1. What is Weighted Energy Factor (WEF)? Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, WEF is a new standard for evaluating the energy efficiency of pool pumps. Similar to the miles-per-gallon metric for cars, a higher WEF rating indicates a more efficient pump. 2. Why was WEF created? WEF is part of a broader set…
If you’re like me, you never felt caught up in 2020. Every time I thought things were about to get back on track, something would happen. School was open. School was closed. The babysitter had to quarantine. There was an ice storm. And I had it easy compared to many. But when I look back…
For 60 years, Heritage Recreation in Sutton, Massachusetts, used pen and paper to manage the business. In 2015, the company was still scheduling 800 pool openings and closings a year this way. But the method was both time consuming and unworkable, says second-generation owner Paul Domey. “We had one notebook to use among six office…
It’s pretty much a given these days that pool builders are running way behind schedule. The surge in demand for new and renovated pools during quarantining has been historic, and pool builders, subcontractors and manufacturers of materials and equipment are struggling to keep up. Clients will be waiting months, or even a year or more,…
“You can spend your whole life chasing the dollar, and I’ve seen it. I wanted to be there for my kids.”
Tracy BondOwnerGreat Valley PoolFrazer, Pennsylvania We try to hire as many people as we can get in the spring. We are always looking for unskilled helpers to assist our technicians with openings and closings. We hope they gain skills and progress into a service technician. Depending how good they are, they may be able to…
As the industry faces a chlorine shortage in 2021, pool pros are looking for ways to reduce chlorine usage in the pools they serve. Jandy’s latest development, the TruGuard Mineral Sanitizer, is one such product. Released in February, TruGuard utilizes an EPA-registered mineral solution designed to destroy bacteria and algae growth, curtailing excessive chlorine use….
If you’re trying to get by in the pool industry without making friends, well, you must be a newbie…or you don’t like earning new business. That’s right, we said it, but we’re not the only ones. Kevin Cobabe, president of Dynamic Pool & Spa Construction in Redondo Beach, California, says he realized early on that…
Poles and nets are important tools for pool professionals, but not all are created equal. Whether it is portability, maneuverability or durability, there are many factors to consider when selecting the right tools. Matt Brannon, owner of Freedom Pools in Northern Virginia, values durability when it comes to poles. “I had a yellow fiberglass pole…
I was a lifeguard in college. During one annual August shutdown, I was restringing lane ropes while contractors in a lift serviced the event lighting above the 50-meter competition pool. It was hot, they were in a rush to make up time — one technician was new and inexperienced — and they did not stop…
I was vehemently opposed to online training for pool technicians when the pandemic first hit. It didn’t make any sense to me. Over the years, I’d molded the classes I taught in person into something that was my own. Some enjoy that whole “death by PowerPoint” lecture environment, but it’s not my thing — and…
Web maintenance is a necessary, time-consuming task for pool professionals. When balancing other business priorities, website issues can go undetected for weeks. That’s where learning the basics of Google Search Console can help. The Biggest Benefits of Google Search Console Google Search Console provides tools and reports to measure a site’s search traffic and performance….