The Environmental Protection Agency has put pool pumps on its list of equipment as a candidate for an Energy Star designation.

An Energy Star symbol could significantly reinforce the market for variable- and two-speed pumps, said Michael Orr, executive director of business development at the Foundation for Pool & Spa Industry Education in Sacramento, Calif.

“[Energy Star] has a good reputation, so that will carry through, and customers won’t have that resistance to participating in it,” Orr said. “If you come out with an all-new program that nobody knows, then it’s an uphill battle to get it recognized.”

Currently, much of EPA’s financial resources are being used to refresh long-standing programs, and the agency is only in the preliminary stages with pool pumps, said EPA spokeswoman Katharine Kaplan. “Then, if resources allow, we will move on these products we scoped out and that looked attractive to us,” she said. “Included in that category are pool pumps.”

Another group, the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, also is exploring pool pumps. CEE is an association of U.S. and Canadian public utilities. The organization currently is hosting Webinars to inform about energy-efficient pool pumps, and several industry representatives have participated, including Orr, members of the Independent Pool & Spa Service Association and some manufacturers.

Boston-based CEE also is in the process of determining which efficiency levels are suggested to warrant rebates. Many utilities consult these recommendations when developing their own programs.

“Then, to help them run their programs, we develop a list of qualified products that … they can then use to administer the rebates,” said Eileen Eaton, CEE’s residential program manager. The association hopes to have the specifications completed by the end of the year.

“We’ve gotten a lot of interest and that’s why we’ve decided to dedicate resources in this area,” Eaton said. “I think a lot of people are excited to see this happen.”

Source: Pool & Spa News (By Rebecca Robledo | 5.27.2010)

Can residential pool owners be held responsible for failing to comply with VGB, and are service techs at risk if they don’t warn?

The requirement to bring pools and spas into compliance with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act became effective more than a year ago. As we know, VGB mandates that all public pools and spas be equipped with unblockable suction outlets and/or secondary safety devices.

However, little attention has been paid to the potential liability of residential pool or spa owners and the pool service technician’s duty, if any, to address the issue of residential anti-entrapment safety upgrades.

The key question here is could a residential pool owner be held liable for failing to outfit his pool with anti-entrapment systems should tragedy strike? Is a pool service technician potentially liable as well for not informing his customer of the increased safety provided by the new technology?

Surprisingly, the answer to both questions is yes.

Commonly accepted legal principles say that a landowner will be liable for injury caused by his failure to exercise ordinary care. For example, the parents of a child entrapped in a non-compliant residential pool would argue that the pool owner didn’t exercise ordinary care because the entrapment was foreseeable and would have been prevented had the pool been upgraded with readily available anti-entrapment products.

The pool service technician would likely be sued as well for failing to advise the homeowner of the availability of VGB-compliant equipment.

The best approach for the service technician is to provide his residential customers written notification of the availability of VGB-compliant covers and SVRS products, and the safety benefits each offers. Doing so should satisfy the pool technician’s duty to warn and, at minimum,  provide an important element to his legal defense.

Ultimately, society has an interest in preventing entrapments.  The relatively low cost of anti-entrapment covers is not a financial burden to pool owners, and the slight burden placed on pool techs to warn of the potential dangers makes it more likely that the nation’s courts will move in this direction. Now is the time to prepare for that eventuality.

Best Regards,

Loren Whitney

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dIz4R-1d2k&feature=related

The PCS Hayward National Energy Rebate Program enables PCS Dealers to provide their customers with heated swimming pools that consume substantially less energy by equipping the pool with an energy-efficient Hayward heater and pump (to generate and circulate efficient heat energy) and an automatic cover system from Pool Cover Specialists (to contain that efficiently-generated, heat energy). This new program creates a win/win scenario for the consumer and the environment by saving the consumer as much as 83% on their pool heating costs and eliminating up to 93% of water loss through evaporation. The program creates a major market advantage for PCS dealers, by enabling dealers to satisfy the growing consumer demand for energy-efficient (”green”) pools.

In addition, this exclusive PCS Hayward National Energy Rebate Program permits PCS Dealers to enjoy the flexibility and convenience of continuing to purchase directly from the Dealers’ preferred local Hayward Distributor, at the Dealers’ already-established, competitive pricing but receive a Hayward PCS Energy Rebate of $150.00 on specified H-Series pool heaters and $50.00 for specified TriStar two-speed pumps. Contact your PCS or Hayward sales representative for details and additional program opportunities.

About Pool Cover Specialists National, Inc. (PCS) www.poolcovers.com:
Pool Cover Specialists National, Inc. is a global manufacturer of automatic, manual, and pin-down cover systems for swimming pools, spas, and swim spas. With bi-coastal manufacturing hubs in the U.S. and three international plants serving Europe/the Middle East, New Zealand/Australia, and Asian markets, PCS prides itself on its commitment to customer service; its superior warranties; its state-of-the-art technology; and its expansive product line, which provides its customers with the widest array of proprietary (and custom) solutions available.

Pool Cover Specialists National, Inc. is comprised of seven, integrated divisions: Pool Cover Services (nationwide sales and service), PCS Safety Covers (patented maintenance bay covers for the automotive industry), PCS Mesh Covers (Mesh and Safety swimming pool covers), PCS Consumer Financing, PCS Automatic Pool Cover Systems (providing in-house manufacture of automatic safety covers for swimming pools and swim spas), PCS Portable Spa Systems (portable spas with integrated, automatic, hard-topped covers), and PCS EZtop Cover Systems (patent-pending, automatic, hard-top cover systems for both portable and in-ground spas).

PCS ’s quarter-century of success continues to be driven by corporate sales, ISO’s sales, Affinity sales as well as mergers & acquisitions. PCS ’s global strategy includes the continued expansion of its international dealer/distributor network, supported by the continued deployment of regional manufacturing/shipping hubs and branch sales and service offices worldwide. For more information contact 800-369-5152 or visit www.poolcovers.com

About Hayward Pool Products:
Hayward Pool Products, a division of Hayward Industries Inc. is the largest manufacturer of residential swimming-pool equipment in the world. With headquarters in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Hayward designs, manufactures and markets the Totally Hayward System, a complete line of residential pool equipment, including pumps, filters, heating, cleaners, sanitization, automation, lighting, safety and energy solutions.

The company, which has built its brand by providing its customers with unsurpassed quality, innovation, energy-efficiency, safety and reliability, includes such brands as TriStar, Super Pump, Pro Logic, HeatPro, Viper, SwimClear, ColorLogic, Aqua Rite, Navigator, Pool Vac Ultra, Phantom, TigerShark, among others. A recognized leader in the international pool industry, Hayward markets its products through a network of distributors and 3,000 Totally Hayward Dealer Partners throughout the U.S., Canada, Asia, Australia, Latin America and the Middle East. For more information, contact Hayward at (908) 351-5400 or visit www.haywardnet.com or www.totallyhayward.com.

CONTACT:
PCS Corporate Communications Director:
Bill McFarland
billm@poolcovers.com
800-369-5152

Pool Cover Specialists National, Inc. is the largest privately held automatic swimming pool cover manufacturer in the world. For further information please contact us at 800-369-5152.

Hope everyone is having a great Sunday. We just received word from Hayward that they’ll be offering a short spring time rebate offer on all Aquarite Salt Chlorine Systems. If you’ve thought about converting your swimming pool to salt water this spring, be sure to take advantage of this limited time offer. We are an authorized Hayward dealer and would love to tell you more about these great chlorinators. Give us a call if you’re interested more in learning about salt pools.

Springtime 2010 is almost upon us and we’ve got a great deal to pass your way! One of our choice liner manufacturers is offering a special on a limited supply of liners for springtime. We’re offering 25% off the cost of a liner for you while these supplies last. Take a look at all the different patterns available and give us a call today to schedule an appointment. This isn’t going to last for long so if you’re thinking about getting your liner replaced this season, take advantage of the savings before they’re all gone!

Cheers! 910 960 POOL (7665)

FEATURES:

• Protects pump against burnout
• Maintains water level while on vacation
• Use for rental or vacant homes
• Fills pool after acid wash
• No tools required – simply attach hose
• Controls level in leaking pools, ponds or spas
• Unattached operation
• COMPLETELY PORTABLE!

If you’re interested in purchasing one, give us a call at Wilmington Pool Service today. 910-960-POOL (7665)

Stay Classy Wilmington!

We had over 3″ of snow last weekend! Hope everyone had a safe and eventful weekend in the snow! It was great to see all the snowmen in people’s yards!

Cheers!

The guide goes over the following:

Spa Start-up and Clean-up

Chemistry Maintenance

Preventative Maintenance

If anyone is in need of hot tub maintenance or repair assistance, please give us a call and we’ll be happy to answer any of your questions. 910-960-POOL (7665). Thanks!