Well my intention was to post a blog in May, the best laid plans of mice and men... May hit us along with the heat and all hell broke loose here at Discount Pool Warehouse.com. To those of you who called and did not get a quick response, I apologize, but it was just too much all at once. Now that we are in June things have calmed down a little but we are still going strong. The pool construction business has been slower than usual, but the retail business is booming and we are working long hours to see that everything happens that should happen.

Now onto the most recent events. There have been changes in how manufactures are handling their warranties. The days of being easy are over. They are all tightening their belts and being very stingy with what the will and will not warranty. Some manufacture were very casual with when their warranties expired. An example has been Clormatic (who was purchased by Jandy, who recently merged with Zodiac Pool Care) in the past if you purchased your unit on May 4th of what ever year and you had a warranty problem on May 20th 2 years later then they would not look at the day you purchased the unit they would consider the month you purchased the unit. So in other words in this case they would have allowed for a full warranty replacement of the item. Since their merger they now look at the exact date, there is no lee way there. So in the case I just stated your part would have been in the prorated period and you would have to pay a percentage for the part. Hayward has been reducing the warranty on their salt generators, they have dropped from a 5 year warranty to a 3 year warranty. All in a effort to cut expenses because all their costs are going up daily.

The cost of everything has gone up so much in the last year it is mind boggling! This is all driven by oil prices. Think about it everything you buy is connected to oil, everything. Now it is time for me to climb on my soap box so excuse me for a moment while I rant! If you have not read a news report lately about the obscene oil companies profits please take a moment and search the internet to get the information. The big oil companies are all taking us for a ride. What recourse do we have? We are at their mercy, and don't expect the government to intervene when the oil companies all have their excess cash filling the coffers of our elected government officials. The only solution I see is to send a message to the oil companies. We need to have a national oil boycott day. Where we shut everything down for 1 day. Turn it all off the air conditioner the T.V the lights park the car, turn the pool filer off, shut it all down. One day of no consumption has got to translate into billions for the oil companies, what a strong message that would be! So I am not sure how to make that happen but there is the germ of the idea. If you have an idea of how to make that work get going I am all for it.

Now if I can just remember what happened in May I might be able to stop my head from spinning.

Take some time out from your busy life and spend some quality time with your family around the pool, hey that is why you got it in the first place.

Enjoy your pool!

Jim Garrison
The Guru of Pools at
www.discountpoolwarehouse.com

You know it seems like a joke anymore with the big companies gobbling each other up. Look at Microsoft and Yahoo or Bear Sterns and who ever bought them, it is happening all over the place. If you have the money or good credit you can buy who ever at low rates. The pool industry is not isolated from this phenomenon, Pentair has been gobbling up companies for years and Hayward has joined the bandwagon with their recent purchases. One of the more recent buy outs that is really confusing, Zodiac Pool Care and Jandy Pool Products have merged. Who bought who is a question for the ages, if you ask someone who works for either company and they will tell you their company bought the other, so who knows. The up shot of all this is that before this big Zodiac/Jandy merger Jandy had purchased Clormatic. Clormatic was a manufacture of salt generators. These units make chlorine out of salt that you put into the swimming pool water eliminating the need to purchase chlorine tablets. Jandy was looking to broaden their offerings to keep up with Pentair and Hayward the two really big players in the swimming pool industry.

So then comes this deal with Zodiac Pool Care and all of a sudden the two companies are trying to find ways to merge and cut costs. The decision is then made to close the Clormatic operation in Florida and consolidate the company to the HQ in California. This, my dear readers is the beginning of the nightmare! Since October when this move took place we have been trying to understand what is going on with the Clormatic name, will it continue or will it go away and will the salt generators carry the name of Jandy units called Aqua Pure? What will happen depends on whom you talk to, some say Clormatic is going to disappear and some say Clormatic will continue but with some changes. I can honestly say I have no idea what is going to happen to the Clormatic name but I can say changes have already been happening. We got a Clormatic 601 complete unit in from Jandy the other day and we opened it up to revel a Frankenstein unit. The owner’s manual said Clormatic; the Cell said Clormatic and the control box said Aqua Pure. The rep tells me that they going to change to from Clormatic to Aqua Pure, but then I get a bulletin in the mail from Jandy. The bulletin tells me that things are changing and it shows me an old Clormatic unit then an arrow pointing at the new Clormatic unit, which appears to look like an Aqua Pure but the labels, all say Clormatic. WHAT?

So from all the information I have at my hand as I type this, this is what I think is going to happen. The Clormatic name will go on. Jandy will produce both the Clormatic and the Aqua Pure Salt Generators. Jandy will be changing the cell, so if you have a cell made prior to 2008 it will not retro fit where the old Clormatic cells fit. If you have to replace your cell you will have to cut and glue the new cell in place. The new cell will have an upgraded feature of a third port. This third port will allow you to make the cell make a 90-degree turn if you want and one of the ports will be used to connect the flow sensor so you don't have to have it on the pipe somewhere else. This reduces the length of space you need to install the unit. Great idea but it makes the change of the old cell more difficult. We still have some old style cells in stock, however when they are gone they will be no more and you will be forced to change the cell or they whole system.

So how does all this relate to April Fools? I am sorry to say that everything I have written is no joke, it just seems like a cruel joke.

Jim Garrison
The Guru of Pools at
Discount Pool Warehouse.com

So here I am happy as a lark and the next thing you know March is almost over! What?! So what does that mean to you the happy pool owner? Well for one summer is that much closer and fun in your pool is just around the corner, but don't let this lull in the season blind you to caring for your pool.

Depending on where you live you may; have your pool open already, you may be getting ready to open your pool or still have your pool in cold storage. If you live blow the famous Mason/Dixon line you will want to open you pool up in most cases by the end of the month. If you are using a mesh cover or no cover on the pool and you want to avoid algae in the pool getting the pool started is key algae stopper. If you love algae in the pool or love a challenge of cleaning algae up, then just leave the pool winterized and you will be blessed with great volumes of green goo! In the frozen north April or May, depending on when the ground thaws in your neck of the woods, is when you want to consider opening the pool. Your goal is to beat the algae development. If you have maintained your pool during the off-season (adding the extra algaecide) you should be in good shape. When the water temperature in the pool is in the upper 50° range then the alga will start to wake up and once the water hits the 60's it is all over but the brushing and vacuuming!

So now may be the time to either get going on starting up the pool or start thinking about working the start up into your schedule. So you can enjoy your pool, which is why you bought it in the first place, right?

Enjoy your pool!

Jim Garrison
The Guru of Pools at
Discount Pool Warehouse.com

Well Paxatauny Phil saw his shadow, darn the luck, six more weeks of winter...oh well...

But don't get so depressed that Phil saw his shadow or the Pats choked (it was a great game) that you sit inside moping; you need to get out and send a little quality time with your pool, that should cheer you up! Well I say you need to spend some time with your pool I guess it really depends on where you live. If you are in the great white north you probably cannot see your pool for all the snow, however if you are lucky enough to live in middle of the country, or perhaps south, then getting outside with you pool is not impossible. For instance today were I am the temperatures are going to hit 70! No I don't live in Florida I am in Virginia and loving it.

So what does your pool have in common with Valentine’s Day? You need to spend a little quality time with your sweetheart(s) and your pool. You want to check on your cover, how is it doing? Does it need to have water pumped off of it? Does it need to be adjusted? How are the water tubes doing? Just kind of walk around the pool and check things out. Breath in that fresh air! If you have a mesh cover now is the time to purchase some non-metallic algaecide to inhibit the growth of algae before the real warm weather rolls in.

Now is also the time to start thinking about renovating the pool for the summer. This is the time to line up your service company to get things started before the season starts. They are slow and have time to really focus on your pools needs. Then when spring rolls around your pool is ready to go! So don't delay call them now!

After you have checked the cover, added algaecide, called your service company to schedule that renovation it is time to kick back and enjoy the beverage of your choice and chill with a good book or DVD by the fireplace.

Enjoy the rest of the winter; summer fun will be here before you know it.

Welcome to the first ever Discount Pool Warehouse.com blog. These blogs will be my personal experiences with the swimming pool industry and with any luck at all you the reader will benefit from the time you spend here. Please expect useful information along with a little humor sprinkled here and there.

Here it is the dead of winter why would anyone possible want to even think about their pool? We there are things that go on with your pool year around, just because you are not using the pool does not mean it does not need to be considered. Don't neglect your pool because it will punish you. If you think I am kidding ask anyone who uses chlorine tablets as a sanitizer and they go on vacation for over 7 days only to return to a pool that has turned green with algae (envy that you got to go on vacation and it had to stay at home), Revenge!

So off-season think about what you want to do for your pool this summer. Maybe have it resurfaced, perhaps a new component for the filter system or maybe just planning when you want to open the pool up for the season. Keep in mind if you are thinking about when to open the pool if you have a mesh cover early is better! You will see more about when to open you pool in next month’s blog.

For now put another log on the fire and sip that favorite hot drink and contemplate what you want to do with your pool this spring!

Enjoy your off-season!

Jim Garrison
The Guru of Pools at
Discount Pool Warehouse.com