Zodiac Pool Systems’ MX8 ELITE pool cleaner is the first to use scrubbing brushes that come into direct contact with the pool surface. This cyclonic scrubbing action powers away algae and fine, stuck-on debris that other cleaners often leave behind. “Most mechanized cleaners do not make active contact with the floor,” says Skye Svenningsen, product…
in the last two years, marketing on Facebook has become very sophisticated, and advertising there can be profitable when done correctly. In 2014, a Gallup poll showed social media influenced only 5 percent of consumers’ buying decisions. The tide has turned since then, says Thorin McGee, editor-in-chief and content director of Target Marketing magazine. “This…
Cell calcification is the most likely problem with a saltwater chlorinator. Jandy’s new Pro Series TruClear saltwater chlorinator tackles calcification from installation and education to cleaning any buildup. “When you’re not cleaning [the chlorinator] properly the calcium buildup will kill the life of the cell,” says Amy Armstrong, product manager for water care at Jandy….
If you ask five companies that do regular pool service and cleaning how they pay their technicians, you’ll likely get five different answers. the location, number of accounts and the gallons of water they’re responsible for each week all come into play. “I’ve tried all of it,” says Jack Manilla, owner of Portofino Pool Services…
By Amber Colley Strong lender relationships can be especially important for cyclical small businesses like in the swimming pool industry. Because cyclical business owners need to keep their business afloat during off-seasons, some may need to seek outside funding. Businesses have a variety of funding options, from online lenders to traditional lenders like banks. In…
Chances are, most of the pools you build or service don’t have waterfalls and multiple LED lights. They’re likely relatively simple pools built for people who actually want to use them: They don’tcare about bells and whistles; they just want a nice place for theirkids to play. But even people with simple pool setups live…
You used to see fancy water features like laminar jets or rock grottos only in commercial pools or public settings. But now more and more, homeowners are requesting these features in residential pools. “In the last five to nine years, a lot of that technology or that style of design has been brought down to…
Looking back What kind of a year 2015 was for you, and why? “Very slow with pool installations due to the weather. People don’t buy pools if it’s not hot enough to swim!” — Doreen ZettleBZ Pools & Decks Inc.Johnstown, Pa “Moderate growth, improved margins, lower operating costs, and higher net profits were slightly offset…
Photos by: Thomas Weinstein When Tim Murphy started his pool company in 1991, Maricopa County — which includes the Phoenix metro area — issued 8,000 pool permits. Presidential Pools and Spas at one time had 350 employees, 10 dump trucks and almost as many shotcrete rigs for its in-house crews. It built 2,200 pools in…
When Zodiac designs a product, Steve Gutai, director of technical sales and marketing at Zodiac Pool Systems, says it does so with three markets in mind: consumer, pool builder and service technician. The company’s new closed-combustion chamber heater, the Jandy JXi, which the company released this spring, benefits all three groups equally, Gutai says. “The…
Photos by: Robert Lipscomb Winky Vaughan grew up in the pool business: Her parents owned a swimming pool company in northern Virginia. When she graduated from Virginia Tech, she decided that she wanted to own her own pool company. In 1977, she and her husband Jim started National Pools of Roanoke. Soon, her parents —…
I got involved with the process of developing the Model Aquatic Health Code in 2005. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sponsored a workshop at the request of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. Since the ’90s they had seen an increase in pool-related illnesses. It was difficult to address because health…