Fall and Bobbing for Pumpkins in a Pool!

The Arne Hanna Aquatic Center in Bellingham, Washington takes on an interesting approach to getting the community interested in the aquatic Center; swimming with 200 pumpkins!

In light of Halloween coming up in a few days, the aquatic center holds their annual "The Pumpkin Patch in the Pool" and has done so for the past 10 years. According to The Western Front, participants paid $5 to take a swim through the 200 pumpkins bobbing on the surface and eventually chose one to take home.

The aquatic center also offered a bob for apples after the swim. "All funds raised by the Pumpkin Patch in the Pool event go toward programs being run at the aquatic center."

Does your community aquatic center offer anything like this? If not, would it be something you and your family would be interested in doing? We would like to hear from you!



Source: Prosser, K. (October 27, 2009). Kids Pick Pumpkins from Public Pool. In "The Western Front." Retrieved October 27, 2009 from http://westernfrontonline.net/2009102711476/news/kids-pick-pumpkins-from-public-pool/.

CPSC In Full Charge

If your pool is not Virginia Graeme Baker compliant, you should probably contact us for help! The Consumer Product Safety Commission's staff (CPSC) has started making their rounds checking pools. Although, they will not say where the target areas are or where they have visited, we can tell you they have been in Northeast Ohio.

It seems the CPSC is targeting larger community pools. According to Pool and Spa News, "As of press time, the agency said it had checked approximately 900 pools and 300 spas in 700 locations. Approximately 80 percent were found to be compliant."

For those pools found to be non-compliant a letter was given. "The agency gave pool owners 10 working days to indicate in writing how the vessels would be fixed," this from Pool and Spa News. Fines can be anywhere from $100,000 to $15 million or even jail time.

The sticker shock may take your facility by surprise, but the price of main drain covers for larger facilities does run high. Beware of pool contractors that say they can make your facility compliant while asking for a larger than normal fee to do the job. High-Tech Pools, Inc. made The University of Akron, Kenyon College, Penn State campuses, water parks, hotels and residential pools compliant. We have experience, and we also have contacts to registered engineers.

Get compliant with High-Tech Pools, Inc.!



Source: Robledo, R. (October 7, 2009). CPSC’s Enforcement of VGB Signals Change in Approach. In Pool Spa News. Retrieved October 27, 2009. From http://www.poolspanews.com/2009/102/102n_enforcement.html

Playing Catch Up!

Two words: Closing Season! We apologize for the lack of posts for the month of September and most of October! Pool closing season gets busy! Please look for a few blogs today updating you on important happenings at High-Tech Pools, Inc.!

Pool Exercise for You and Your Pooch

Nowadays, people take their dogs just about anywhere: car rides, plane rides, dog parks, you get the point. Now, add swimming pools to the list.

Swimming is a great way to exercise, not to mention, great for rehabilitation workouts and other medical conditions. According to a tampabay.com article by Dawn A. Marcus, M.D., new research published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that 24 weeks of pool exercise has marked health benefits for women after menopause; women assigned to pool exercise experienced a 15 percent drop in body fat and an 8 percent drop in blood pressure.

The numbers may make you want to splash in the pool, but what about getting into that bathing suit? You are not the only one that may have a fear of putting it on. So you work up the courage to get in the swimsuit, but now you need a work out buddy. Who better to work out with than your pooch. They need exercise too!

With tough economic times, people may find it more difficult to pay for the sometimes very costly gym membership. Why not have a pool in your own backyard that you can use whenever and bring your best friend to? Obviously, gyms don't allow pets and public pools may only host a few days out of the swimming season to allow the dogs to take a dive. With a private swimming pool, you can enjoy exercising with your best friend, whenever! High-Tech Pools, Inc. can help from start to finish in planning for your pool. Please visit www.hightechpools.com for pictures and inquiry information!

Pool Safety Survey

Ever hear of the Swimming Pool Association of Ohio? No? That might be because there is no such thing as the Swimming Pool Association of Ohio. You will have better luck, though, finding the Swimming Pool Association of Hawaii or even Michigan.

The Swimming Pool Association of Hawaii (SPAH) is teaming up with The Hawaii State Department of Heath's (DOH) Injury Prevention Program to conduct surveys of private/residential pool owners to determine safety issues and concerns centered around home swimming pools and spas, according to KGMB9.com.

In previous blogs we have discussed the concern and need for pool and spa safety. It doesn't take much to do a quick search of pool news stories on Google to find at least 10 stories a day about children who have either injured themselves or drown in a pool or spa. The Hawaii DOH and SPAH are taking pool and spa safety a step further than the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act intended. The Act pertains to public pools needing to replace main drain covers and add secondary means to protect swimmers from becoming entrapped on the main drains. The Act only mentions private pools and spas becoming compliant if constructed after the deadline of December 18, 2008.

We did a quick search of Google "pool news." Out of the first 30 pool related stories, 10 involved someone injured in a private pool. The SPAH is taking this seriously, and is asking private pool owners to complete a survey. According to KGMB9.com, the goal of the campaign will be to reduce the number of childhood injuries and deaths associated with residential pools. The DOH and SPAH partnership will survey approximately 1,380 swimming pool and spa owners and clients of SPAH. Survey results will help to guide local swimming pool safety education efforts.

So what do you think? Should Ohio develop a Swimming Pool Association of Ohio to work in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Health? Here at High-Tech Pools, Inc. we have been building safe pools and spas for over 20 years. We encourage our residential customers to become compliant with VGB Act even if their pool/spa was constructed before the deadline. Not only do we help with the VGB law, but we also promote safety items including auto covers, fencing, alarms, water safety equipment, signage, etc. Let us know if we can be of any assistance!

It's Important to be VGB Compliant in the States!

A fatal drowning in Thailand leaves a 14-year-old boy's family in ruins. The boy was at a water park with his family, when he was sucked into the swimming pool's pump system.

Nathan Clark Griffiths was playing in the pool with his brother Rhys, 15. The two had one pair of goggles. According to the article from the BBC News website, Rhys said Nathan went under the water, he could see his long black shorts and then next minute he was gone. He knew something was seriously wrong.

According to Nathan's mother, Marion Griffiths, "His [Nathan's] stepbrother Kevin translated but the lifeguard told him he was lying because he said the vent was locked and so impossible for Nathan to have got through it.

"It was only when they got Jimmy, my ex-husband, that the lifeguard took them seriously but by then Nathan had been under the water a long time."

Nathan was sucked into a pipe through the sump, which contained a large pipe, and was found in the pool's engine room 20 minutes later.

The vent Nathan's mother was referring is also called a grate or cover. This is the link to the video taken of the grate Nathan removed and the sump he was sucked into http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8147032.stm. The video doesn't actually show Nathan in the pipe, but how dangerous it is to not have a secured grate.

This is just another reason why the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act has been made a law, this of course in the United States. An aspect of the law is to provide VGB compliant hardware, screws, with the grates. It is important for pool operators to make sure all grates are securely fastened at all times to prevent anyone from being sucked into the drain.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission states that nearly 300 children drown and another 3,000 are seriously injured each year in accidents occurring in swimming pools and spas.

It's not just commercial size pools people have to worry about. Any in-ground pool will have a drain or more depending on the size of the pool. It's important that any pool you swim in has the new VGB compliant grates on the drains. Some grates have a bright swimming man logo to make it more visible that it has been tested as a compliant VGB cover.

If you think the facility you are swimming at doesn't have the compliant covers, contact the pool operator and tell him/her to call High-Tech Pools, Inc. We can handle any size grate. If you have a private pool that was constructed before December 18, 2008 and would like to have the new anti-entrapment grates, we can help with that too. We are just a phone call away!

Plan a Staycation

Turn on the TV. Turn on the radio. Search the internet. You name it, news about the tough economic times is everywhere. If it hasn't affected you yet, consider yourself lucky! Many families are looking for inexpensive ways to enjoy the summer. What better way to enjoy the summer than at the pool!

You don't have to travel farther than your backyard to get away. Why not sit around your private pool in a beautifully landscaped backyard? Picture spending those cooler, summer evenings in a luxurious whirlpool. Spending a little extra money on fixing up the backyard has its benefits!

According to Kathy Huber of the Houston Chronicle, some great flowering plants to enhance your backyard are Plumbago, Plumeria, Princess Flower, Yellow Bells, 'Black Magic' Elephant Ear, Sun-tolerant Coleuses and Graceful Ornamental Grasses.

Huber also says Palms, Plumerias, Clumping Bamboos, Nandinas, Bananas, Brugmansias and Oleanders are tall tropical accents. Group them for more privacy. Tough Nandina is ideal for screening pool machinery; it tolerates hot air.

So you are wondering who is going to have time to plant these flowers and greenery while you are working hard at work? High-Tech Pools, Inc., that's who! Not only can we design and construct a gorgeous pool and whirlpool, but we can take care of making your backyard look like something from a magazine. We can construct stone or concrete pool decks and coping, fire pit/fire place and exterior kitchens and even furniture. We are just a phone call away!