Monthly Archives: June 2017

Ken McKenna
FSPA President

I worked in the banking industry for 14 years. Ten of those years were spent in retail banking. When our bank lost a customer to a competitor it was easy to verify what the other bank was offering to the customer as they were federally regulated and had to make their account pricing public. During my 15 years in the pool industry, especially the past 4-5 years, the reason for losing a pool sale is usually up for debate.

The most commonly heard answer from a consumer is the other company was much less expensive. This is the easiest and quickest answer for a consumer to give a salesperson. It’s also the most frustrating and upsetting answer to get as a business. We all feel the other company must be giving them away because how can they be lower and still make money?

Let’s think about this answer: you are the consumer and you don’t particularly like a salesperson or you just like another better. Maybe you trust the other company more or the salesperson just did a better job selling you than the other people did. Most people don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings or open themselves up to conflict by insulting someone. “They were lower” is a quick and clean answer when telling a company they lost the deal.

I still hear so much talk and animosity from builders who feel companies are giving pools away. Yet we know that the term “buyers are liars” is used for a reason. I am sure most of the business owners and salespeople have probably used the excuse that something was lower to avoid further discussion themselves. Why do we focus so much on the price issue? I would bet that 50% of the time the reason for losing the pool is someone was cheaper, but that leaves 50% were for other reasons that people take as always price related.

The fact is price has always been an issue but when the pie was bigger no one seemed to be bothered by it. The fiction part is we only lose pools to lower prices now. This is just not true. I will use my company as an example. We did 300 pools in 2005 and were in the top 3 in our market. In 2009 we sold just over 100 and were still in the top 3 in our market. Our closing percentage of sales to leads is the same as it was when we did 300 pools. When I look at this, I constantly remind our salespeople that they need to focus on selling the pools that we want to sell and stop focusing on the price.

The only way to increase their sales is to increase the closing percentage by selling value better or by out-working the other salesperson. Lowering prices to increase sales is not a long-term solution. My feeling is we need to focus on what we can do better in our companies and not what may or may not be true about another.

Tomorrow is 4th of July, marking the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4,1776. This holiday is more commonly celebrated as a get-together with friends and family. If you’re celebrating poolside this year either before or after the holiday, take a look at some patriotic pool party inspiration. Visit our Pinterest profile for more ideas!

If you’re ambitious enough, try this fun balloon arch for your pool!

How neat is this patriotic pool mat?

Create a different kind of firework display with pool noodles!

For fun photos by the pool, print out these props! (Link)

There are so many pets, mostly dogs, who just LOVE the water. For example, labs, retrievers, and spaniels were originally bred to hunt game in the water. While their hunting days may be over, their love for water is still inherent.

Kids always get a good laugh when their dog dives into the pool with them and if the dog can swim, what harm is there really?

Chlorine
There’s been debate on whether or not the chlorine in your pool is safe for your pet. According to the American Kennel Club, “A dog’s eyes, nose and ears are more sensitive than a human’s and as such may be a tad more susceptible to the effects of chlorine.” Just like dogs drink out of the toilet bowl, they don’t discern what is “good” drinking water so discourage them from lapping it up.

Filter System
How does your dog being in the pool affect your filter system? The go-to statistic is a dog in the pool is equivalent to about 50 people in the pool at one time. Think about that from a health perspective! That’s not to say your dog’s hair will damage your system but it will make it work harder.

Diseases
What risks of infections exist for your family if your dog is an avid swimmer in your pool? The jury is still out on this one. Most waterborne illnesses like crypto are associated with transmission from people. If your dog has been vomiting, has diarrhea, or skin infections it’s best to keep them out of the pool to prevent any kind of infection to your family.

Safety
Just as you want to keep your children safer around the pool, especially when it’s not in use, you need to do the same for your pets. Pets are our family too! Using pool barriers, covers, and locks will help keep your dogs out of the pool when you’re not using it! And a swimming lesson for your dog couldn’t hurt. It’s a common misconception that all dogs know how to “doggy paddle.”

So, the answer? It’s up to you! The important thing is to keep your pet and your family safer around the pool.

*Good rules of thumb for your residential pools.

David Griffiths
Insurance By Ken Brown

With Tropical Storms Bret and Cindy brewing, could this be the year the “hurricane drought” ends for Florida?

If so, are you prepared? Do you have enough insurance to to sustain both the physical damage to building and business personal property? How about financial burden? Loss of income, additional expenses to resume operations in temporary facilities, etc. can all be insured against. And they can also be expensive to absorb.

Hurricane season began on June 1. It has been more than a decade since a major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger storm) struck the United States. The last challenging year for Florida was 2004 when we had 4 storms between August 13 and September 26.

So are we due for a big hit? NOAA recently released its hurricane season outlook, which forecast a near-average number of storms for the Atlantic (includes the Gulf and the Caribbean). That’s 10-16 named storms, 4-8 hurricanes, and 1-4 major hurricanes. An average year has 12 named storms, six hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.

“The most common question (I get) is, ‘What is this hurricane season going to be like?'”, said Dr. Rick Knabb, the director of NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. But there remains plenty of uncertainty regarding El Nino’s possible development, and therefore, how much of an effect it could have on the hurricane season.

“If El Nino fails to launch, we may be too low with our numbers,” said Dr. Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist with The Weather Company.

The return period for a Category 1 hurricane is about 9-10 years. “In other words, if you stayed at a point, how often can I expect to see a Category 1,” said Jeffrey Medlin, the meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service in Mobile. “So if you look at pure statistics, we’re due.”

Instead of focusing on the “what ifs,” those who know about hurricanes are turning their attention to getting the public ready for the next one.

Because there is one thing they know for certain: there will be a next one. “It’s a common phrase that I’ve heard: ‘it won’t happen to me’,” Knabb said. “I’ve even had family members say that to me, and they’re related to the hurricane center director.”

It’s human nature, but it also has a technical term. “It really comes from something called optimism bias,” said Dr. Laura Myers, the director of the Center for Advanced Public Safety at the University of Alabama. “About 80 percent of people feel like everything’s going to be OK. They think that it’s probably not going to happen. If it does happen to them it’s probably not going to be so bad. Even if there is a hurricane and it actually makes landfall, not everybody is going to be impacted by it,” Myers said.

Then there’s also the issue of inexperience. The coastlines are populated with thousands of new arrivals who maybe have never experienced a hurricane.

Myers said keeping the message out there is key. “You’ve got to say: this is what’s coming, this is what the potentials are and this is what we need to do to start getting ready,” she said.

“And what you’ve got to do is to remind them of what previous events have done. You’ve got to make it real in their mind of what the impacts were the last time these things happened. You’ve got to do that before the season starts. You’ve got to start triggering those memories.”

And it’s also important to think about what it would be like to go through a storm and be unprepared.

“There’s nothing worse than going through a hurricane warning and then the storm thinking, ‘I don’t have enough insurance’ or ‘I don’t have enough supplies,’ ‘I don’t know where to go.’ That’s the worst.”

Reality is that hope alone isn’t going to help you if it does turn out to be your turn to get hit. So, the two questions we pose today are as follows:

  1. Do you have a disaster plan for your business?
  2. Do you have enough insurance?

Griffiths_Dave (5)David Griffiths
Insurance by Ken Brown

It’s that time of year! Many young people are out looking for full and part time summer jobs. So what considerations do you have as a business owner?

Young workers can be an asset to your workforce. However, young workers have unique and substantial risks for work-related injuries and illnesses due to a variety of factors. On-the-job injuries to young workers may be significant and costly.

There are also several laws and procedures to consider when hiring a minor:

Posting Requirements
Employers who hire minors must display a poster in a conspicuous place on the property or place of employment notifying them of the Child Labor Law. Child labor posters may be obtained through this website by calling Child Labor Compliance at 1-800-226-2536.

Documentation Requirements
Employers are required to keep waiver authorizations, proof of age documentation, and proof of exemption from minor status for all employees who are under 18. These records must be maintained for the duration of the minor’s employment. Unless exempt from the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act), the records must be kept until the minor turns 19.

Parental Permission to Hire
Employers are not required by law to have permission from the parents to employ their minor child. However, we strongly encourage employers to include parents in the process.

Work Permits
“Work permits” and/or “working papers” are not required in Florida and are not issued by either the schools or any governmental agency in Florida. Please see Waivers.

Hour Limitations
Minors are limited in the hours they may work to permit them to attend and complete their educational responsibilities.

Breaks
Minors may work no more than 4 consecutive hours without a 30 minute uninterrupted break.

Exemptions
Minors are exempt from the hour limitations of the Child Labor Law if they have been married, graduated from an accredited high school or hold a high school equivalency diploma, served in the military, have been authorized by a court order, or been issued a partial waiver by the public school or the Child Labor Program.

Safety
Each year minors suffer injuries in the workplace. OSHA has recommendations and guidelines regarding this area.

Waivers
The Florida Child Labor Law is designed to serve and protect minors and to encourage them to remain in school. At times, however, some minors feel that the law conflicts with their best interest or that their life circumstances are such that they need to work. Minors have the right to request that the Child Labor Office exempt them from parts of the Child Labor Law.

Penalites
Employment of minors in violation of Florida child labor laws may result in fines up to $2,500 per offense and/or be guilty of a second-degree misdemeanor.

More Information
Employers who have an interest in learning more about Florida’s Child Labor Law may request training by contacting the Bureau of Child Labor at 1-800-226-2536.

We support your company giving young people the opportunity to learn your business, learn what it is to have a work ethic and have some spending money or money for future education. It’s great for the future of our country. However, we encourage you to take the right steps to protect both you and them!

 

The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL) is a world-wide event supported by aquatic facilities, waterparks, pools, swim schools, YMCA’s, and more! The goal of this event is to build awareness about the fundamental importance of teaching children to swim in order to prevent drowning. The Florida Swimming Pool Association has chapters who participate in this event annually!

TEAM WLSL™ holds the current Guinness World Record™ for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson conducted at multiple venues. The official record was set in 2014 with 36,564 participants in 22 countries.

The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson will take place Thursday, June 22. Visit their website to find a facility near you!

 

Myers_Rick (3)Rick Myers
Team Horner

Whatever your feeling or opinion is on the 64-E code, it is the regulation that all companies and properties must adhere to if they either take care of or have a pool on their property. We as professionals must begin to use this code not only as our back-up as we point out to our customers items that their pool is missing or are in need of repair but also to ensure that the commercial pools we take care of are as safe and healthy as possible. What is the end result of doing the right thing? Our sales will increase, our employees will be smarter and more involved in their routes, and our properties will be happy knowing that the pool in their condo, hotel, etc. meets or exceeds state code.

Here are just a couple of violations that the state of Florida considers cause for immediate closure:

  • Cannot see the main drain from the deck.
  • Three or more depth markers missing or illegible.
  • Main drain cover loose or missing.
  • Ladder treads missing or broken.
  • Vacuum line is missing.

Items requiring a fix that takes anywhere from 7-30 days could include broken PH feeder, spa clock missing, weirs missing or broken, and broken or missing filter gauges.

All of these repairs usually include a billable service call and many of them can be fixed in one visit. So how do you turn this into an easily managed revenue avenue for your company?

There are several ways of doing this, all of which are low tech, and best of all they produce results. What if you asked your service personnel to take a picture of all the pressure gauges one week and the wall clocks on the spas the next week? If every week you took one possible infraction and concentrated on that infraction, over a period of time you would have covered the entire pool code.

This could also be done by sending your customers a quick note via email or social media asking them the same question. Over time your customers will appreciate this “extra service” and depend on you even more.

Hopefully this short article gets you interested in the safety business and you will be able to have safer pool and a business that is growing annually.

A pool is a valuable investment. Like all other investments, you want to make sure you receive the most out of it. That is why it is important to keep it running properly. The following terms will help you to keep your pool running properly and allow you to get the most out of your investment!

Chlorination

In order to keep the pool water free of contaminants, it is necessary to add a chemical, which is capable of killing algae before it becomes visible, or a health hazard. As a rule, the presence of algae in water does not pose a significant risk to health, but it can enter open cuts or sores and cause infection. Once the concentration of algae in the water becomes great, it is visible to the naked eye as discolored water or blemishes on the pool surface.

The Chlorine Scale

The concentration of chlorine in water is measured in parts per million (ppm), that is, parts of chlorine per one million parts of water. A standard test kit is graduated on one side from zero ppm to 3.0 ppm. Most test kits are labeled with an “ideal” level for chlorine, usually between 1.0 and 1.5 ppm. While this level is adequate for most pools, it is recommended to maintain a higher chlorine concentration than this during the hot summer months often experienced in Florida. It has been found that a concentration of 1.5 ppm dissipates too quickly during days with temperatures above 95-100 degrees.

Superchlorination

Superchlorination refers to a process in which the chlorine level in the swimming pool is raised to abnormally high levels over a very short period of time, usually a few hours. Another common name for superchlorination is “shocking”. Over time and with extended use, organic wastes build up in the pool water. These wastes include body oils, sweat and other body fluids, and suntan lotions. Generally, 1 gallon of liquid chlorine is needed for every 10,000 gallons of pool water. It is recommended that superchlorination take place in the evening, after the sun has set, since this is when the pool is not being used and treatment will not be removed by UV rays from the sun before it has the opportunity to perform its function.

Conditioner

Conditioner is a name given to a chemical that inhibits the degradation of chlorine by UV light. Other commonly used names for conditioner include: stabilizer, sun-shield or the chemical name cyanuric acid. The recommended ideal level for conditioner in a swimming pool is between 40 and 100 ppm.

Total Alkalinity

Total alkalinity is a measure of the total amount of dissolved particles in the water whose pH is higher than 7.0. Examples of particles include dirt, sand, and baking soda. Alkaline particles in the pool water, at certain levels, act as a buffer to prevent rapid changes in the pool’s pH. Thus, when the total alkalinity of the pool water is within the ideal levels, the pH of the water will tend to stay balanced for longer periods of time. For all pool surfaces, the recommended level falls between 120 and 140 ppm.

The pH Scale

On a standard test kit, the pH scale is graduated from 6.8 to 8.2. The numbers refer to the concentration of hydrogen (acid) in the water but the scale is somewhat reverse. The ideal level for pH is generally the same for all swimming pools regardless of climate, amount of use, temperature, or pool surface. This ideal level falls between 7.4 and 7.6 for all pool surfaces.

Pool Surface

The type of surface on a swimming pool can also affect the pH of the pool water. Plaster or plaster based pool surfaces such as quartz, are porous, alkaline materials. They can absorb and neutralize acid in pool water, thereby raising its pH. In this case, small amounts of acid are generally needed to maintain a proper pH balance. Fiberglass, vinyl, and painted plaster pools, on the other hand, do not have porous surfaces, and thus do not absorb or neutralize acid in the water. Here, small amounts of soda ash or baking soda may be needed to keep the pH at a proper level after acid is added in the form of rain, citrus leaves, etc.

The Pump

The pump is essentially the heart of the swimming pool’s circulation system. It pulls water from the pool through the skimmer and main drain, pushes it through the filter and returns it to the pool through the main returns. The entire operation of the swimming pool is dictated by the operation of the pump. The cleaning system cannot, in general, operate without the main pump, and the pool water cannot be filtered without the main pump operating. It is crucial, therefore, to be aware with the proper schedule for the operation of the main pump. It is recommended that the pump run 12 hours per day during the hottest summer months, and 4-5 hours per day during the winter months, and to varying degrees during the spring and fall. The daily cycle can be divided into multiple cycles, but each cycle should be no shorter than 4 hours since this is the minimum time it takes for all of the water in the pool to pass through the filter at least once, it is also the recommended time between the addition of chemicals and the next water test/or pool use.

Brushing the Pool

There is no substitute for a thorough brushing of the walls and bottom of the pool. Most automatic cleaners can’t scrub the floor to remove small debris and algae spores from the pores in the pool surface, and this must be done to ensure a stain and algae free pool surface. Be sure to brush the pool while the pump is operating, and to cover the entire pool from the tile line to the main drain. Sweep slowly and push the brush toward the main drain so that the debris will be pulled into the drain and then into the filter, where it will be removed from the water. If large amounts of debris were removed during the process, it is advisable to clean the filter afterward.

Vacuuming the Pool

If the amount of debris in the pool is too great to be removed by either the automatic cleaning system or by brushing, the pool should be vacuumed to remove the debris before it becomes attached to the pool surface and requires special methods to remove.

Skimming the Pool

While vacuuming and brushing remove dirt and debris from the bottom of the pool, they do not remove the debris such as grass, leaves, and bugs which float on the water surface. The skimmer built into the pool deck usually removes this debris, but it can accumulate in large amounts, and it may take the built-in skimmer an appreciable time to remove it. By using a hand skimmer, the debris can be quickly removed before it has the opportunity to become saturated with water and sink to the bottom.

Energy Efficient Pumps

Ken-McKenna-webKen McKenna
FSPA President

Recently about 40 of our dedicated members attended Legislative Days in Tallahassee to meet, talk and mingle with House Representatives and State Senators. Our goal is to educate them on our industry and discuss the current issues we may be facing. This has been successful over the years in developing relationships that can help us with issues if they arise. Unfortunately, due to election cycles and term limits, the players change and we have to create new relationships.

The FSPA government relations consultant, Jennifer Hatfield, has been instrumental over the last decade in gaining a voice for us in Tallahassee. We are now seen as the go-to association for anything concerning pools. She has worked tirelessly in growing our relationships and representing the industry. However, with everything she does, we need to help and pitch in more.

It is time for us to begin using our numbers to protect and promote our industry when it comes to the political process. There are several ways we can accomplish this:

  1. Donate money to PIPAC (Pool Industry Political Action Committee) — everyone knows money talks. Donating to our PAC or writing a check to a local politician creates access and establishes a relationship. This is the best way to get yourself and FSPA recognized.
  2. Donate your time to a candidate. Hold signs for them during their campaign. Work in their office stuffing envelopes or whatever they need. This is a great way to get to know the candidate and their staff. Again, it’s about developing a relationship.
  3. Visit them in their local office. Make an appointment to introduce yourself and tell them what issues are important in our industry. Make them aware of changes we may be looking to make or things we are trying to prevent from happening. We are their constituents and they will make time for you.

Trying to get the kids out of the pool for lunch or for snacks is no easy feat. They’re having so much fun and don’t want to stop just to eat! Make it worth their while by creating fun, irresistible snacks!

We have a Pinterest board dedicated to snacks by the pool. Check it out for more inspiration!

sourwormpopsicles

Beat the heat with DIY popsicles! Add sour gummy worms for a tart flavor (and they’re fun to eat!).

pizzawheels

Pack some protein with pizza wheels! Easy, hands-on snack that’s guaranteed to get them to take a break.

lunchbox

Are you heading out to a pool? Pack a lunch in advance!

goldfish

What a fun way to “go fishing!” Kids will have just as much fun getting their goldfish as they will swimming.

sprite

If your kids have friends over, this is a cute idea for beverages!

Want more ideas? Visit our Pinterest page!