February 5th, 2009
In summer 2008 we met with Tony Romero from Modena Furniture at The Chilterns Show
Great Missenden, Bucks. Whilst we displayed our marquis spa brand Tony’s furniture sat nearby on the next stand the two products are of comparable quality. It was at this point we began to wonder how we could integrate Modena Furniture in to our product range.
Various conversations have been had since then and we have now become a display site for Modena furniture, however if you are situated too far to come and view the product you can of course purchase the product on line via our outdoor leisure section.
The furniture we would describe to be cutting edge and discreetly elegant, the range we have chosen consists of the gherkin, the golf ball, the tulip, the moonlight beach bed, the hourglass, the glider, and the love seat! the response so far has been great, Modena furniture will complement most swimming pool surrounds and hot tub installation very nicely, and we look forward to 2009 and Modena furniture.
February 2nd, 2009
Yesterday Sunday the 1st of February saw the doors opening at the UK’s swimming pool trade event SPATEX. We set off in icy February to the Brighton sea front to the Metropol hotel and function area.
In past years SPATEX becomes the Mecca for all things new within the swimming pool trade, and this year proved no different. we are so happy to see how the swimming pool trade is embracing the impact of the environment when now sourcing and distributing products to name a few that really blew our socks off and we will certainly be implementing in 2009 here they are:
Pumps:
The Badu
90/20 FU with Controller_ ______________ 1_kw__________20_m3 per @8m__________ £1,442.15 + vat
The Speck Badu 90/20 pump has a variable frequency motor which can be controlled via
The separate control unit. This pump can be used where additional overnight filtration is
Required and can be done at a reduced rate, or installations with a water feature and one
Pump can be used to run this as well as the filtration.
We estimate that the pump would have paid for itself by year four based upon £0.20 pence per kW hr on an average pool in average usage.
The Badu was not alone with both the Pollet pool group and certikin having variants of this product.
Solar power:
now the markets moving solar has been on our wish list for affordability for some time now, we dabbled with systems in 2004 with Rio May however the cost per units didn’t seem to offer the ROI in a realistic time scale for many of interested users, Golden Coast the leaders in innovative products within the swimming pool trade have announced the launch of their sunburst evacuated tube collectors but more importantly they really have launched as this time round their affordable! a typical kit for a 10m x 5m average sized swimming pool is around £6.5k + vat plus fitting which means we are able to supply and install free heat for life for around £10k now that is more like it! The comprises of:
Evacuated Tubes are made from Pyrex glass and are EN12975 certified.
58mm diameter and 1775mm long.
Even when it is cloudy and windy the tubes remain relatively efficient.
When installed on a sheltered pool (using a cover when not in use) and with
The collectors in a South facing position, it is possible to reach a temperature
Of 28 °C during May – September.
This assumes 2.5 tubes per square metre on an outdoor pool.
Sunburst kits comprise of:
30 Tube Collectors, Roof Bolts, Pump Station, Controller, Tyforcor, Expansion Vessel,
10m DN-16 Pipe, Lead Slates, Relay and fittings.
So this is a fully inclusive set up, we aim to display sunburst in our showroom in Beaconsfield bucks early in 2009
Lighting:
a massive switch on lighting shown at SPATEX huge growth in the LED sector gone are the days of the standard par50 300w bulbs the new LEDS consume 1-5 w and have a fantastic spread of light due to the placement of the bulbs within the housing, let’s assume your pool has two lights old standard units that’s 600watts of power being consumed you can now drop this as low as 10watts surely this is an obvious switch to make a must for 2009.
Flow:
well let’s face it flow within a swimming pool is not the most exciting thing in the world but to us pool tech’s it is one of the most important issues we face, often many areas within swimming pool suffer poor flow, corner areas becoming stagnated and forming algae. We have watched this product for some time and viewed the product working at a pool show in Vegas in 2001, the pool circulator! a very American product so great ready for the cheese but being honest on the face of it with the very detailed DVD and the aid of dye the pool circulator really works pumping a mass of water in all directions around your swimming pool this will shift cold spots, dislodge algae and dust. The claims are reduced filter run time, reduced chemical consumption to name a few so watch this space as we aim to have an in-house test in our new testing facility in the spring!
Filters:
Well the filter is the epicentre to the swimming pool filtration or the dustbin more commonly known in the trade! the last thing we all need or want is harbouring bacteria within the system, as harbouring bacteria often clumps giving inadequate filtration and increased chlorine demand in turn producing nasty cloudy water. two systems that fit this bill extremely well on a problem solving basis is the Pro copi uk RTM excellence filter as it has an smooth finish inside creating a good clean smooth backwash and Dryden Aqua ’s AFM media AFM? What that active filtration media. afm is not only a recycled medium but it is charged to attract bacterium’s with claims of 80% chlorine consumption better control for cryptosporidium, reduced bacterial risk and being 100% environmentally sustainable AFM is set to change the filter media market by storm. Dryden Aqua’s biggest success is for David Lloyd within a commercial set up they have media now 16 years old! And still in excellent condition.
Eco Savr fish
Eco savr fish came about in around 2001 I recall under a name tropical fish or very similar, there is now a UK agent for Eco savr which we feel has millage for those looking to reduce energy bills when heating swimming pools. In very basic terms eco savr fish releases a small amount of liquid to the water’s surface creating a small molecular layer on top of the water’s surface this helps prevent against the evaporation of the water and heat! one fish in an average sized pool lasts around a month at the cost of about £13.50 per fish in a 20 week season this would cost roughly £67.50 not bad considering the claims for heat loss saving can be up to 50% well again we are planning a basic home test on our test pool later in the season and the fish will be in store from mid feb we are offering eco savr to all of our service contracts in season 2009
this was just a snippet offering of new products for 2009 this year our showroom will become laden with all come and say hello!
February 2nd, 2009
Wow,
Anybody that has purchased a spa in the last five years hot spring, caldera, Marquis Coast spa Artic spa, now really is the time to log your memories get snapping with the camera! Never before would your spa have been so inviting with over 6″ of snow laden on the ground that crisp crunchy bed of fluff awaiting your feet on the trail to the Holy Grail within your garden space your hot tub @ home.
Now… Probably for one day only, unlike any furniture sale! Monday the 2nd of February you can slip in to your 40 degree water and marvel at the stream of steam that pumps from the water’s surface ahhhhhhhh
Whilst your neighbours build snowmen and clear the front drive to test their seemingly boring 4 x 4’s for traction you can soak in your spa at they were intended to be used when you bought one…….. In the snow!
Well done to all that have ventured outside, and hats off to those of you out there with the camera, probably nice cannon you got for Christmas!
Two guesses what we plan on doing when we get home………
Posted in Hot tubs and Spas, wooden barrel hot tub
February 2nd, 2009
Today the 2nd February 2009 has shown us that the good old fashioned British weather can still catch us all out from time to time, today having experienced some 6″ of snowfall with freezing temperatures and set to continue for the forthcoming week!
How does this affect your pool, well it is times like these your winter debris cover really comes under strain, as the snow loads upon the cover the weight can become immense so a good inspection of the cover in the spring is recommended for rips tears and any general damage.
More concerning for these sub temperatures for swimming pools is frost damage, we are expectant of some failed pools this spring! this is now the second cold snap we have experienced this winter with some reported temperatures in Gerard’s cross as low as -12 this can cause skimmer damage, pipe work failure and often plant room damage the expanding ice cracking pump body’s, filters and heaters especially aged tropic isle boilers and Teledyne laars heater systems.
It is not too late in the season to install a frost stat, the purpose of the frost stat being you have the ability to leave the equipment connected all winter and the frost stat will monitor when the outside temperature, when the temperature reaches freezing the frost stat will activate the pump thus circulating water around the swimming pool, for as long as the water is flowing around every pipe such as the sump, skimmers and vacuum line (very important all lines are open) the water is highly unlikely to freeze.
Obviously you will have to monitor the pool, topping up winter chemicals ensuring the system has no leaks or none have developed a frost stat in this colder periods really can help you swimming pool survive the summer.
We sell frosts stats for around £80 ish a great investment giving you greater control and safety in colder snaps.
and when all the snow melts as you will appreciate this means water, lots of excess water filling the pool and diluting the winter chemicals so a good top up in the forthcoming weeks is advisable with some Bartlett’s winter clear.
You may wish to consider an early open for any outdoor swimming pool this season then any issues can be remedied sooner rather than later!
Wrap up warm. Deep End Pools
