back up the opposite way. Pool hoses are a lot like your garden hose-they develop memories and if they aren’t given a case of pool amnesia, they won’t let the cleaner go everywhere. Cold water contributes to the stiffness so the cleaner always works a little less than perfect in cold water. Lastly, remember that an automatic cleaner is designed to keep a clean pool clean, not to clean a filthy pool. If you had a cover disaster and your pool is loaded with debris, vac it out by hand first. It will extend the life of your automatic cleaner and in the long run, your pool will get straightened out quicker and with less hassle. -Stacey
Buying the Right Above Ground Pool
There are a lot of quality features on above ground pools, but one that stands out is our pool saver panel. This is a removable panel about four feet wide that holds the skimmer and the return. Ours matches the look of the pool so that the design you chose isn’t interrupted-you never know it’s there as it blends in. It gives you maximum protection at the most vulnerable spot on the wall. That said, you can still get a great pool with a continuous wall. Simply check your gaskets closely twice yearly and make sure there is no leak or deterioration and if so, tighten or replace the gaskets as needed. The pool saver panel guarantees that if the skimmer or return rust out, you won’t have to replace the whole pool – just the pool saver panel. If a pool with a continuous wall rusts out, you will need to replace the entire wall and that is why your twice yearly inspection of the skimmer and return are so important. – Max
SPRING IS A TIME WHEN A YOUNG BOY’S THOUGHTS TURN TO….MOWING!
Okay – maybe not, but like it or not, the green stuff will soon be sprouting and the mower will be out soon. One suggestion: When you mow around your above ground pool, blow the grass AWAY from the pool wall. A mower can whip small stones and sticks against the wall and can effectively crack the sealants on the wall. This lets moisture in to the steel core and can lead to premature rust.
And never, EVER use a weed-eater to trim against the wall. The cord will totally destroy the coatings of any pool and it will rust out-guaranteed.
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