Pool and Spa Safety

Anti-Entrapment Drain Covers Make For a Safe Vacation

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Safety Drain Covers

I’m vacationing this week with my family at a hotel with an indoor water park.  Fun?  Yes.  Safe?  Yes!  In addition to having several lifeguards on duty throughout the water park — at the top and bottom of each curvy slide, along the lazy river, near the kiddie spray area — they can also boast a safe hot tub.  Safe because the drains at the bottom of the spa are equipped with Anti-Entrapment Drain Covers, also known as Anti-Vortex Drain Covers.

Anti-Entrapment Drain Covers are domed, or in some way raised from the flat surface at the bottom of the pool or spa so that no body parts, clothing, or objects can ever completely cover the drain and create a deadly suction from which escape is extremely difficult.  Thanks to the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act of 2007, all drains at public pools and spas must be fitted with Anti-Entrapment Drain Covers.  Most public pools and spas have complied, but it’s worth it to double-check the drains for yourself the next time you visit a public pool or spa.

Innovative Solutions, Pool and Spa Chemicals, Pool and Spa Maintenance, Pool Closing and Winterizing

Winterizing Chemical Kits Make Pool Closing a Cinch!

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Winterizing Chemical Kit

 

Sometimes, owning a pool can be confusing! Like many pool owners, you are probably looking for easy solutions to answer your pool related questions. One question that many pool owners have been asking lately is “what chemicals do I need to add to my pool to close it for winter?”, and I have the perfect solution to share with you. You can now buy winterizing chemical kits that come premeasured for your pool size! They are the ultimate in hassle free pool closing. Available in chlorine and chlorine-free varieties, you can get them for any pool size. They even come with pool closing instructions. These are so handy that you will wonder why you ever worried with buying individual products.

Innovative Solutions, Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool Closing and Winterizing

Can a Winter Cover Siphon Drain Replace a Cover Pump?

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Pool Cover Siphon Drain

You’ve covered your above ground swimming pool with a winter cover and secured it in place, but what do you do about the water that inevitably accumulates on top of the cover over the fall and winter months?  Many people use Automatic Cover Pumps or Manual Cover Pumps to remove that water when it reaches a certain level.  These cover pumps are fast, powerful, and often expensive to purchase.  There is an alternative, though, that uses absolutely no electricity and costs a fraction of what standard cover pumps cost.

The Winter Cover Siphon Drain is a simple device that costs very little and uses human power to pump the water off of your pool cover. Squeeze the device to create a siphoning action; this pulls the excess water away from the pool cover, and the pump stops automatically when the cover is drained.  The Siphon Drain saves money and electricity, but it also requires more monitoring of the water levels on your pool cover and more time to drain that excess water.  If you, as the pool owner, feel that the extra time spent is worth the money saved, then the Winter Cover Siphon Drain is an excellent choice.  But, if monitoring the pool cover regularly is not desirable or possible, a standard Automatic or Manual Cover Pump would be most suitable.

Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool and Spa Safety

Pool Alarms – Instant Alerts for Drowning Prevention

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Pool AlarmPool Alarm

Pool safety is extremely important. Any pool owner will be sure to tell you that they want to do whatever possible to ensure that they prevent drowning deaths and keep their pool as secure as possible. Other than monitoring your child at all times, the next best thing you can do to protect your open pool is installing a pool alarm. These alarms admit a piercing sound when a child or pet enters the water. It will alert you both at pool side and at a monitor inside your home. With this alarm, you can react in seconds instead of minutes, and when a child is accidentally immersed in a pool, those precious seconds can make all the difference.

Innovative Solutions, Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool Closing and Winterizing, Pool Opening

Think Ahead to Spring: Now Is the Time for Leaf Nets

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Leaf Nets

Now that it’s time to close the backyard swimming pool for the season, it’s also time to think ahead to next season.  Doing a quick job of winterizing and cutting corners will save you time now, but when spring rolls around and you see the damp and decaying layer of dead leaves that has accumulated on your winter pool cover for months, you’ll wish you had spent a little more time preparing the pool for an easy spring clean up.

One fast and simple way to prevent that disgusting layer of slimy, decomposing leaves and debris from building up on your winter cover is to use a leaf net.  A leaf net is a mesh cover that goes over your winter cover or safety cover.  Set it up before the leaves begin to fall this autumn, and remove it before your first snow.  The time and effort saved by collecting autumn leaves in a leaf net will go a long way in the spring when you are ready to prepare the pool for a new season of swimming.