Biggest Challenge in the Swimming Pool Industry – Getting a Loan

December 13, 2009 at 11:52 pm · Filed under Money and Finance

Nation’s Economy – Greatly Affecting Small Businesses

six decades, there are many businesses that are tremendously affected, but go unnoticed~A large number of industries and small businesses are suffering indirectly because of this nation’s economic recession~The largest recession that U.S. residents and companies have seen in the past 40 years continues to indirectly affect many small businesses}.  The housing market and stock market have been some of the most talked about issues, while the banking and loan business trails a close second.  Many of these markets are inter-related in some way, but many major industries that affect millions of home owners are not far off.

Homeowners will concur that the housing industry has taken a huge blow, and the property values in Phoenix, Arizona lies at the epicenter of impact.  These buyers all have property that has greatly depreciated in value over the past 2 years (sometimes being down hundreds of thousands of dollars).  Home foreclosures are on the increase, repossessions are common place, and people are just walking away from their homes because of loss of home equity. 

For those owners who are not affected by unemployment, housing market decline, and stock market woes – they quickly find out they are incorrect.  When most homeowners desire to make enhancements to their properties, they may need financing or some sort of financial loan.  Local banks and credit unions can usually provide this type of home improvement loan.  Swimming pool, landscape, and home improvement companies have not had the fortune of getting it’s potential buyers approved for these financing programs.

The swimming pool industry in Phoenix has been one of the largest industries influenced, since financing a swimming pool was the clear choice for over 70% of pool and spa customers.  Financing enables buyers to invest the money they desire into each project, and without a loan, buyers simply spend much less or don’t buy at all.  Arizona pool companies have suffered tremendously with the decrease in the economy and lack of financing – sometimes even closing their doors, down-sizing, or diversifying into other venues.  Motivated pool and spa companies have expanded into other venues such as pool remodeling, general construction, and even landscaping.  General contractors have entirely gone into other fields, such as sales, marketing, or consulting.  Arizona Landscaping Companies are starting to offer other popular landscape features such as travertine patios, waterfalls and ponds,  Phoenix patio covers, and mist systems – anything to generate extra income.

One pool and landscaping Phoenix company, Unique Landscapes and Custom Pools, has figured out the technique of offering many varying products to potential clients years ago.  As a Phoenix pool builder, licensed general contractor, and landscaping contractor, Unique is able to offer their clients many different options when it comes to home improvement.  By offering many different aspects of our swimming pools and landscape services to our clients, we’ve been able to generate revenue during these difficult times – simply by diversification.  However, the major challenges have been the simple fact that these financing programs are simply not available to the average customers.”

“It’s difficult to think about all the money that was given to banking industry just a year ago for these construction loans, and now it’s difficult for our customers, who want to buy our products, to get this assistance” claims business owner Chris Griffin, of Unique Landscapes and Custom Pools in Mesa, AZ.  Maybe it’s time for the government to look a little further into some of the struggles of the smaller companies that are greatly affected by this struggling economy.  “Pool financing in Phoenix is getting better” remarks Griffin, “I can’t quite see the end of the tunnel, but I can faintly see the light”.

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The Pool and Spa Industry goes Energy-Efficient with Variable Speed Swimming Pool Pumps

November 26, 2009 at 4:39 pm · Filed under Home & Family

Pentair IntelliFLO pump - THE BEST PUMP ON THE MARKET!

Variable Speed Pool Pumps – The Future of Swimming Pools

By choosing the proper pump, Swimming pool owners can expect savings of at least $400/year.

The high energy usage of their pool and spa is something that very few pool owners truly realize.  In fact, it’s actually one of the most electricity using appliances they have in their home.  The reason is that most pool pumps are built using an out-dated single speed motor that runs at a preset speed and horsepower.  With electricity supply in abundance, and energy conservation a low priority – this has been the industry standard for years.

So how in-efficient is my pool pump? A study recently proved that to run California’s 1.2 million swimming pools consumes roughly the same production as one nuclear power or two conventional energy plants (study by Davis Energy Group for Pacific Gas & Electric – 2004).  Simply consider ALL the swimming pools across the U.S., and the energy used by these family favorites.  Arizona too has an incredible quantity of backyard pools per home, which is why AZ pool builders are switching to these incredible new pumps.

The solution? Motors and Pumps that use less energy (by working smarter).

In the past few years, the swimming pool industry has seen some dramatic upgrades involving pool and spa pumps and motors.  The newest in power savings has come from the introduction of the revolutionary variable drive, variable speed swimming pool pump.  By using permanent magnetic motors, these new swimming pool pumps have been designed to use less electricity.  Permanent magnet motors, usually used in hybrid cars, provide about 30% power savings over standard induction motors. As the pool operator programs this pump to work at the minimum required capacity for each pool task (heating, cleaning, circulation, water features, etc.) power reduction can be as much as 90%!

By operating a swimming pool pump at its minimum speed needed to complete a job, it will dramatically minimize the energy consumed (only because it takes less power to move water slowly than quickly).  Did you know?  By reducing pump speed by half reduces power needed to an eighth of what was needed previously to get the job done.   These new swimming pool pumps enable the pool owner to set the pump speed and flow to perform swimming pool tasks with the minimal power required.

Energy Savings of $620 to $1,350

According to Pentair Pool and Spa, their IntelliFlo® and IntelliPro™ variable drive pumps routinely reduce energy use up to ninety %, depending on the models and circumstances for average savings of $620 to $1,350 annually.  Based on normal pool usage over 1 to 2 years, many pool owners are replacing their old pumps because a new variable drive pump will actually pay for itself. 

Electricity delivery charges are even higher in Arizona, and with Phoenix’s huge pool count, this new swimming pool pump has become an absolute necessity for pool builders in AZ when contracting new swimming pools.  The recent attention to energy efficient products makes owning a GREEN industry pump even more desirable in Arizona.

Specific Examples of how IntelliFlo pumps can be integrated in your swimming pool:

This pump can be used for an in-floor cleaning system booster pump, and it’s set at 3000 RPM, which is equivalent to a 2 horsepower pool pump.  The same pump can be turned down to a one-half horsepower pump to circulate & filter the water of the pool and spa.  Imagine a low and high speed hot tub jet mode… this can be obtained with a variable speed pump, some simple pool automation systems, and the push of a button!)  Another great use is the ability to control the flow of a waterfall or swimming pool water feature (it is also known to be used by high end residential Phoenix landscape design companies to manage the sound & flow of unique landscape water features and fountains).  The IntelliFlo Pentair pump can be programmed for variable speeds -  giving the pool owner a low speed fountain for a relaxing evening outside on the patio, or you can turn the speed up for FULL EFFECT for a family gathering!

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Some Very Good Reasons To Use A Salt Chlorine Generator In Your Swimming Pool

August 25, 2009 at 4:27 am · Filed under Property

Fiberglass Swimming Pools

Summer is the time to enjoy your swimming pool and Salt Water Chlorinators are making them much easier to maintain. Among the reasons for the growing popularity of salt water systems are the reduced need to handle chemicals and the potential for cost savings. Traditional chlorine erosion feeder may be cheaper in initial installation, but this process will continually make chlorine without having to do manual tablet-adding in the feeder. Despite a higher up front investment, in the long run, pool managers will see reductions in the cost of tri-chlor tabs or hypochlorite tabs as well as in transportation and storage costs.

Automatically transform small amounts of any standard non-iodized table salt or watre softener grade salt into chlorine with Salt Water Chlorinators: more popularly known as Salt Chlorine Generators. All you need is to add one teaspoon of salt for each gallon of pool water. Salt Chlorine Generators mean that all the trivial and time consuming tasks involved in keeping a swimming pool clean are reduced and you can enjoy your clean and clear swimming pool. In order to keep your swimming pool sanitized and free from algae, the use of Salt Chlorine Generators that automatically convert into chlorine small amounts of ordinary table salt or water softener grades of salt is recommended. For every gallon of pool water just add a teaspoon of salt.

Buying, hauling, and handling of chlorine is just a thing of the past with Swimming Pool Salt chlorine generators. It functions by changing a little amount of salt into a pure version of chlorine that cleans your water, which then automatically turns back into salt again, prepared the the following sanitation cycle. Salt Chlorine Generators are the most simple method for you to clean your pool and keep the water totally clear.

In the future saltwater chlorine will be used. The benefits of saltwater chlorine generation are numerous. In the last decade Saltwater Chlorination made its mark in the United States. It is very popular because it is easy to take care of, water standard and it is simple to manage algae.l

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Best Time to Build Yourself a Swimming Pool

July 27, 2009 at 8:29 am · Filed under Home & Family

Above Ground Swimming Pool Build

The winter is the time of year when many people start to think about their summer holidays, particularly when the weather is as cold as it has been. But the colder months are also the best time of year to build your own above ground swimming pool.

The current world-wide economic downturn is forcing many people to postpone their planned home moves as property values continue to depreciate. Uncertainty in the housing market is leading to many people looking at their existing homes and considering ways that they can enhance their property. Rooms in the roof, extensions, new kitchens and garden makeovers are all excellent ways to make the most of your current property, give you the space that you need and improve the quality of your life. Another is to add swimming pool to your garden.

Many homeowners think that swimming pool building is a spring or summer project. But building during the cooler months brings a number of advantages. You will find that out-of-season swimming pool pricing can be very favourable indeed, providing some significant savings over the prices charged during the peak months. The availability of the swimming pool that you want is another factor that is influenced by the time of year. You’ll find it easier to find the pool that you want during the off-peak period when demand is low. Also, delivery and installation can be more favourable outside of the peak summer months.

The big advantage is that your new swimming pool will have been installed and ready to use as soon as the weather turns that little bit warmer in the spring. When the warmer weather comes along your swimming pool supplier will be stretched with a backlog of orders and installations to carry out.

My advice to anyone who has been toying with the idea of having their own swimming pool installed in their garden is to gather a few quotes from reputable swimming pool suppliers now. You should be able to negotiate a significant discount and get yourself a bargain pool installed and ready for some summer fun.

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