Swimming Pool Tips and Reviews

Securing your load on your vehicle is not only a safety issue but the law in many states. For me as a pool service professional I have two heavy carts riding on the tongue of my bumper. A Ratchet Tie-Down Strap is one of the most effective ways of securing your load. There is a bit of a learning curve with a Ratchet Tie-Down Strap on how to actually use it effectively. I have purchased many sets over the years and I have not found any that explain the set-up well. The manufacturer simply expects you to know how to use the product. So this video will cover the installation and set-up of the Ratchet. I am using an Everest 15 foot long by 2 in 1,100 lbs load limit Ratchet Tie Down. It has a break strength of 3,300 lbs so is is more than sufficient to hold both of these service carts in place if something were to happen to the Receiver or Hitches. Both carts together weigh less than 250 lbs. But it is better to get the strongest tie down you can find just to be on the safe...

The Riptide Large Service Cart Transport Rack is an excellent hitch and lock system. Although many aspects of the Riptide are similar to its competitors the Transport Rack sets it apart. The Transport Rack is easy to assemble and install. The Riptide Vacuum System is a great way to service those pools that constantly get a lot of leaves and debris. It works off of a 12V AH battery and all of the debris is trapped in the large filter bags on top. I really like the Large Service Cart because it can carry so much stuff back to the pool and it comes with a very nice cord reel that will feed out the cord as you need it. So in order to get the cart onto your service truck and to secure it in place Riptide has come up with an innovative locking system. The cart and vacuum head are locked into place by a very secure double safety clamp on top and an extra deep grooved bottom hitch. You can rest assured that the cart and vacuum will not fall off during transport. To avoid ...

This is the Casa Newport 9.9” Skimmer Lid. What makes the Casa Newport skimmer lid different is the unique design which adds a lot of style to your existing pool and deck. The Casa Newport lid is a faux metal lid, although they do make an actual metal lids also. I really like the look of these skimmer lids and first saw them at a local pool show a couple of years ago. These are about 2-3 times the price of your standard skimmer lid so figure to spend $30 -$45 for the plastic lid depending on the size and style. The real metal lids will run you from $60- $80. These aren't inexpensive but they really look great. I know a few small manufacturers personally like Tal from Multi-Tork and the cost for making a product is not cheap. So the prices will be higher since it cost more to make the product on a smaller scale. It is not that the manufacturer has a 200% mark-up, it just cost more to make and they have to pass that cost to the consumer. Replacing your skimmer lid...

The NEW Riptide Vacuum System is loaded with features and is a great way to clean those pools on your route that get a lot of debris. It is a powerful battery powered cleaner that traps debris in a fine micron bag on top. I will go over some of the features and set up of the Riptide Vacuum and large service cart. The Riptide Vacuum is designed to be user friendly when replacing parts. The Motor is shipped disconnected from the cord and it is very easy to screw in the power cord. This feature allows for easy motor replacement down the road and once you connect the power cord to the motor you will n ot need to disconnect it again until you change the motor. The Riptide Vacuum does not use the standard clip for your pool pole to connect to the vacuum head. In order to create a rigid and reliable connection there is a “Quick Snap Pole Coupler” included that you will permanently attach to your pool pole. This will allow for trouble free connection to the Riptide vacuum...

This is the NEW Riptide Vacuum System with the large Commercial Service Cart. The Riptide Vacuum works independently from your pools filtration system. It runs off of a 12 Volt  battery that is attached to the service cart. It has a powerful motor that sucks up leaves, dirt and debris into a bag on top of the vacuum. There are similar products on the market and is there room for a third manufacturer of this type of vacuum? The manufacturer of the Riptide thinks so and this first model is pretty solid. Here are some key features on the vacuum. The Vacuum has a 24” long vacuuming path. This makes it ideal for large sweeps on the bottom of the pool. The large head does make vacuuming steps and attached spas a little harder, but the shear power of the Riptide vacuum almost makes up for this. The motor is a 30 lb thrust motor and the Riptide casing is designed to hug the pool floor allowing it to have an excellent seal which allows it to pick up debris with ease. So the vacuum...

This is the new SweepEase ® Aquadynamic pool brush, the Algae-zilla 10” Stainless Steel Algae Brush. It uses the same innovative design of the original SweepEase brushes that allows for the brush to “stick” to the pool wall creating more force with much less effort. I got a chance to test this brush prior to it's production release and it works great. This brush should be available online, in stores and at your pool wholesaler later this month. For more information on it now like pricing and where to purchase you can go to the SweepEase website and email the owner: http://sweepease.com/ I like supporting these small business inventors, especially if their product is good. I have meet the owner a couple of times now at the pool shows and he is dedicated to bringing the best product to market. He has been developing the Algae-Zilla for over a year now and it shows. This thing will take stubborn algae right off of the pool wall with very little effort. The compact 10...

The Skimdevil Solar-Powered Robotic Surface Skimmer is designed to be primarily controlled by a Smart Phone/Tablet Application (App). The Skimdevil is unique in this respect for a robotic pool cleaner. The App is designed for an Andriod device and an Apple device and is very good. The Skimdevil is a robotic pool surface skimmer and would be great for pools that get a lot of surface debris, run off of a variable speed pump or has a skimmer that is not effective. The Skimdevil works great at removing the surface debris and will keep your pool surface looking mirror clean. Once you install the Skimdevil App you can do all kinds of things with the cleaner. The Menu screen is set up in a very simple and easy to use fashion and the App connects with the Skimdevil via a Bluetooth connection. From this screen you can turn the cleaner on and also change the factory preset settings. Also displayed is the water temperature, wind speed, battery level and Bluetooth connectivity. ...

The Skimdevil® Robotic Solar Powered Surface Cleaner is a revolutionary way to keep your pool clean everyday. It will operate all day long and skim the surface effectively eliminating all of your pools surface debris. The Skimdevil comes loaded with features and is the most high tech surface skimmer on the market. The Skimdevil is designed to be primarily controlled by a Smartphone or Tablet App. You can download the App here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skimdevil/id1161723510?mt=8 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skimdevil&hl=en Once you download and install the App in your device you can connect it to your Skimdevil and you can control the cleaner from your device or phone. It is quite innovative and the connection is very good thru the use of Bluetooth connectivity. All you have to do after installing the App is to hit "Start" and the Skimdevil will start to operate with the factory set run time of 30 minutes on and 45 minu...