The massive expanse of water covers an incredible 20 acres, has a deep end of 115 feet and contains 66 million gallons of water. It took a full five years to build and cost nearly 1 billion dollars. Annual maintenance costs are expected to be in the region of 2 million dollars.

Advanced engineering techniques have been used by Chilean biochemist Fernando Fischmann, and his Crystal Lagoons Corporation, to construct the immense pool. It uses sea-water in constant circulation, drawn in at one end and pumped out at the other.

With everyone’s attention now focusing on starting up their swimming pool for what we all hope will be a better summer than last year, the steady rise in energy costs are providing pool owners with additional cost they could do without. In the Observer 20th April, Tim Webb writes

Energy companies are preparing to slap hard-pressed households with a second massive hike in utility bills this year. Bills could start rising again in the summer by as much as 25 per cent, or an average £250 per household.

With these increases in mind, making savings on the running costs of swimming pools will become more and more in peoples minds. One area we have noticed is where pool owners who have a perfectly good heating system such as an oil or gas heater and are buying an alternative heater to reduce their heating costs. These alternative heating systems tend to be heat pumps or solar heating systems such as our pool solar or the solar sun rings. If the forecasts are correct then a 25% increase in energy costs on top of the significant increases already seen over the past twelve months will dramatically increase the running costs of those swimming pool owners with gas, electric or oil heaters. The capital outlay of a heating system such as a heat pump is relatively high approx £2,000 to £3,500 for most inground pool sizes, but being able to reduce heating bills by 70% means that this capital outlay will potentially be recovered in the first year and certainly should by the second year.

Smaller pools, such as Intex, Bestway, splasher and the more substantial above ground pools such as the wooden or steel frame pools can also now benefit from a heat pump, with the price of a heat pump as low as £549, where as in previous years the only source of heating a small pool would be via an electric heater. Running costs can be higher than people imagine espcecially with the smaller above ground pools where pool owners new to having a pool are shocked at the additional costs involved.

There is a lot of negative news at the moment regarding house prices, energy costs, cost of food etc but within the swimming pool industry there are more and more products available that will reduce some of the overheads that in previous years were unavailable. We all hope for a better than average summer and weather forcecasters such as metcheck accuweather and the metoffice all predict a better than average summer. If this is the case and summers are going to become warmer then passive heating systems such as the solar sun rings and pool solar heating systems will come into there own. With the right type of products it is possible to control the overheads conneceted to running your swimming pool.

Studies have found that some swimmers have lost weight, some stay the same and some have even gained a few pounds. In most cases where weight was actually gained it was found that this was due to increased muscle build up and not fat.

Swimming places a significant demand upon the heart and lungs potentially providing a valuable aerobic workout. The buoyancy of the water can be enormously useful to those who are overweight, pregnant women and people who may have injuries or disabilities. Aqua aerobics is a form of aerobics performed in the water where the buoyancy and support of the water provides cushioning and support. The water also offers resistance making it harder to move your arms and legs thus increasing the effort required to do so.

When looking into reasons why some swimmers didn’t experience any significant weight loss it was found that some were simply not doing it for long enough and not exerting themselves enough during their swimming routines. Also, exercise needs to be used in conjunction with a healthy, balanced diet in order for it to be effective in losing weight.

Weight Loss Tips

Here are a few tips to help you shed a few pounds through swimming and water based exercising:

1. Start by looking at your diet and making certain you are eating a healthy, balanced mixture of foods
2. Always start gently by warming up with some water based exercise and maybe a few freestyle lengths of the pool
3. Push yourself to swim as hard as you can for a short distance and then rest. Try 100 metres, take a rest and then repeat this several times
4. Try some aqua aerobics by walking through the water both forwards and backwards, running on the spot and swinging your arms in the water like a long distance skiier
5. Combine your water based exercise routines with some land based exercises. These may involve walking, stretching, arm swinging and regular aerobics
6. Vary your exercise routines in order to keep them interesting and challenging
7. Many people feel very hungry after a water based workout. Don’t give in to the fast-food temptation. Eat fruit and drink plenty of water.
8. Most importantly - have fun!

If you enjoy your exercise you will want to do it more so why not invite some friends over to share your pool and workout together. If you don’t already have a swimming pool you might like to consider our Wooden Exercise Pools. At only 3.9m by 2.4m they will fit into even the smallest of gardens.

• World’s deepest swimming pool has 2 pools, 3 pits (5, 10 and 33m) and 2,500,000 liters of spring water

Swimming Pool Safety

• In the USA 300 children under age 5 die and 2,000 more children under age five visit hospital emergency rooms for submersion injuries every year!!!

Swimming pools are tremendous fun but care should be taken at all times. At H2ofun we stock swimming pool safety fence, swimming pool alarm systems and safety covers to help you keep your pool safe. Contact us to find out more

Swimming Pool Heating

• Most experts recommend around 78° for swimming pool water to be the most comfortable, but many peoples actually prefer warmer water, 80° or more

We know that a lot of customers want their pools to reach these tempretures as a minimum. With energy cost at a premium, heating your pool can be an expensive business. Swimming Pool Heat Pumps are an ideal way in which to heat your pool at a fraction of the cost of electric, gas or oil heaters.

Solar Power for Swimming Pools

• Sunlight travels to the earth in approximately 8 minutes from 93,000,000 miles away

Well if going to all that trouble we may as well use it!! Using solar energy is becoming more and more common in the UK and we are finding that people are asking for solar heating systems as much as any other type of heater, we stock Solar Sun Rings and Solar panel systems such as Poolsolar and Piwi. But solar energy is not just confined to heating the swimming pool, this year a number of UK companies are promoting solar powered cover systems. We are able to supply Abriblue pool solar covers. Call to find out more!

and lastly

• If you put a can of diet Coca Cola and a can of regular Coca Cola in a swimming pool….. the can of regular Coke will sink, but the can of Diet Coke will float!

Shocking a pool involves using specially formulated chemical treatments that will oxidise and break down unwanted material in the pool. Your swimming pool may need shock dosing if:

• There is a green Algae in the water
• The pool water has gone cloudy
• The pool has not been treated with a sanitiser for a period of time

You must ensure that your pump and water filtration systems are clean and fully operational before commencing the treatment. Contact us for advice on the correct treatment for your pool and read the manufacturers advice before applying. The amount of shock treatment needed depends largely upon the size of your pool. When applying water treatment you should use your pool skimmer to ensure that it is distributed throughout the water.

After applying the shock treatment the pool water must be tested to ensure that pH and Chlorine/Bromine levels are safe before using the pool.

For advice on the right pool treatment to apply to your pool water give us a call on 0845 408 4976.

In 2006 there were constant drought worries but since then we have had sustained rainfall that has replenished the reservoirs and groundwater storage and it is encouraging to hear that the predicted warm weather is mixed with some rain for the summer of 2008.

So how hot will it be this summer?? who knows but if the summer is as warm and long as predicted then preparing your swimming pool for 2008 should not be to far from your thoughts. Passive heating systems are already proving popular this year and at h2ofun we are introducing poolsolar in addition to the piwi swimming pool solar heating system. The solar sun rings is also an ideal heating system that uses the suns energy to heat up swimming pools and these are far more effective than the traditional solar covers.

Heat Pumps for Swimming Pools

Heat Pumps are now becoming the first choice for swimming pool heaters. The range of heat pumps has changed dramatically over the past few years with a significant number of new heat pumps entering the market. At last years european show in Barcelona, the international swimming pool show in Orlando and this years SPATEX there were new heat pumps being introduced by most of the major swimming pool distributors. With so many new models on the market it can be confusing which model to go for. Prices can vary dramatically, we have this year introduced a 3kw heat pump for £549. Warrenty should be a major consideration when looking at a heat pump, we offer 5 years on our competition range and 3 years on our eco range of heat pumps. Also, if the heater has a titanium element you should expect the heat pump to last longer than if traditional materials are used.

Whatever heater you use lets hope that for once the weather stations get it right and we all enjoy a long hot summer.

Below is a sky news video on the prediction for this years summer

Beachcomber are this year celebrating their 30th anniversary, engineering quality hot tubs that are at the forefront of the hot tub market. The full range of Beachcomber hot tubs will be on the h2ofun website and will provide full and detailed information onbeachcomber’s 700, 500 and 300 range of hottubs. There are many reasons why you should chose one of these hot tubs over other hot tubs and we would be delighted to discuss the benefits of becoming a beachcomber owner. If you have been to the ideal home exhibition you will have noticed that there are so many brands and styles of hot tubs. It can be very confusing to identify which type is best for you, especially when deals are offered if you place an order there and then. If you are looking for clear concise information and you are local to our h2ofun show room at stuarts garden centre pop in for a chat, or call to arrange an appointment.

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On the h2ofun website we have identified zero or low carbon emission products and these products will carry a specific logo . This eco2 logo also applies to products that use an alternative to products that are not environmentally friendly such as chlorine.

Currently we have a large range of heat pumps, solar heating systems, solar sun rings, salt chlorinators for swimming pools and aquagarde for hot tubs and these products will carry the eco2 logo

We will continue to look for new products that fit this category and would welcome any ideas on enviromentally friendly swimming pool products that you may have.

Building an inground swimming pool does take some careful planning but today you can like most products buy an off the shelf package that can be installed by a reasonably competent DIYer and will not cost the earth. With a new inground swimming pool like our diy Kafko swimming pool that can be installed in around 7 to 10 days you can plan today and potentially have your swimming pool up and running before the start of the season.

One of the questions we get asked when people are considering an inground swimming pool is the running costs. While items such as water treatment products like chlorine have dropped in price and can even be replaced by products such as salt chlorinators, heating a pool can put people off. Electric, gas and oil have increased dramatically over the past few years and will most probably continue to rise. Although these costs have gone up, new products have entered the swimming pool market place that can reduce the average heating costs by 75% or more. Passive heating such as solar sun rings and solar heating systems are becoming increasingly common and as such the price for these products is being driven down. The same can be said for heat pumps which use approx 25% of the heat an alternative system such as an electric heater or gas heater would consume.

The Kafko DIY Swimming Pool comes with probably the best set of instructions of any DIY inground swimming pool. The full instructions are also backed up by comprehensive video that explains the 7 days installation programme. We are also here to back you up with information and guidance if required. So even though March is roaring in like a lion lets hope the saying is correct and it leaves as gently as a lamb, and if in luck we might just get a repeat of the warm April we all enjoyed last year.

Intex Pools come in an assortment of shapes and sizes allowing you to find the perfect choice for the area you have available, the age of the people using it and how many will be in the Intex pool at one time. The Choices are

Intex Easy Set pools

Intex Metal Frame pools

Intex Ultra Frame Pools
Intex Ellipse Pools

The cheapest of the Intex Pools and generally regarded as the easiest Intex Pool to erect is the Intex Easy Set pool. The design is an inverted bell shape which uses an inflatable ring around the top of the Easy Set Pool to bring the side walls up as the pool fills with water. The benefits of an Intex Easy Set pool are the cost, ease of filling and value for money. The main things that you need to be aware of is that the water level is always 6 inches lower than the top of the Easy Set pool and that the ground has to be very level otherwise the walls will not rise properly. If these points are not an issue and you are looking for a great value, quick to build pool for your younger kids then the Intex Easy Set Pool is for you.

The oval version of the Easy Set Pool is the Intex Ellipse Pool which uses buttresses along the side to support the elongated pool wall. This style of the Intex Pools allows very large temporary pools to be installed in your garden for the summer, with very good swimming depths. Remember to allow at least an extra 2 metres on each side of the pool for access and also for the supports. The Intex Ellipse Pools even come with an Intex Salt Chlorine Generator option. A very good addition to the Intex Pools range.

The next in the range of Intex Pools is the Intex Metal Frame Pool. This range can be further broken down to the regular Intex Metal Frame Pools and the newer Intex Ultra Frame Pools. The Intex Metal Frame Pools have white circular tubed legs and the Intex Ultra Frame Pools havel metal coloured Oval shaped legs. Both of these Intex Metal Frame pools are very high quality and are very robust. The Intex Metal Frame Pools or the Intex Ultra Frame pools are definitely what you should buy if you have older children (and I am including the adults in that too) and you need a more robust style of Intex Pool. The benefits of the Metal Frame pools or Ultra Frame Intex Pools are their strength, deeper swimming depth, as the pool water will go higher up the wall than an Easy Set Pool, and greater versatility.

My personal choice for my family is the Intex Metal Frame pool, but each family has different needs and gardens so choose the one that best suits your garden and family.

I hope this helps you in deciding which of the Intex Pools you will buy, but if you are still unsure then please call me on 0845 408 4976. I would be pleased to advise you personally.

Rob Terry

0845 408 4976