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Chlorine Prices Going Up… Tablet Shortage Continues

Homeowners can expect to pay up to 58% more for chlorine tablets this summer say experts.

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Dealing With the Trichlor Shortage Head On

Millions of homeowners can expect to pay more to clean and sanitize their swimming pools this summer. According to financial analysts the chlorine shortage we first reported on in September has not improved in the slightest. The fact is that the outlook looks bleak through the summer for the situation to improve.

Why are Chlorine Tablet prices so high right now?

Kate McShane of Goldman Sachs warns in a recent research report released Monday that the chlorine shortage in the United States has not improved. Shortages and price increases stem from an enormous fire at the BioLab factory, one of the country’s largest chlorine tablet manufacturers. The fire put an additional stress on already dwindling supplies.

McShane indicated that prices for chlorine have gone up roughly 37% year over year due to the ongoing shortages. Prices are expected to spike 58% year over year through June to August. This coincides likely enough with the height of pool season. Homeowners are sure to be looking at much higher prices than in previous years.

The same bucket of Chlorine Tablets you bought last year may cost up to 58% more this summer say leading financial analysts.

“Of the 26 pool shops we spoke to, 15 expressed uncertainty or doubt when asked about whether they will have enough chlorine for pool season. Adding to the pressure created by the chlorine shortage, respondents called out a plastic bucket shortage, driven by COVID-related manufacturing slowdowns, which has made procuring certain volume sizes of chlorine more difficult for retailers, and has led suppliers to deliver chlorine in either bags or in buckets with different colored lids, according to respondents,” McShane said.

McShane continued, “When asked about whether the cost and availability of chlorine have improved in the last month or so, several respondents noted that while the supply of chlorine has improved somewhat, cost has not.”

Commentary from the industry’s main pool equipment supplier Pool Corp. on its recent earnings day underscores the severity of the chlorine shortage.

Recent comments from Pool Corp. the industry’s leading supplier of pool equipment emphasize how badly the supply chain has suffered in recent months.

“I mean overall, I would tell you the price on dichlor and trichlor [chlorine tablets], which is the product that was impacted by the shortage, they’re up about 60%. So if you think about how that’s going to shake out for the balance of the year, it will probably remain at elevated level because I believe that the industry is going to be short for the season,” Pool Corp CFO Mark Joslin explained to analysts on a recent earnings call on April 22.

Homeowners Looking for Chlorine Alternatives

Homeowners are bound to look for creative sanitization solutions due to the shortage, Joslin said.

“Now that simply means that people are going to move their method of sanitization to another product, either a granular product or liquid chlorine. But there’s no shortage of ways to sanitize the pool. It just simply means at a certain point people will shift. We’ve also seen certain parts of the country accelerating the use of salt as a method of sanitization too,” Joslin added.

Despite the increasing prices, shares of Pool Corp continue to rise. Shares this quarter are up 11% as Pool Corp continues to absorb market share in a market where seemingly everyone is looking for a pool. First quarter sales and profits rose 57% and 165%, respectively.

Fairview, TX based Orenda Technologies summarized this years price hikes when they stated “Between manufacturing shortages, health and safety protocols and shipping delays, costs in all aspects of the supply chain are higher than ever thanks to COVID-19. This is not just in the pool business, it’s pretty much the entire global economy. Unique to pools, however, is the catastrophe of losing a major chlorine manufacturing plant, responsible for over a third of domestic trichlor production. That hits everyone hard.”

4.8/5 - (57 votes)

Editor in Chief of Pool Magazine - Joe Trusty is also CEO of PoolMarketing.com, the leading digital agency for the pool industry. An internet entrepreneur, software developer, author, and marketing professional with a long history in the pool industry. Joe oversees the writing and creative staff at Pool Magazine. To contact Joe Trusty email [email protected] or call (916) 467-9118 during normal business hours. For submissions, please send your message to [email protected]

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Cleaning and Service Equipment and Supplies

Recent Leslie’s/Harris Poll Study Shows Nearly Three-Quarters of Americans Mistakenly Assume Clear Pool Water Is Clean, Swim-Safe Water

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Leslie’s AccuBlue Home® Delivers First 10-Point At-Home Pool and Spa Water Testing Solution to Ensure a Safe 2024 Swim Season

PHOENIX, March 26, 2024 – Clear-looking pool water is mistakenly assumed to be safe for swimming, according to a recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll and commissioned by Leslie’s, the leading and most trusted consumer brand in the U.S. pool and spa care industry.

According to the poll, 71% of those surveyed believe that clear water is clean and safe for swimming. However, even clear water can contain contaminants that pose a danger to swimmers, and pool owners shouldn’t assume a pool is safe just because the water is clear.

A recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Leslie's found 71% of Americans mistakenly assume that clear pool water is clean and safe for swimming. Water testing is crucial to ensure healthy pool water, and Leslie's makes it easy with its new AccuBlue Home water testing program.
A recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Leslie’s found 71% of Americans mistakenly assume that clear pool water is clean and safe for swimming. Water testing is crucial to ensure healthy pool water, and Leslie’s makes it easy with its new AccuBlue Home water testing program.

The news arrives as Leslie’s launches its water safety education campaign for the 2024 swim season. Leslie’s is spreading awareness of the three primary tenets of pool safety: maintaining healthy and safe water, securing the pool area, and participating in swimming lessons and water safety education.

“As we head into the 2024 swim season, our aim is to help educate pool owners on the tenets of pool safety. Among those tenets is maintaining healthy water, and we make it easy for pool owners to test and treat their water, creating a safe environment for all,” said Clay Spann, SVP of Merchandising at Leslie’s.

“We aren’t surprised by these survey results, as there are many misconceptions related to pool water chemistry,” Spann said. “The only way to really know if pool water is clean, healthy, and safe for swimming is to check if the water is properly balanced and sanitized. To be certain of this, owners must regularly test the pool water’s chemistry makeup and precisely measure 10 different components, including pH, total alkalinity, calcium hardness, metals, phosphates, sanitizer levels, and more.”

The Leslie’s/Harris Poll survey also revealed that 71% of Americans who are responsible for maintaining a pool say keeping water safe is complicated, a misperception Leslie’s aims to correct with its AccuBlue® and AccuBlue Home® testing and treatment solutions.

Leslie’s makes water testing simple with its industry-leading AccuBlue technology — the only pool and spa water test that covers all 10 water chemistry components. In just 60 seconds, this free, in-store water test delivers a hardcopy printout with a water quality score and step-by-step customized water treatment plan to help keep pool water balanced. Pool and spa owners have relied upon this professional-grade testing over the past six decades, with more than 50 million tests conducted by Leslie’s store teams.

The same survey revealed that 81% of Americans who maintain their own pools wish there was a home technology solution for comprehensive 10-point pool water testing.

Last May, Leslie’s made water testing even easier and more convenient when the company launched its AccuBlue Home® membership program, which offers the same leading in-store testing technology, engineered into a compact at-home device. The AccuBlue Home testing device connects to the Leslie’s app to deliver a water quality score and customized water treatment plan to the user’s mobile phone or tablet.

Since its launch, AccuBlue Home has been embraced by pool owners, who value its convenience and accuracy. The membership program has earned a nearly five-star rating in member reviews with comments echoing exactly what it is designed to do: “takes all the guesswork out of testing your pool water” and “this little machine does everything the one in the store does.”

AccuBlue Home: How It Works
The technology is sophisticated, but the process is simple.

Users simply insert a pool water sample into the water test disk and place it into the AccuBlue Home testing device. They then open Leslie’s app on their mobile device to start the test, and AccuBlue Home does the rest. Light wavelengths pass through the water sample to precisely measure the water’s chemistry makeup, and the app delivers the water test quality score and a step-by-step customized treatment plan in just 60 seconds. The app enables pool and spa owners to order home delivery of chemicals needed to execute the water treatment plan.

An AccuBlue Home membership costs $50 a month, which includes the home testing device for free, as well as $50 in Leslie’s credits each month for purchases online, in app, or in stores. AccuBlue Home members can use their monthly credit to purchase any products from Leslie’s, including sanitizers and balancing chemicals, as well as floats, games, and other accessories to make the most out of pool days.

Marianne Trusty, president of Pool Magazine, said, “We’ve long recognized the importance of comprehensive 10-point testing for healthy and safe water and to maintain the longevity of pool equipment. Leslie’s has always been a leader, and it’s remarkable that they have driven their in-store technology into such a sleek device and an easy-to-use approach for pool and hot tub water testing.”

Virtual Pool Water Assistant
The AccuBlue Home device, measuring just 4.5 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall, is small, stylish, and self-contained, resembling a virtual assistant device — in this case, a virtual pool water assistant. It incorporates photometric testing technology with optical sensors, as well as a centrifuge, replaceable test disks, and more.

Click here to learn more about AccuBlue Home, the first at-home pool and spa water testing solution that covers 10 crucial water chemistry components with a membership program that pays for itself. 

About Leslie’s 
Founded in 1963, Leslie’s is the largest and most trusted direct-to-consumer brand in the U.S. pool and spa care industry. The Company serves the aftermarket needs of residential and professional consumers with an extensive and largely exclusive assortment of essential pool and spa care products. The Company operates an integrated ecosystem of more than 1,000 physical locations and a robust digital platform, enabling consumers to engage with Leslie’s whenever, wherever, and however they prefer to shop. Its dedicated team of associates, pool and spa care experts, and experienced service technicians are passionate about empowering Leslie’s consumers with the knowledge, products, and solutions necessary to confidently maintain and enjoy their pools and spas.

For more information about Leslie’s, visit lesliespool.com or follow and engage with us: @lesliespoolcare on Instagram, Leslie’s on Facebook, and @lesliespoolcare on Twitter.

Survey Method:
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Leslie’s from March 5-7, 2024, among 2,087 adults ages 18 and older, among whom 314 are maintaining a pool. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.

Media: Mardi Larson, Amendola for Leslie’s, [email protected], 612.384.4383

SOURCE Leslie’s, Inc.

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Cleaning and Service Equipment and Supplies

The Long Road To And Future Of Pool Cleaning

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Did you know the first pool cleaner was invented in 1912? John Davison submitted a patent application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office entitled “Cleaning Apparatus For Swimming Pools And The Like.” The patent was issued on March 25th, 1913. The patent, proof that technology and innovation have long roads and requires many forward-thinking innovators.

While subtle advances and alternative cleaning techniques were trickling into the early days of the pool cleaning industry, it wasn’t until forty years later, in 1953, Joseph Eistrup invented a “pool cleaner.” Two years later, the “automatic swimming pool cleaner” was invented by Andrew Pansini. The original design was a crude device with several parts welding together but was described as “effective to remove the scum, dirt, and other accumulations from both the bottom and sidewalls of a pool to disperse foreign matter in the water for removal therefrom by a normal pump-filter system of the pool”.

Since then, technology has jumped leaps and bounds. It has brought down and raised entire industries, just for pool cleaners, but for everything. The rise of technology, computers, and artificial intelligence have defined eras, transformed how we live our lives. For pool owners, this has been no exception, as commercial pool cleaning devices have been more financially accessible, smarter, and more efficient.

Skimmer

Wireless technology, solar charging, and artificial intelligence are converging and intertwining to make a product that redefined pool cleaning for the current generation of pool owners. Behind every incredible yard is a brand that values making things clearer, tidier, and easier. The keepers of clean, Aiper proudly believes in transforming your yard into a paradise. Bringing ease, comfort, and value to your every day.

Since 2017, Aiper has earned its reputation for being an eco-friendly, smart solution in cleaning robotics. Aiper is not just the world’s best in cordless robotic pool cleaners but a pioneer of smart-yard robotics. Merging technology, innovation, and AI, their goal is clear – to make cleaning effortless, hassle-free, and automated.

There are 10.7 million swimming pools in the United States, on average boosting home values by about $35,000., roughly %7 of most homes. Maintaining that investment is a tedious, time-consuming task. The players in the robotic pool cleaning industry include Maytronics, Pentair, Polaris, Zodiac, and of course, Aiper. However, each Aiper is guaranteed to minimize the time and money spent laboring away, which means less time doing chores and more time poolside with friends and family. Racking up dozens of awards in the last two years, particularly, the Aiper Seagull Pro, Aiper is establishing themselves as the go-to brand in not just pool cleaning, but smart robotics.

The technology put into Aiper devices is cutting-edge and scales according to users needs. Aiper has designed an entire line of CORDLESS robotic pool cleaners with every pool owner in mind. If you’re looking for an entry into the robotic pool cleaner market without breaking the bank or having a smaller, above-ground pool, Aiper’s Seagull SE is a solid choice for first time pool cleaning buyers. Featuring a 90-minute battery life and a hydrodynamic design that glides across your pool’s floor, the Seagull SE is a miniature cleaning workhorse. And for the toughest cleaning jobs, the Aiper Seagull Pro is your answer. The world’s best cordless robotic pool cleaner, the Aiper Seagull Pro is a rapid charging cleaner boasting a three-hour battery life, up to 130 gallons per minute of filtration, wall cleaning and self-parking capabilities, and Aiper’s own patented WavePath Navigation technology. Technology that intelligently plans the most efficient cleaning plan to increase performance and save your devices battery. 

From the humble beginnings of the very fist robotic pool cleaner in 1912 and over 100 years of innovation, pool cleaning techniques and technology are finally making things not just easier, but more environmentally friendly, saving thousands of liters of water, and hundreds of dollars in electrical usage every year. Aiper isn’t just making things easier for pool owners, it’s making the pool owning experience a breeze for pool owners and with Black Friday around the corner, now is the best time to snag one in the line of the world’s best cordless robotic pool cleaners. 

Take care of your pool, and take care of it cheaper, with Aiper’s Black Friday Sale. From November 13th to November 30th, Aiper is discounting their award-winning Seagull Series by as much as 50% on some models, and the award-winning Seagull Pro is $310 off! Discount information and codes are below. For more information, check out Aiper.com.

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Cleaning and Service Equipment and Supplies

Natural Chemistry Offers Retail Display Racks For Spa Water Care Products

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Natural Chemistry

For a limited time, Natural Chemistry will offer a beautiful retail display rack for its line of high-end spa water treatment products.  With sleek graphics and modern wooden shelving, this retail display rack will enhance any retail store area.  Designed for retail operations looking to add a premium line of spa water treatment products, the display rack is available to those purchasing 12 cases of any mix of NC spa product available in the product line, from maintenance and remedy product to balancing and sanitizing products.  For more information, contact your local NC Brands District Sales Manager, or email [email protected].

This beautifully designed spa water product line gives retailers a high-end spa water care program with easy-to-understand categories of products that sanitize, balance, maintain and remedy spa water.  The clean, upscale look of the product packaging, is visually attractive and highlights relaxation, simplicity and wellness.   Created to provide retailers with an easy-to-sell program to spa owners that provides superior results for consumers. 

www.naturalchemistry.com

800 753 1233

5/5 - (1 vote)

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