New to Plastipack’s high performance Guard range, RaeGuard™ is a covering material designed specifically to optimise heat retention.

Energy and resource preservation has never been more vital to reduce running costs and minimise the environmental impact of running a pool. Few technologies offer more efficient and higher returns than simply covering the pool. However, for indoor pools or commercial pools in use throughout the day the impact of a solar cover is limited, with alternative heating solutions being costly.

Here at Plastipack, we are making it our aim to ensure that every pool is covered.

RaeGuard™ offers the affordability of a bubble cover while still offering 90% of the performance of a 5mm foam cover. Using Plastipack’s knowledge of light to matter interactions through the development of award-winning products like the patented EnergyGuard™ Selective Transmission cover, we have optimised the optical properties of RaeGuard™ to maximise heat retention and minimise heat losses by up to 57%.

Offering typical payback times of less than a year, RaeGuard™ makes an attractive and effective solution to reducing a pool’s energy and resource consumption.

REFLECT. INSULATE. ELIMINATE.
RaeGuard™’s unique properties work to actively reduce heat losses from a pool’s surface by up to 57%. The specially selected pigments of the silver & white layers are designed to reflect and scatter radiative heat, and maximise reflection in the targeted mid-infrared region.

The unique GeoBubble™ air cell provides an insulating barrier which works to prevent the transfer of thermal energy away from the surface of a pool. Covering your pool helps to eliminate evaporation. When a pool is covered, instead of using energy to turn water into vapour, your pool water retains its thermal energy and stays warmer.

These combined features provide 90% of the performance of a traditional 5mm foam cover, making RaeGuard™ a high-performance, cost-effective solution for heat retention.

Featuring the unique GeoBubble™ Technology air cell design and enhanced UV stabilisation, RaeGuard™ comes with a 6-year manufacturer’s warranty and a 6-year plus expected lifespan.

RaeGuard™ is also available with a reinforced woven top layer for enhanced longevity and durability.

About Plastipack: Plastipack Ltd is an independent specialist manufacturer of cover materials for swimming pools and water storage solutions. We pride ourselves on our superior manufacturing and quality, and consistently invest in research and development, creating and refining scientifically tested materials. Our materials are supplied to fabricators around the world in a weld-ready roll format which our customers fabricate into covers.

Contact us to find out more: info@plastipack.co.uk

(ALEXANDRIA, VA)—The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) has awarded the 2021 Dr. R. Neil Lowry Grant to the City of North Richland Hills in Texas. The winner was announced during the National Environmental Health Association’s (NEHA) 2021 Virtual Annual Education Conference (AEC) awards ceremony.  

Given in the memory of Dr. Robert Neil Lowry, a long-time member of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance and the Recreational Water Quality Committee (RWQC), this $5,000 grant honors a public health official or department who has made outstanding contributions to advance the public’s health and safe use of recreational water in pools, spas, and waterparks through educational, safety, operational, and technical programs.

The award was accepted virtually by Meagan Fendley, Neighborhood Services, City of North Richland Hills. Jody O’Grady, Director of Product Management and Customer Programs, Taylor Technologies, Inc., and Chair of the PHTA RWQC, presented the award via video.

The City of North Richland Hills created the NRH Water Safety 365 drowning prevention program after two North Richland Hills residents, 15-year-old Connor Gage and 4-year-old Paxton Wages, fatally drowned. Seven City departments and numerous community partners worked together to develop resources that reach a variety of audiences, including a color-and-learn storybook about water safety for children, a handbook for residential pool and spa owners, water safety curriculum for childcare providers and teachers, and an annual preseason safety class for public aquatic facility operators.

With the Dr. R. Neil Lowry Grant, the City of North Richland Hills will create a mobile and interactive display about the layers of protection that would be used at community events, school outreach events, and local aquatic facilities. The City will also purchase additional educational materials to distribute throughout the community.

“The City of North Richland Hills really stood out among this year’s nominees,” says Terry Snow, Owner of TLS Pool Service in Upland, CA, and PHTA RWQC Awards Subcommittee Chair. “The fact that they already have a water safety outreach program in place and are already working with community partners to raise awareness of drowning prevention makes us confident that they will continue to do great work with the grant funds. We congratulate the City of North Richland Hills on what they have accomplished and are proud to help them reach an even wider community through the Dr. R. Neil Lowry Grant.” 

Past winners of the Dr. R. Neil Lowry Grant include: Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment, 2019; Arizona Department of Health Services, 2018; Quechan Parks & Recreation, 2017; Riverside County California Department of Health, 2016; Columbus Public Health, 2015; Middlesex-London Health Unit of London, Ontario, 2014; Brevard County Environmental Health Services Department, 2013; Sacramento County Environmental Management Department, 2012; Alexandria Health Department, 2011; City of Houston, 2010; and City of Plano, 2009. 

For more information about the Dr. R. Neil Lowry Grant, visit https://www.phta.org/membership/promote-your-business/phta-awards-of-excellence/dr-r-neil-lowry-grant/.

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About the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance
The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA), a non-profit organization with nearly 3,500 members from around the world, was established in 1956 to support, promote, and protect the common interests of the $36.5B pool, hot tub and spa industry. PHTA provides education, advocacy, standards development, research, and market growth to increase our members’ professionalism, knowledge and profitability. Additionally, PHTA facilitates the expansion of swimming, water safety and related research and outreach activities aimed at introducing more people to swimming, making swimming environments safer and keeping pools open to serve communities. For more information, visit www.phta.org. 

About PHTA’s Recreational Water Quality Committee (RWQC)
The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance’s RWQC develops and maintains verifiable science-based information regarding sanitization technology and chemical products, for use in pools, spas and hot tubs. The committee also writes the chemical and sanitation sections for American National Standards Institute (ANSI) PHTA standards, including the ANSI/PHTA-11 Standard for Water Quality in Public Pools and Spas. For a current listing of Committee members or more information, email Genevieve Lynn in the PHTA Standards Department at standards@phta.org.

A lawsuit filed against Olympus Pools for $1 million, which was widely reported by Tampa Bay area news outlets in May, was dropped earlier this month, according to a news release issued by Olympus Pools Tuesday. 

On July 1, the two companies executed a settlement agreement and agreed to continue working together, the news release said. 

“This is a major accomplishment and step forward that will hopefully offer some much-needed peace of mind to our customers and sub-contractors,” said James Staten, founder of Olympus Pools. “I’d really like to thank our great legal team at Peterson Law Group in New Smyrna Beach and Ausley McMullen in Tallahassee for helping us to reach this resolution. Additionally, I’m beyond proud of the progress and efforts our entire operations team is making. Without them, none of this would be possible.” 

According to Staten, the progress Olympus has made has been nothing short of significant. Since May 10, Olympus Pools has accomplished the following: 

• More than 100 pools have passed final inspection.
• 50 pools were shot with concrete.
• More than 40 pre-grades have been completed.
• More than 40 pools have had plumbing completed.
• Brick and Tile work has been completed on more than 35 pools.
• 19 screen enclosures have been completed.
• 25 pools have had electric work completed.
• 11 decks have been completed.
• 15 pools have had plaster work completed.

“Barring a major hurricane or something outside of our control, at this rate, we confidently expect to be back to our normal production schedules by the end of August or early September,” said Staten. “Additionally, customers can hopefully see the end in sight, as we are targeting for all pools currently under construction with Olympus to be finished by Christmas, if not sooner.”

With the SCP lawsuit behind them, Staten says their attorneys will now be able to focus on helping the company move forward to complete open projects and protect the company’s name and reputation.  While Olympus recognizes the delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the nation-wide material shortages which followed the pandemic, Olympus must address false accusations or defamatory statements about the company. 

Olympus Pools, which was founded in 2010 by Staten, has completed more than 3,000 projects throughout the state of Florida, and the company looks forward to completing many more projects for the Tampa Bay area in the years to come.

Olympus Pools
Public Relations Representative