Winter debris covers for swimming pool are still the UK’s no1 choice for general winterising however many pools constructed some 20 years ago are showing signs of wear and tear on the winter debris covers, Winter Debris covers take an awful lot of abuse during the winter periods with buffering from the wind, rain and then come under tension from snow and ice! 

So please be aware a frail old winter debris cover is exactly that ‘a debris cover’! They certainly cannot carry the weight of a person or even in some circumstances animals! Loop Loc is now deemed as the now safe alternative in the market and now it has just become a whole lot cheaper with our 35% discount offering! For full details on what makes loop loc so very special and the market leader please take time to view the online shop 

Or contact Deep End Pools 01494 681835

Self build is a term that has taken the home fix tag ‘DIY’ by storm Self build carries a larger responsibility with all the liability often on the ’self builder’ and swimming pools are no exception, we have experienced in 2010 28% of new build enquiry were in fact for self build swimming pools. And why not, there are now some excellent self build swimming pool kits on the market now offering the ’self builder’ ease of use, confidence backing and support often from a pool dealer when needed. 

Which self build swimming pool kit to choose? 

like anything the options and avenues are vast, and dependent upon your skill and ability anything is possible we would say a structure such as a tiled swimming pool would be left to absolute experts within the field such as Deep End Pools, however a simply sized average depth liner pool could be tackled by the self build swimming pool owner. 

Which kit? 

Block and Liner or Vycon swimming pool kit 

Well none of the kits on the market leave any room for error so please do not become fooled to believe this is an easy task. Level plumb and square being the key as in any construction. 

Block and liner self build swimming pools are becoming somewhat obsolete, history shows us these pools are often subject to cracks, blistered render sections and long term failure and require good clear weather conditions and skilled workmen, often the cheapest kit to buy off the shelf however often become the most expensive upon completion be warned! 

Polymer panels self build pools 

these kits really took the 90’s by storm replacing the old metal panel swimming pool kits across the country the benefits being speed non skilled labour build ability, longevity and being non susceptible to frost damage (this is key) Polymer panels often came in different sizes allowing you to be able to choose the pool size with ease, we suspect these systems built in and around the 90’s by good builders will be set for 30-40 years there in excess! Kits have historically been packaged extremely well some more than others, the down side of these kits in today’s market really only are oversized dig required, in turn potentially this means extra soil away and an increased amount of backfill is required in turn cost. 

ICF self build insulated concrete formworks swimming pool 

Build swimming pools as a self build option in the mid 00’s just got a whole lot easier! and as far as Deep End Pools is concerned this is the future in swimming pool construction ICF or insulated concrete formworks offer the ability for non skilled construction, long term finish not being susceptive to frost damage, light weight fast building methods Deep End Pools adopted ICF as its no1 choice for swimming pool construction in 2005, we have vast experience about what offers a good kit and what to avoid! But as a whole the self build swimming pool ICF kits are and will continue to be the future in swimming pool construction for many many years to come. 

Insulated swimming pool panels 

in the late 90’s a few companies came to market with metal panel systems backed with insulated fill, the self build kits offered in this market are extremely well marketed and brochures certainly look impressive however at Deep End Pools we still have a niggle that the system does not comprise of a polymer construction but instead metal, history has proven to the swimming pool contractor of past that metal in the ground corrodes! Whilst the metal panels are extremely well coated and offer good warranty we fear no one yet knows the long term implication of these systems in the ground we suspect a 25 year inspection some 15 years away will tell the tale of whether or not these system will be successful equally these systems certainly at the moment come at a huge premium however they do offer specific saving values and well supported and backed energy saving data so there is a lot to be said about this for the avid eco house builder requiring a self build swimming pool  

So self build for 2011? Why not investigate the opportunity now with Deep End Pools as we could possible help aid and assist you with you self build swimming pool needs 

01494 681835

A HOT TUB FILLED WITH BLOOD!!! 

With Halloween only a few days away Deep End Pools have seen an increase in sales of the infamous PARTY POOL! For those of you looking for a twist for you seasonal Halloween party this year why not consider trying some blood red Party Pool and transform your swimming pool hot tub or spa to a blood filled vampire retreat! 

Party pool is a temporary water colour changing fluid! Available in blue green and RED! 

It contains a small amount of algaecide as well, so can help the water 

The technical stuff aside Party Pool is a great big load of fun even for the shock tactic! Take advice before using it on your pool or spa from a Deep End Pools member and always read the label

Red Party Pool Halloween Prank

In the last five years we have seen the manufacturers costs for production drop as the market has evolved within the robotic swimming pool cleaner market, Traditionally Dolphin ruled the roost in the UK swimming pool market which have been extremely well backed and supported by the importer distributor Certikin International ltd, however in the last 18 months we have seen an influx to the market of alternative similar performing products naming a few Star Vac 2, Nitro pool cleaners, the Zodiac range of robotics, The Tiger Shark pool cleaner with integral cartridge rather than the more commonly used bag set up, aqua bot has come and gone within the market equally the Cayman pool cleaner.

So what can I expect from a robotic swimming pool cleaner? well to be honest when the correct cleaner is chosen for your swimming pool the variables normally being: structure type i.e. tiled, liner, concrete painted fibre glass indoor outdoor and size of swimming pool, and your pool dealer can advise the best unit suitable for use, the expectation level can be set quite high as for around a thousand pounds you purchase a fantastic time saving machine! from experience this season having trialled a Dirt devil Catalyst all season I have only had to vacuum my swimming pool by hand using a liner vacuum head and 2.2m telescopic pole and 9m certikin vac hose twice, the first being in early spring when the swimming pool season kicked off my pool carrying a fair amount of winter debris the load would have simply been too much for any pool cleaner this took me around 2 hours to clean (my pet hate) and the second time was only just recently when my friendly neighbours tree shed its foliage for the winter once more a dust bin amount of leafs! A further 1.5hours of hard work! the interim periods being March – mid October well the Dirt Devil swimming pool cleaner was activated normally on a Friday night on returning from work a quick flick of the switch followed by firing up the BBQ, then a return to the pool for the emptying of the integral filtration bag and general inspection followed by the storing of the precious time saving device in my box of tricks plant room ready for the following week or a Sunday clean if the pool had a bashing! Quick back to the BBQ and a reload of Pimms! Job done!

What do Deep End Pools look for when marketing a swimming pool cleaner?

well being pool owners and having looked after hundreds of swimming pools locally to our base in Beaconsfield and Maidenhead/ Cookham Berkshire our main aim when we choose product for sale is supplier backing, support, and ease of use in particular our most latest model the Dirt Devil Catalyst carries all the hallmarks of a good robotic swimming pool cleaner, we trialled the swimming pool cleaner late in 2009 and we have actively sold many units within 2010 the configuration is very similar to that of the star vac with foam rollers and internal filtration bag clearing particle matter down to 2 micron! So this obviously with the lower power consumption for running power than a standard swimming pool filtration pump can reduce swimming pool filter cycle run times given the Dirt Devils excellent filtration rate and particle size extraction so we could jump on the eco band wagon with these units! But at this stage our focus is achieving a clean swimming pool, of which the Catalyst dirt devil does just that.

There must be some maintenance with robotic swimming pool cleaners surely?

indeed please do not be fooled, the key to cable type robotic swimming pool cleaner ownership is simply good housekeeping, there is often on pretty much all units a cable that runs from the power pack to the pool cleaner, what we must remember is as the cable twists and turns so often will the cable many units in the market have swivel to help reduce twist to the cable however personally at home after two cleans to the swimming pool I spend 3 minutes no more carefully unwinding the supply cable removing any twists and turns, as the danger of not performing such a task can result in some circumstances a memory holding within the cable thus shortening the cable in its length, once this has happened it can be harder to remove the twists and often crimping of the cable the result can often be a repair needed of an average cost IRO £250-350.

the second most important good bit of housekeeping is simply the washing of the integral filtration bag, this is paramount on all robotic pool cleaners within the market, a failure to wash the cleaner bag can slow the cleaner put extra load and strain on the motors and drive mechanisms, remember if a filter bag filters to 2 microns the weight of the filter bag can become heavy when blocked, washing out of the bag is not the most pleasant often a grungy white milk so I choose to wear a fetching pair of marigolds pink in flavour of course! I choose to wash the bag after every use and check for any break down and wear within the bag as a hole could allow debris to pass the bag and shoot the debris straight back into the swimming pool spotting such a breakdown early can save a lot of time later on.

other items to note could be, general wear on foam or brushed rollers particularly prone to breakdown on an old concrete marbline swimming pool that has a rough finish, simply monitor wear and when you feel the cleaner no longer holds itself to the pool surface wall and floor, take your cleaner to your nearest pool workshop for a second opinion again the great thing about robotic pool cleaners when supported is the ability to repair and replace these units are not designed to be compared to the throw away suction pool cleaner market we see no reason why a good branded swimming pool cleaner achieve many years of service.

At Deep End Pools we pride ourselves as being somewhat connoisseurs of the robotic pool cleaner market so for some very helpful advice and support why not call one of our team today on:

01494 671787

Or if you would like more information on the Dirt Devil Catalyst to include the PDF brochure follow the below link or log into the deep end pools online shop more info.

http://www.deependpools.co.uk/dirt-devil-r-catalyst-automatic-pool-cleaner

England’s double Olympic winner Rebecca Adlington,  looks to in top condition and ready to grab the country’s first medal at tonight’s swimming races.

 Adlington is one of England’s last few stars left in this show and while Olympic and World athletic champions were pulling out. This is Adlington’s first Commonwealth Games so she is here with an inexperienced eye, reports one national press.

Adlington will swim in the heats of the 200metres this morning, with the final tonight. This is her weakest event and she has three quick Australians to get past for a medal.

It is unlikely to be gold, but a silver or bronze are very likely and it would spring England’s attack on the medals and bring a feel-good factor to a Games where the smile on the faces of the people is genuine but masks many problems.

“I never thought I was going to pull out. At the trials, we all said we were going to do it. We all expected the worst. When we got here we were all pleasantly surprised. It’s not bad at all. There are a few tiles that are not done but that is not a problem,” Adlington said.

Adlington has a busy workload with the 200m freestyle, 400m, 800m and 4×200m relay. It is the busiest championship she has ever had. If she is successful, she might repeat the programme at the London Olympics.

Adlington’s Olympic success distances – the 800m, where she is still the world record holder, and the 400m – will remain her top events where she is bookies favourite for both.