Latham Pool Builder Academy-Camp Penuel

Sterling Pools has once again participated in the Latham Pool Builder Academy.  The pool builder academy was organized to give pool builders from around the country an opportunity to receive hands on experience and instruction as they participate in the entire process of building a vinyl liner pool. 

When Latham International first introduced the pool builder academy, it was held in the yard of a homeowner that had purchased a pool and agreed to have the academy at their home.  Several years ago, Latham decided that the pool builder academy provided the perfect opportunity for them and other companies to give back to the community.  Now, each pool builder academy is held at the location of a charitable organization that would really benefit from having a pool.  The entire pool kit, automatic cover and circulation and filtration equipment are donated for the cause. 

This most recent pool builder academy was held Sept 25-29th in at Camp Penuel in Ironton Missouri. Camp Penuel is a Christen camp that provides over 1500 inter-city kids each summer the opportunity to spend a fun filled week at camp. 

While at camp, these kids experience the beauty of the outdoors as they participate in water sports on Lake Killarney, going on nature hikes, singing songs around the camp fire, playing team sports, and reading.  Camp Penuel gives these youth an uplifting environment, away from the city streets that they came from, where they can learn more about themselves.

Now, thanks to the pool builder academy, the youth that come to Camp Penuel will also enjoy swimming in a new swimming pool.

We are proud to give back to the community and will continue to do so semi-annually for every Pool Builders Academy we host.

Mermaid Pool, Spa & Patio Give Back!

Brenda Murr, Vice President, Mermaid Pool, Spa & Patio, Muncie, Ind. and one of our own Strong Support Sterling dealers has been spotlighted in the October 3rd edition of the Aqua magazine online e-news for their ongoing charitable efforts!

Congratulations and click here to read the full article - Aqua October 2011 Spotlight!

Albion Liner Tech Talk

An interesting article from one of our customers regarding liner fading.

In the many thousands of liners we process each year at WW Adcock the vast majority give many happy years of service.

Failures or problems are in low single digit %. However as you can imagine even 1% of 1000 liners is 10 liners, 2% 20 liners etc., so we are probably subjected to more issues  than the average builder/service company.

Today I was conducting a measure class for Adcock personal and here is a photo.
The damage you see here is something we encounter 3 or 4 times a year.

It is 4 years old. This is why this liner is damaged:

This pool has two skimmers, both located at the deep end. The main drain and the skimmers are plumbed together so the pump suction pulls through them all.

The homeowner loads up the skimmers with 3" chlorine tabs. They only run the pump for a few hours per day because of the cost of electricity.

The chlorine tabs then dissolve without the pump running. The heavy chlorine solution then sinks down the skimmer pipe and out through the main drain grate. You can see how bleached the liner is right at the edge of the grate. There is also some PH wrinkling that is hard to see. This is because high concentrations of chlorine has a very low PH and will cause the liner to absorb water and expand, hence PH wrinkles.

So for the cost of running a pump. A typical 1 hp pump uses 746 watts per hour. Average electricity rates are 10 cents a kilowatt hour. So this pump running 24 hours.... uses just shy of 18 kw hours x 10 cents = $1.80

The pump would cost $324 to run 24 hours a day for 6 months. If you only ran it for 8 hours a day you would save $216. The ruined liner cost approx $3500 to replace and lasted 4 years. In four years they saved $864. Net cost of saving electricity was $2636 for a new liner.

I really felt bad for the lady homeowner because she was very nice. My recommendation to her was;

Run the pump more or put in a two speed pump and run it on low half the time or plumb in a chlorinator. Without these precautions the replacement liner would also suffer the same fate.

Actually when building pools, is it a much better idea to have separate main drain and skimmer lines to stop this problem and also down the road it helps to isolate plumbing leaks.

If you have any head scratching liner failure questions we would be glad to give you an honest assessment and if we use your problem for our Tech Talk we shall give you a liner for half price.

PS There is still the possibility that the chlorine has also damaged the lines below the skimmer, especially if it was plumbed with flex pipe which will fail with high chlorine concentrations. In which case I would have to re-do the math above!

Nigel Leach
Director of Package Pool Sales
WW Adcock
Philadelphia PA

 We thank Nigel for this helpful information.

We have a winner!

Congratulations to Regina W. from Snellville, GA the lucky Grand Prize winner of our $10,000 Pool Makeover Sweepstakes.

Thousands of entries were submitted by homeowners nationwide for a chance to get a cool new look for their pool, and Regina was chosen.

Thank you to all who participated!

Pool Game - Dolphins Race or Relay

If there are just two players, this game is a race. With four or more players divide into teams and make it a relay.

Each team has a beach ball that the players must move from one end of the pool to the other by pushing the ball with their noses and forehead. If they touch the ball with their hands or any other part of their body they must go back to where that took place and start again.

When the player reaches the end of the pool the next player will do the same until one team is the winner.

Good swimmers can play by swimming in the deep end of the pool or the length of the pool. For a game with non swimmers, play in the shallow end.

ICC-ES Certified

ICC Certification – Building permits just got easier!

We are the only packaged swimming pool manufacturer to receive ICC-ES Certification of its products. What is ICC-ES? It’s the International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES), whose purpose is to ensure that building products meet code requirements.

Inspectors’ #1 Choice for Approving Building Codes Are ICC-ES-Certified Products*

Building inspectors and engineers look to the ICC-ES evaluation reports for evidence that the products and systems are code-compliant. Builders can receive a standardized branded swimming pool blueprint coded with an ICC-ES report # — stamped and signed by a licensed engineer!

*Final permit approval is up to the discretion of each individual municipality’s code official

Pool Game - Sharks and Minnows

The game starts out with one person selected as the shark and the rest as the minnows.

Designate one end of the pool as the minnows’ starting point and the other end as the minnows’ goal.

The shark starts in the water at the minnows’ goal, the minnows at their starting point. The minnows must be touching their starting point. The shark then shouts: "Sharks and Minnows, one two three, fishies, fishies swim to me!" after which the minnows may begin to swim to their goal.

The minnows do not need to leave right when the shark calls them over. Minnows can leave their starting point anytime after the shark calls them over. A minnow may return to their starting point at any time during play and be safe from being tagged while touching their starting end.

If the shark manages to tag a minnow, the minnow is out of play and becomes a shark in the next round. After all the minnows have either reached their goal wall or been tagged, the shark(s) swim to the opposite side of the pool from the minnows and the cycle starts again.

The game is played until all of the minnows have been tagged, then the last person tagged becomes the shark who starts the next round.

Here are some optional additions to these rules:

• Instead of tagging, sharks must hold some part of the minnow's body for three whole seconds before they become a shark
• No underwater tag: sharks can only tag minnows when some part of the minnow is above water
• Minnows can call "Early bird!" and start swimming to their goal before the shark has called them across. This can be prevented by the shark calling "No early birds!" at the start of the round.

Pool Game - Marco Polo

Marco Polo is a form of tag played in a swimming pool. It is a simple game that can be played with two or more players.

To play, One player is chosen as "It". That person closes his or her eyes, or is blindfolded, and counts to a certain number (usually 10 or 20). While the “it” person counts, the other players scatter around in the pool.

After counting to the pre-determined number, the “it” player tries to tag the other players, using only the sound of their voices to find them. The player who is "It" shouts out "Marco" and the other players must respond by shouting "Polo", which "It" uses to try to acoustically locate them.

When the “it” player tags another, that player becomes the “it” person and the game starts over again.

During the game, if "It" thinks that someone has climbed out of the pool, he or she can shout "fish out of water", and if anyone is out of the water they become "It". If someone sits on the side of the pool with their legs in the water, "It" can call out "mermaid on the rocks", or "fish out of water" and that player becomes "It".

Pool Game - Colors

A player is picked to be "it".  The player who is "it" then swims to one side of the pool and turns their back to the other swimmers who are lined up in the water on the opposite side of the pool as "it". 

Players choose a color and keep it to themselves (To make it easier you can limit the color choices, like to the colors of the rainbow). "It" begins to call out colors one at a time.  If a player's color is picked then the player tries to make it to the other side of the pool as quietly as they can. 

If "it" hears a player swimming then "it" turns around and tries to tag the player before they swim back to the side of the pool where they started.

If "it" turns around and the players still have a hand on the side of the pool then "it" returns to the side of the pool where they started and starts calling out colors again.

If "it" catches a swimmer then the swimmer becomes the new "it".

Sterling Pools receives a Best of Class Award for 2011

Sterling Pools receives a Swimming Pool Innovations Best of Class Award for 2011 from Poolandspa.com.  The award program recognizes outstanding and superior products, innovation and/or customer service in the pool & spa industry.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The Awards for this year were based on a combination of factors including product inspections and phone interviews, as well as very detailed consumer input through the use of a third-party consumer survey company.  Over 50,000 consumers were polled throughout 2008 to the present.  The 2011 Best Of Class Award Program focused on quality, not necessarily quantity.

Personal Financing

In case you haven’t already heard, Sterling Pools has teamed up with Lending Club to finally offer personal financing for that Sterling pool of your dreams!

Lending Club is an online financial community that brings together creditworthy borrowers and savvy investors so that both can benefit financially. We replace the high cost and complexity of bank lending with a faster, smarter way to borrow and invest.

The Lending Club experience is truly liberating. You can join in minutes. If you're borrowing, you can apply for a loan and get an instant rate quote. Everything is done online, so the whole process is fast, confidential, private, and secure.

With fixed rates starting as low as 6.78%APR*, no hidden fees, and a maximum of $35,000 allowance this is the perfect time to invest in a Sterling pool.

Apply for personal financing with Sterling Pools and Lending Club by visiting the application page HERE.




* Rate based on A1 Loan Grade, subject to credit approval. All loans made by WebBank, a Utah-chartered Industrial Bank. Annual percentage rates can range from 6.78% (A1) to 27.46% (G5). Your actual rate depends upon credit score, loan amount, loan term, and credit usage & history.

Eight Manufacturers Recall Pool and In-Ground Spa Drain Covers Due to Incorrect Ratings

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firms named below, announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Pool owners/operators and consumers who have one of the recalled pool or spa drain covers should immediately contact the manufacturer to receive a replacement or retrofit, depending on their make and model. Except for kiddie pools, wading pools and in-ground spas, retrofit or replacement of installed covers are not required in pools with multiple drain systems or gravity drainage systems or for covers installed before December 19, 2008.

The recalled drain covers were incorrectly rated to handle the flow of water through the cover, which could pose a possible entrapment hazard to swimmers and bathers.

No Incidents/Injuries have been reported.

Manufacturers: A&A Manufacturing, of Phoenix, Ariz.; AquaStar Pool Products Inc., of San Diego, Calif.; Color Match Pool Fittings, of Surprise, Ariz.; Custom Molded Products, of Tyrone, Ga.; Hayward Pool Products, of Elizabeth, N.J.; Pentair Water Pool and Spa, of Sanford, N.C.; Rising Dragon USA, of E. Sweetwater, Tenn.; and Waterway Plastics, of Oxnard, Calif.

The recall involves various pool and spa drain covers that can be identified by the manufacturers’ name and model information listed below. Visit each firm’s website for photos of recalled drain cover models.

Company	Their website	Dates Sold	Remedy
A&A	www.aamfg.com	Dec. 2008-Apr. 2011	Replacement or Retrofit
AquaStar	www.aquastarpoolproducts.com	Dec. 2008-Apr.2011	Replacement or Retrofit
Color Match	www.poolfittings.com	Dec. 2008 – Apr. 2011	Replacement or Retrofit
Custom Molded Products	www.c-m-p.com	Dec. 2008-Apr. 2011	Replacement or Retrofit
Hayward Pool Products	www.hayward-pool.com	Dec. 2008 – Apr. 2011	Replacement or Retrofit
Pentair Water Pool & Spa	www.pentairpool.com	June 2009 – Apr. 2011	Replacement or Retrofit
Rising Dragon	www.risingdragonplastics.com	Dec. 2008 – Apr. 2011	Replacement or Retrofit
Waterway	www.waterwayplastics.com	Dec. 2008 – Apr. 2011	Replacement or Retrofit

Consumers with drain covers from Waterway Plastics should contact the firm toll-free at (866) 719-6044 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT, or visit the manufacturer’s web site at http://www.waterwayplastics.com/.

For additional information, consumers should contact the Drain Cover Recall Hotline toll-free at (866) 478-3521 any time, or visit the Drain Cover Recall website at www.apsp.org/draincoverrecall.

Introducing the NEW Slate Gray/Black Granite

Slate Gray/Black Granite

Introducing classic elegance for swimming pools with the new Slate Gray/Black Granite liner now available.

This striking and dramatic new pattern will give your pool an exquisite trend-setting style.

Our new Slate Gray/Black Granite liner is a great liner choice for both new construction and replacement liners.

Visit our website to find a dealer near you.

Latham Pool Builder Academy Wings of Steel

The Pool Builder Academy began with measuring and marking the location for the pool. We then watched as the excavator did a fantastic job on excavating for the pool. When the hole was ready, the pool walls were positioned in the hole, bolted together, squared and leveled. The pool was completely plumbed and the concrete collar was poured around the base of the pool walls to end off the day.

Day two began with us dividing the attendees into smaller groups. While working with our group, we installed our polymer housing, one piece rounded vinyl liner encapsulation with 2 ft radius corners and our flush deck lid. While we were installing our components, another group worked on applying a sand/concrete mix to the bottom of the pool. We all worked very quickly on this day as we were working on beating the rain that had been threatening all morning. We all worked together to drop the liner in place then watched as water trucks filled the pool.

We started day three at the hotel going over product presentations. We had the first hour to discuss the benefits of automatic covers, and why they should buy a Coverstar automatic cover. Latham then did a presentation on their products. They also gave instruction on how to measure for a new liner. We then went to the job site to see the progress of the pouring of the concrete deck.

The morning of day 4 was spent installing our system. We worked with the attendees and completed the full cover system installation. All of the attendees were impressed when they saw the cover operate. Some of the attendees had some prior experience working on some of our competitors systems, and after seeing our system, recognized that it is a high quality product.

Pool Builders Academy

This month, Latham International and affiliates gave flight to a family’s dream.

From April 10 – 14, 2011 Latham International, the largest manufacturer of inground residential swimming pool components, with their continued commitment to giving back, donated their seventh  inground swimming pool to a very deserving family.

“We started working with local dealers around the country that we sell our products to – to identify charitable causes that can use water therapy,” said Peter Moran, Technical Services Manager of North America.  Peter runs two pool builds each year, dubbed “pool schools”.

The Beck family of Sicklerville, NJ is anxiously waiting for summer to begin so they can enjoy their brand new inground swimming pool, built very recently by members of Latham International’s Pool Builders Academy.  This family was chosen based on the compassion and drive they have to help each other overcome difficulties and achieve dreams.

Having raised two children of their own, parents Chuck and Dorothy Beck, have adopted ten beautiful children: Emily, Dakota, James, Marlyn, Serena, Joshua, Isaiah, Gianna, Jesse and Shamar — ten children who look forward to enjoying splashing, swimming, water therapy and spending time with one another in their very own pool. 

“Several of our children, like Gianna (age 9) and Jesse (age 12), they have spina bifida and cerebral palsy and spinal cord injuries. And just the therapy of it, the water therapy of it would be really good,” said grateful mom Dorothy Beck. “I can’t wait to swim in it,” said Joshua Beck, age 7. 

The children range from 20-months-old to 20-years-old and are from different places — like 9-year-old Gianna who is originally from Haiti. She has severe cerebral palsy, but is very sweet and is completely dependent. Three children (Jesse, 12; Isaiah, 12; and Raymond, 19) all love to play sled hockey. Jesse has a rare form of spina bifida. Isaiah was born with many heart defects and has orthopedic issues, is deaf in one ear and has major learning disabilities. Raymond has been a paraplegic since he was 10-months old. Adopted at 5-years old, he has been playing sled hockey for the last 10 years, which has allowed him to travel the country and the world.

We at Latham are proud to have donated the entire pool kit, which includes the wall panels, braces, steps and liner.  We’re equally proud of the companies who supported our efforts and donated their time and or materials.  This combined effort included, construction equipment, stone for backfill, permits, landscaping and crew time donated by the host builder, "The Pool Store," and Toni Williamson.  For the past three builds, Pentair has also helped out with these academies, conducting a seminar on hydraulics and assisting with the proper set up of the Pentair hydraulic system.  Coverstar, a division under the Latham International umbrella, donated the automatic cover for the pool and were responsible for a seminar on the assembly and installation.  Superior Pool Products (SPP) located in Blackwood, NJ donated all the white goods, stainless steel handrails, plumbing fittings and pipe, safety rope and more.

“They (Latham) said we wanted to find a local family so they said sure, you guys can do that, so then we were introduced to Dorothy and Chuck Beck,” said The Pool Store’s Toni Williamson.

For the builders, the days were filled with hands-on courses designed to teach contractors the technical skills needed to build residential vinyl liner in-ground pools — and for a good cause.  The course topics included code awareness, pool layout and excavation, panel and step assembly, automatic cover installation, plumbing/hydraulics/filtration assembly, concrete bond beam and bottom installation, receptor options and liner installation, deck pour/float and safety – all from APSP certified builders.  Participants earned 32 hours of APSP technical credit for completing the course, but more importantly – the priceless memory of helping out a well-deserving family!

“All of us at Coverstar, LLC are excited to participate in this event.  It has been a fantastic experience and my fifth build,” said Kevin Losee, Project Manager for Coverstar, LLC. 

We are proud to give back to the community and will continue to do so semi-annually for every Pool Builders Academy we host.

Other recent builds include: Grace Harbor in Cropwell, AL (a Christian-based recovery facility/home being used to house women in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, as well as women who’ve paid their debt to society), the Crumley House Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center in Johnson City, TN; the Lighthouse Ranch for Boys in Loranger, LA and the Tupelo Children's Mansion in Tupelo, MS, which offers temporary and longer-term care to children in need of a safe and loving environment.

# # #

Headquartered in Latham, N.Y., Latham International is the largest manufacturer of inground swimming pool components in North America with 15 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. It was founded in 1956 by Merrill Laven, father of our current President and CEO, Mark Laven.

Is A Sterling Pool Right For You?

Sterling Pool - Lagoon

You know it is. Still, there are some things to consider.

The two most common questions are cost and space.

Yes, there is a Sterling Pool to fit almost any budget and any yard. Also, now with the help of PERSONAL FINANCING your options are endless!

Plus is takes 75% less time to install a vinyl lined pool as compared to other pool construction technologies.
Maybe you like parties. Sophisticated evenings by the pool side. In that care you might like a Gemini or a Riviera Mark II.

Or maybe you just like to have fun with friends and family. A large Lagoon or Full-L should fit the bill nicely.

It’s your decision. Your life style. Your expectations.

With so many standard shapes and sizes, it’s a good bet your Sterling Pool will live up to them.

Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a $10,000 POOL MAKEOVER! Time is running out to enter so hurry!

Pool Builders Academy Update

This year’s Pool Builders Academy in Sewell, New Jersey is well underway.  The Academy’s last day of working will be April 14^th. The builders have already began building and installing the new vinyl liner pool for the “Wings of Steel” residents.

Check back for more updates and video!

Options, Options, Options

There are so many options to consider when purchasing a new Sterling Pool. We know you want nothing more than to have a pool that is personalized for YOU. Sterling Pools offers many options with your new pool.

Shape

Sterling Pools offers 19 different pool shapes. From classic, lap pools, and free form.

Liners

Sterling Pools offers a ton of options when it comes to liners. daVinci Exclusive Patters, daVinci Core Patterns, and our SignatureSeries Limited Edition. That’s over 30 different designs to choose from.

Steps

Sterling Pools offers 4 different step options. Wedding Cake, Performance Thermoplastic, Steel Steps, and Acrylic/Fiberglass.

Spas

Why not add a little bit more enjoyment to your Sterling Pool by adding a spillover spa? Spillover spas are available in round, scalloped, and square.

Coping

Coping creates a smooth and uniform perimeter around your SterlingPool. Contact your Strong Support Dealer today to show you the many coping options available.

Safety Covers

There are two types of pool safety covers, standard covers and automatic covers.  Our standardcovers are available in a variety of colors and are custom-manufactured to match your specific pool shape and size.  Automatic covers are engineered to cover your pool with just the touch of a bottom. No more bending over and strapping down your pool cover. Just flip the switch, sit back, and watch your pool automatically cover itself.

We know with all the options you will choose what is best for you so you can enjoy your Sterling Pool to its fullest potential. Contactyour local Strong Support Dealer today!