Ken

This past week we lost one of our oldest customers over a service mis-understanding.

With few exceptions we have all of our pools set-up for weekly service.  Some are scheduled twice a week for various reasons but those customers pay an additional amount for that service.  Our routes are divided up by location so we can save time and money by staying on certain routes on certain days.

Although we don’t guarantee that we will be at your pool on the same day every week (we only promise weekly service) we are usually at your pool on the same day at about the same time every week.  Just because we may not get to your pool on our ‘regular’ day or time doesn’t mean that we have skipped or missed you.  We’ve simply had to service your pool on a different day &/or time that particular week.  I try to get e-mails out before that happens but sometimes I don’t get around to it.  We don’t skip our customers weekly service…  period!

That being said… we ARE at your pool only one time per week at whatever time that may be.  When we walk out of your backyard your pool is clean, chemicals are right, and all of the pool equipment is either running properly OR we’ve opened a work order to get a repair scheduled.   We try to leave a ‘service ticket’ somewhere in your pool area to let you know what’s going on with your pool but that doesn’t always happen… sometimes we leave dog treats (when we have them) for your pets AND to let you know we were there…  but rest assured…  WE WERE THERE…  and we did our job… every week!

Now… THAT being said… we (Dan, Aaron & I) have very little contol over the weather, wild animals, birds, vegetation, etc..  Like I said, when we walk out of your backyard all of your pool stuff is good to go.  If the wind comes up 20 minutes later and blows half the valley’s dust into it.. it’s not our fault.  Nor is it our job to come back and re-clean your pool.  If that night a bird falls in the pool while trying to get a drink we can’t be held responsible.  If the pool cleaner is moving around like it’s supposed to but the following day a wheel falls off… please… let us know right away… but don’t tell us that we didn’t do our job when we were there the day before!

We can’t be responsible for your pool 24/7.  We can only take care of it for the 20 minutes to an hour that we are there each week.  What happens before or after our services is out of our control. 

If it gets windy and lots of crap blows into your pool just turn your pump on and keep checking the skimmer basket so you can empty it when it gets full.  That will usually keep the pool clean until we get back next week.

Wow!   I feel much better!  Take care and I’ll see you all soon.     Ken

 Well.. well… Hi again everyone! 

Spring is here and we’re all getting into our spas & hot tubs to relax and enjoy a good glass of wine (or champagne!) and stare out at the evening sky with our wives, girlfriends, husbands, boyfriends, kids, dogs, cats, whatever… I just wanted to take a little time to get out some SAFETY INFORMATION that is kind of important to know about spas & hot tubs.  I got the article from the Sta-Rite Pool website and pasted it on here so the format may be off a little but read it anyway cause it’s all great information! 

MOST IMPORTANTLY…. Keep your eye on the kids around water… they can disappear in a heartbeat!

A.  A spa should always have dual suction outlets to prevent entrapment.  All tub suction fittings should be certified to meet the current ASME/ANSI Standards that apply.                                               B.  Keep the water temperature in your spa below 104° F (40° C). Age or health conditions (especially pregnancy) may require a lower temperature; consult a physician for more information. If you’re not sure, start at a lower temperature and gradually increase it, but don’t go above 104° F (40° C). Keep an accurate thermometer in the spa; check the temperature before  getting in.                                            C.  If you are using alcohol or drugs (including medications), don’t use the spa or hot tub. The combination of hot water and either alcohol or drugs (or both) can cause dizziness, falling, unconsciousness, or a heart attack.                                                                                                        D.  A long bath in hot water may cause hyperthermia (too much heat in the body) which can be fatal. Some symptoms of hyperthermia are:  • Nausea • Dizziness • Fainting   If these symptoms appear while you are in the spa, GET OUT AT ONCE!  Cool the body quickly with cold towels or a cool shower.  Call a doctor if the symptoms don’t go away.                                                                            E.  Letting the spa jet pump run at high speed overnight with the spa covered can heat the water in the spa to extremely high temperatures, from the friction of the water flowing through the pump and piping system.This can scald you and may cause spa shell failure and a flood of hot  water.  Turn off the jets whenever the spa is not in use.                                                                                                                F.  Never alter the electrical cord or plug on the spa system. In particular, never  cut off a 20-amp plug and replace it with a 15-amp plug. Check the spa’s dataplate to be sure that the system’s electrical requirements do not overload the supply circuit’s capacity.                                                                    G. Do not use an extension cord to connect a spa system to an existing electrical outlet. A spa system must operate from a GFCI protected circuit or outlet which is dedicated to that spa only. If in doubt, consult a licensed electrician.

What A Gig   

He seriously tests water slides for a living? You got that right

In a dreary job market, who wouldn’t want a job that allows you to travel to cool places and wear a swimsuit as your uniform? Consider Tommy Lynch one of the lucky few.

Lynch jet sets across the globe as a lifestyle product development manager, aka an official water flume tester. That’s right, he’s paid to visit resorts in places like Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic and Costa Del Sol and try out the slides.

“There is so much more that goes into the flumes than people realize,” Lynch told the United Kingdom’s Daily Telegraph. “The pools and slides are such an important part of the family holiday, so it is vital everything is right.

Lynch is responsible for checking the height, speed, water quantity and landing of the flumes, as well as all safety aspects for First Choice, a leisure travel company.

“I do have the best job in the world,” says Lynch. “It can be a bit tough when it is chilly and you have to strip off and shoot down the flume, but other than that, it is great.”

A spokeswoman for the company told the paper, “As you can imagine, there were no shortages of applicants for the job.”

Your pH is one of the most important factors in pool water balance and it should be tested and adjusted on a weekly basis.  Simply put.. pH is the measure of how acid or alkaline your swimming pool water is.  It is also frequently described as the amount or strength of the hydrogen in the water.  A pH of 7.0 is neutral.. below 7.0 is acidic & above 7.0 is alkaline. You should always try to keep your pool’s pH within the range of 7.2-7.8.

What happens when the pool is too acidic?
(pH is low):

1.  If your swimming pool is plaster, the pool water will begin to dissolve the surface, creating a roughness, which is ideal for pool algae growth. A similar result occurs in the grouting of tiled swimming pools.

2.  Metals corrode – and this includes swimming pool equipment, pipe fittings, pump connections, etc. As the swimming pool walls and metal parts corrode, sulphates are formed. These sulphates are released from the water onto the walls and floor of the swimming pool causing ugly brown, black or purple stains.

3.  Chlorine, which is used as a disinfectant in the swimming pool water, is activated and lost to the atmosphere very quickly. The water is not being sanitised, and we are throwing away our money by adding chlorine when the pH is too low.

4.  When we swim, our eyes and nose burn. Our swimwear fades and perishes. Our skin gets dry and itchy.

What happens when the pool is too alkaline?
(pH is high):

1.  The calcium in the swimming pool water combines with carbonates and forms scale, just like in our kettles. This calcification is seen most at the waterline, where it traps dust and dirt, turning black with time.

2.  The swimming pool water starts to become cloudy or murky and it loses its sparkle.  Catch yourself buying clarifier frequently? This could be the result of your pH being too high.

3.  The calcium carbonate has a tendency to plate out on the sand in the swimming pool filter, effectively turning it into cement.  So your filter becomes a cement filter, and loses its ability to trap dirt and other debris from the pool water.

4.  As the pH rises, the power of the chlorine to act on foreign particles is lost. At a pH of 8.0 the pool can only use 20% of the chlorine you put in. So 80% of it goes to waste and you would need 5 times as much chlorine to provide the disinfection you need.

5.  In alkaline swimming pool water, the swimmers suffer too.  Our eyes and nose burn and our skin gets dry and itchy.

I truly hope this information was beneficial.  If you have any questions or you’re experiencing further issues please don’t hesitate to shoot me a quick email at

Ken@RunawayBayPoolandSpa.com

Last week we talked a little about why your pool and/or spa needs to be drained & refilled every few years (depends on the type of filter that you have).  

NOW is a good time take a look at the TILE around your pool.  Over time a white, crusty ring will form at.. or just above.. the water-line.  That’s calcium and if it’s left there too long it will become very hard to get off.  It can be removed either by ‘elbow grease’ and a very light abrasive sanding sponge from Home Depot OR by shooting tiny little glass beads under very high pressure at it.. much like a sand blaster only a glass blaster.  USUALLY the pool can remain full while the tile is being blasted BUT it’s way easier if the pool is drained for the process.. and it makes clean-up much easier too.  I don’t recommend any calcium removal products from the grocery store because they can really screw up your pool’s water chemistry.  It’s better to call your Pool-Guy… ME.. I hope…

It’s also a good time to take a look at your plaster surface.. the pool has to be drained to give the plaster a complete  ACID WASH.

Remember the movie Caddy Shack (one of my personal favorites!)?  Well, in the movie, a Baby Ruth candy bar was dropped into the club house pool by a caddy.  As it floated around, with the theme from Jaws playing in the background, it appeared to one of the regulars to be the result of an accidental bodily discharge by a swimmer!  That resulted in a pool draining and ACID WASH that culminated with a bio-hazard suited Bill Murray finding the candy bar.. picking it up and sniffing it and saying the infamous line… “It’s no big deal!” and taking a bite of it.. causing one of the ladies to faint!  The same thing is done to your pool.. except without the fainting.  It gets drained.. Acid Washed.. refilled and new chemicals are added.  All good for another 3 or 4 years.

So… if it’s time to drain your pool to get fresh water in it take some time to look at your plaster and tile… it may save you some money in the long run.

Nice chattin’ with you again and don’t forget to check out our online store and our new FACEBOOK site under my name.. Ken Sehr.  Thanks a lot for everything and I’ll be back Monday.   Have a great weekend!See ya!       Ken

Well,  I hope everyone out there had a great Christmas!  Cindy & I did (our family did too!) and Dan & Aaron did also.. at least I think they did… they’re spending their holidays up in Sioux Falls , SD & Larchwood, IA with their families.  Northwest Iowa & eastern South Dakota is where we all grew up and ran around ‘back in the day’.

Just to keep you all updated on the weekly service schedule we took care of the Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday routes on 12-22, 23 & 24th and Aaron & I will take care of the Thursday and Friday routes on 12-30 & 31st and 1-2nd.  On January 5th we’ll all be back to work and back on schedule again.

On Friday’s (Jan 2nd) Blog I’ll discuss the need to drain & refill your pool regularly, why, how often and how much it will cost.

Have a great New Years Eve (BE CAREFUL if you’re going out!).. enjoy the games on New Years Day… GO BIG RED, GO JAYHAWKS, and of course, GO CARDS!!!  See you all back here Friday!   Ken

Hi again… I just wanted to share a couple of questions that I’ve been asked recently with all of you.  I think the answers will let you all know where we stand here at Runaway Bay!

Is there really any difference between all the pool & spa service providers?

We know there is!  Runaway Bay Pool and Spa is the serivce provider with Higher Standards of Quality, Service, Professionalism and Value. We hold ourselves to these standards in order to serve our customers to the best of our ability. That’s the Runaway Bay way!  Contact your Runaway Bay Pool and Spa service professional and start experiencing the Runaway Bay difference today!

 What kind of pool/spa care results can I expect from Runaway Bay Pool and Spa?

Runaway Bay Pool and Spa Higher Standards Commitment

Quality – Runaway Bay Pool and Spa will have your pool will looking the way you have always wanted it to look!

Professionalism – Your pool and spa will be serviced the Runaway Bay way by a reliable, responsible and competent technician!

Service – Runaway Bay Pool and Spa customers will recieve prompt, courteous attention with care and respect.

Value – What you get for your money makes Runaway Bay Pool and Spa your best service alternative!

So… there you have it.  We say what we mean and mean what we say.  I’m sure that there are better pool services out there but I’m also just as sure that there are none that will try harder to keep our customers happy and swimming in a sparkling clean pool.  

Thanks for reading and I’ll be back again next week.       Ken