Fall has arrived and it just does not seem fair that summer has to end, I wonder if there is someway we could stop the earth rotating around the sun and locking our location so that it would be summer all year round here in the northern hemisphere. But then I guess that would not be fair to the people below the equator where it would be winter all the time. So I guess in all fairness we will just have to live with the world as it is. Now the world as it is hasn’t been that great lately and as I gaze into my crystal pool ball it is very cloudy as to the future. It is hard to say what is going to happen in 2010, which is not that far away. One thing is for sure prices will be going up. The economy is showing mixed signals as far as recovery. According to the surveys I have read you the consumers are not being very confident about what the economic future holds. But let me suggest that if there is something big you need to purchase now is the time to strike the best deal vs. next year. In the pool business traditionally prices go up during the winter usually January. So in order to get 2009 pricing you will need to make your purchase before the end of the year if you want to save future money. With the average cost increases we have been seeing between 6 and 10 percent that is a pretty good savings. Even 6 percent is better than the average savings account rates I am seeing of 2.75 percent! So if you have a big expense you know you are going to have to buy for next spring don’t put that purchase off because in just three very short months prices will be going up, my crystal pool ball is clear enough to at least see that.


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

It has been some months since I last posted a blog and I apologize for the long absence however time and events have conspired against me. Last November we began a major renovation of our building we anticipated that this renovation would take about 4 months…the best laid plans of mice and men. It did not go as smoothly as we had hoped and as hard as it is to believe we have just settled into the newly renovated building but there are still some things to finish. I hope by the time we hit 12 the month mark everything will be done. Needless to say (but I will say it anyway) all this took a lot of time away from the things I normally do, not leaving time for things like blogs. But I have settled into my new office and things are starting to look up, we see light at the end of whatever it is we have started!

Now on to winter, what the heck happened to summer? I have never understood why winter seems so long and summer seems so short. They both are 3 months but winter seems to be twice as long. So since winter seems twice as long caring for your pool in the off-season is twice as important (you have to love the logic). So make sure you take some time and get your pool prepared for winter. Here are some key points:

· First and foremost have you pool water balanced. The pool water wants a certain mineral balance if it does not have the proper balance it will go looking for something to satisfy that balance in the surface of the pool. If the pool is a concrete pool with a plaster finish it will draw the calcium from the finish of the pool leaving the surface ruff like sand paper. If the pool is concrete with a painted surface it will cause the paint to turn to chalk. If the pool is a vinyl liner either the liner will wrinkle or the water will remove the chemicals that give the liner elasticity and cause the liner to crack. If the surface is fiberglass you will be re-gel coating a lot sooner than you thought you should have to. So make sure the water balance is correct by taking your water to your favorite local pool company.
· Use a winterizing kit. There are many kits out there but we feel we have the very best. I have been selling the On Guard Winter Kit for 29 years now and I can say that I can count on one hand the number of times it has failed in 29 years of sales and tens of thousands of kits. The kit is very effective. In the standard kit you have a winter algaecide, a scale inhibitor and a floater. The floater is special, no one has a floater like this, it contains a chemical that has a non-chlorine product and a natural enzyme. The non-chlorine product inhibits the growth of algae in a slow release form and the natural enzyme eliminates body oils that float on the surface of the pool and would otherwise leave a bathtub ring around the pool’s edge. If you have a mesh cover you will want to use the On Guard Safe T Zone kit. This kit has all the same chemicals that the regular kit has but has the addition of a phosphate remover. The phosphate remover takes the food algae would normally consume from the pool water. Both these kits work well to preserve the pool water and surface. If you don’t do anything at all at least put in a scale inhibitor. The reason for this is that when the water gets cold (below 50°) it becomes less soluble (it holds fewer solids) so if the water at some point becomes over burdened it will give up calcium which will leave a sand paper surface on your pool that will be difficult to get rid of. By putting in the scale inhibitor you have given yourself an ounce of prevention. If you need these products you can find them on our web page:

DPW Winter Products

· Lastly make sure you pool is clean and the water is clear. If you winterize with a problem you will open with a bigger problem. It may be a burden at the end of the summer to clean a pool up but you will thank yourself in the spring.

If you need more specific instructions on how to winterize your pool you can find them on our web page:
http://www.discountpoolwarehouse.com/html/how_to.html ]
DPW How To [/url]

Now go on out there and close your pool down and take the winter off!

So it has been awhile since I posted, I just had to take a break (it is off season you know) and regroup. This winter has been very unusual weather wise. It has been much colder than years past. Here in South Eastern Virginia we have been experiencing lower than usual temperatures, I am talking below freezing for days at a time. We will usually have maybe about a dozen nights with temperatures just below freezing but then the days will hit the 50's, 60's and if we are lucky the 70's. The mild winters around here lull people into believing that global warming is here and that we will not see the harsh cold weather. But Mother Nature has a way of showing us all that she has complete control of the weather and we can only guess what she has in store. Take for instance two weeks ago when all the weather forecasters predicted we would get 2-3" of snow. In our area the mere mention of the word snow sends everyone into a hyper panic. I guess they all flash back to 1980 when we got a mind numbing 2 feet of snow in 8 hours. So when the radar showed a massive storm system moving from North Carolina to Virginia 99% of the school systems closed for the day. Then Ma Nature blew a huge amount of dry air from up north across the area and evaporated the snow before it hit the ground. North Carolina got 2", we got nothing but a bunch of embarrassed weather reporters.

So what is the point, the point is if you did not prepare your pool for cold weather then you more than likely will be hit by the wrath of old Ma Nature. We have already seen a rash of frozen equipment that needs repair. So if you did not winterize your pool and have not looked at it recently I suggest you check out your system to see if there is any damage to your pipes and equipment. If you need parts or equipment we offer just about anything you will need to correct your problem on our web site www.discountpoolwarehouse.com at very wholesale prices. If you don't see the part or item you need e-mail us at dpw@discountpoolwarehouse.com and let us know what you need (part numbers are always appreciated) and we will respond a quickly as possible, usually within 24 hours (weekends excluded).

So for now if it is safe to go outside bundle up and go outside and do a visual inspection of your filter system, getting an early start will make your spring start easier. Then throw another log on the fire and dream of warm days lounging by the pool!

Fall is officially here! This is the time of year that home owners sadly put their pools to bead and the people in the pool industry breath out and settle into a relaxed pace. Don't get us wrong we love our customers, but the pace during the summer is insane at times and the break is a welcome relief.

Now that the pool is not getting much use don't be fooled into the concept that just because you aren't using the pool you really don't need to take care of it. This will get you into a little trouble and a lot of algae. You still need to give your pool some attention or it will grow green with envy and algae. So maintain your routine of checking the pool and keeping the chemistry adjusted and clear blue water will be yours to enjoy until you are ready to close the pool.

Now when should you close the pool? That really depends on what type of cover you have and how fast your pool gets cool. The biggest mistake that mesh cover owners make is closing the pool too early. A mesh cover creates an environment that algae loves; shaded sunlight. If you close your pool before the water is cool enough no matter what you do to treat for algae I will guarantee the pool will have algae in short order. Don't forget that once you see algae more cannot be far behind. So if you are using a mesh cover make sure the water temperature is consistently below 60° Fahrenheit before winterizing the pool. This will give you a better chance of success. When is that you ask? That will vary with where you live, if you live in the frozen north you will be below 60 by the end of September, but if you live in the sunny south it may be November or December before you see those temperatures consistently below 60°. Just make sure you don't winterize too early. Once you are winterized you are done until Super Bowl, during Super Bowl half time you will want to treat your pool with a gallon of winterizing algaecide. That is unless it is frozen and snowing outside then you will want to wait until things warm up a bit. Then you are done until things warm up in the spring. You will want to get the cover off before the water temperature goes above 60°. If you don't the green monster (algae) will get you with out fail!

If you are using a solid winter cover you can close it whenever you are ready and open it whenever you are ready. There are some limits it is best to have the water temperature below 70° before you winterize and it would be wise, depending on where you live to have the pool open by June.

Next month I will get into the advantages and disadvantages of not winterizing your pool. Until then, enjoy this fall while the weather is still nice.

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

Well here we are, the end of summer, ahhh…time to lay back take it easy. Almost, not quite, this is the time of year when millions of swimming pool owners forget they have a pool in their backyard. They seem to think after taking care of their pool for the last several months that the pool can darn well fend for itself for a while. I am sorry to have to tell you the pool never learns exactly what it is suppose to do while you neglect it. So it just goes on it’s merry way and becomes a teenager. It becomes a mess! Yes when you neglect your pool it becomes very upset, in fact it turns green with envy. I am here to tell you envy algae is not fun to clean up! This time of year, the end of August, your pool environment is ideal for algae development; all kinds of algae, green, black, yellow and brown are the more common colors. If you want help in ridding yourself of this pesky problem the navigate on over to our self help page at http://www.discountpoolwarehouse.com/html/how_to.html

On to a new subject, Clormatic, I have been asked a lot of questions about Clormatic in the past few months and I will try to reproduce some of the more common questions.

Do you have the old style cells?

I am sorry to report we are out of the old style cells. We sold our last model 601 cells in June and our last model 301 cells went out the door in July. The only thing we have available are the new style cells.

Can I get an old style cell?

Maybe, however I have to caution you in your search make sure you contact the seller before you purchase the cell to make sure it is an old style cell. The problem is that images of the new cell and new format of the Clormatic are not available from the manufacture. Webmasters may not have updated their images and even though they picture the old style cell what may arrive at your door may be a new style cell. Better safe than sorry. Look before you leap!!!!

What do I have to do to put in a new style cell?

The new style cell will retrofit into the same space as the old style cell however you will have to make some modifications to the pipe. The union connections on the cell are reversed from the old style and are completely different. The new cell is a 3 port cell, one of the ports can be used to house the flow sensor for the Clormatic 3, however on the Clormatic 2 you will need to keep your old flow sensor because Jandy is currently not making a flow sensor that will fit in the third port of the new cell. The cell comes with a plug to fill the third port.

I hope this helps with some of the more common questions. If you have more questions you can contact me at guruofpools@discountpoolwarehouse.com I would like to take a moment to address Internet fencing. This problem is becoming more common in the pool industry and just about every industry for that matter. I am talking about people who steal things only to sell them on various auction web sites. Most of the bigger sites are trying to find ways to prevent this, but it is very difficult. I think the best way to keep from getting caught up in this type of fraud situation is, as a buyer, you should be conscious of what kind of deal you are making. To this point I am saying, “If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is!” If you are buying a product below wholesale pricing then more than likely it is HOT. Stop and think about this for just a moment. Let’s say you purchased a salt generator and you paid $700 for it, unless you are a complete idiot you are not going to sell it for $200. You are going to loose $500! You are going to try to get as close to $700 as you possibly can. So the point is if the deal seems too good to be true then you may want to move on and buy from an established site that offers a wide selection of products, because you don’t want the cops knocking on the door confiscating that item you just purchased.

Take some time and enjoy your pool!

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