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Staycation? Don’t you mean vacation?

Here at SPAS we are noticing an interesting trend. We’re finding that nurses, shift workers, movers & shakers and nine to fivers are very interested in the idea of a ‘staycation.’

For today’s family it can be very difficult to plan a week off to get away together. The kids have swimming, baseball, karate. The adults have work, overtime- you name it. It’s getting to be nearly impossible!

That’s where the ‘staycation’ comes in.

Your backyard can be whatever you want- and need it to be. Whether you love going to the cottage or to a luxury resort- you can have it.
And you certainly don’t need to fly there.

A play area for the kids, a hot tub to relax in and a pool for splashin’. We’re all so busy these days and it is nice to have a spot to spend time together.

At SPAS you can simply buy a pool kit and install it yourself. Or you can have our professional team of installers do everything for you.
We can design the perfect staycation for your family.

 

 

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Are you going to beat the rush?

We’ve been seeing many of our EGGheads and BBQ friends coming in to the store making sure they beat the rush for charcoal.

Have you stocked up for Superbowl Sunday?

We are into our last pallet of Basques Nature’s Own Natural Lump Charcoal- and our last case of Dizzy Pig spices too! We have wood chips still in stock as well. Don’t worry though, we will be reordering your favourites soon. Our good selection of Smokinlicious Wood Chunks will be in stock early February.

It seems that many of you are going to be cooking pulled pork for Superbowl Sunday. Have you thought about what Dizzy Pig spices you are going to use? Are you making your own? We always love hearing from you- let us know.

Here’s my tip for setting up your charcoal in your Egg or Charcoal BBQ for a long cook.

When setting up your charcoal you want to ensure it is going to burn as even as possible. Because of airflow issues I make sure that my largest pieces are in the middle. You do NOT want to have blocked air holes.

I then play a game of ‘Tetris’ and fit all of the medium/small pieces around it building the charcoal up and out. It is okay if you want to use the fines from the bottom of the bag on top. Just do not create a volcano mound over the charcoal. We are looking for a flat, even surface of charcoal.

And I had better not hear you are using lighter fluid in your cooker. Any of you who come in regularly know how I feel about that- YUCK!
We carry the BGE fire starters- or you can use some newspaper/egg carton and a little cooking oil. Works like a charm and doesn’t leave a horrifying aftertaste like lighter fluid.

Have any BBQ problems/questions? Send them our way! We’re foodies here and would love to help you out.

See you this week for charcoal, chips and spices!

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If you can’t swim in it – skate on it!

 Every community needs their own rink. A place for kids to learn to skate. A place for parents to… well… RE-learn how to skate.

We love helping out the community every way that we can. In the summer our guys are super busy installing in-ground and above ground pools. But in the winter- this is a great use of our gear.

So when we got the call from our local councilor Darren Fisher we loaded up the bobcat and headed out. Conrad Bro’s provided the material and we provided the man power.

At SPAS our Winter motto is “If you can’t swim in it- skate on it”

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Here at SPAS we’ve heard it all.

It is amazing how rumours can turn to facts when it comes to pool and hot tub maintenance. The Internet doesn’t help either. It is hard to get water chemistry advice from someone who doesn’t live near you. Water can be so different depending on the source!

Here are a few of our favourite misconceptions.

1. “I’m allergic to chlorine and I don’t want to use chemicals. So someone told me I should get a salt chlorinator for my pool”

We hear this misconception all year-long! Such a common one. And yes, it is very wrong. A Salt chlorinator (also called a salt generator or chlorine generator) produces… chlorine. As the salinated water passes through the generator is creates a natural form of chlorine gas.

This is what sanitizes the pool. All it does is replace your chlorine pucks or liquid chlorine and sometimes shocking. So you do still require your balancing chemicals!

2. “Lakes are safe to swim in and they don’t have chlorine/bromine in them. So why do I need sanitizer in my hot tub?”

If you were to take lake water which is filled with organic matter, heat it to about 102 degrees Fahrenheit leave it there for a couple of weeks. Don’t add anymore fresh water and you’ll be shocked at what you see. I am quite sure you wouldn’t be interested in soaking in it.

Our lakes generally stay quite cool. They are replenished by rain water and streams etc. They also have natural cleansers like bogs to help take care of their water. But still in the heat of the summer when the water levels drop our lakes close as bacteria levels rise.

Your hot tub water may come from the tap. But add in some uric acid from sweat, dead skin cells and other beauty products. Without sanitizer is just isn’t safe. Even health Canada recommends that Hot tubs maintain a sanitizer level between 3-5ppm. SOURCE

3. “What do you mean there isn’t any active chlorine in my pool? Your test must be wrong because I can smell it so strongly and it stings my eyes.”‘

Typically, in your pool active chlorine doesn’t have much of a smell. Your pool probably had too little chlorine. Urine, sweat and decomposing organic mater produces ammonia compounds of chlorine- which are called chloramines.
These chloramines are what cause eye and skin irritation as well as stinging eyes. You have to regularly shock your pool and ensure you have the right amount of free chlorine in the future. Make sure you test your pool regularly to maintain proper levels.

4. “My hair turned green from too much chlorine!”

Sorry, wrong again! The green colouring that can happen to blonde hair comes from copper in the water. It is actually a chemical reaction from the copper in the pool water precipitating as a green salt when mixed with a high pH shampoo. Ah the joys of science.
But where does the copper come from? It could be preexisting from well water. It can also come from harsh copper filled algacides and/or pipes, heaters, impellers that have aggressive water passing through. If you have a copper issue you can get products to deal with it. Or you can make sure to rinse your hair out well before it dries next time!

5. “Hot tub water is normally super foamy. That’s just the jets working well”

No, not really. Your hot tub water should be clear. It can certainly have bubbles. But when you turn off the jets the bubbles will disappear within 30-90 seconds. If they don’t- then you have a foam issue. This usually means that one of your levels is out of whack. It is time to test the water! Remember hot tub water needs to be tested very frequently. Wearing a lot of products when you go in to the hot tub doesn’t help either. Moisturizers, deodorant and other products can cause foaming.

Disclaimer: This is meant to be a fun guide on hot tub/pool chemicals. Please regularly test your water and consult with your local pool professional regarding hot tub and pool maintenance.

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GET SPUN BEFORE THEY’RE SOLD OUT!

What product would entice a customer to walk an hour in one of our nastiest snow storms of the year to SPAS?
Why it’s Dizzy Pig of course!

Sure, their spices are super hyped. People are competing with them on the BBQ circuit and more. No MSG, Gluten free… blah blah blah.

Bottom line – They’re Amazing.
From the moment you smell them… you’ll get spun.

When our customers buy Big Green Egg BBQs they were getting samples of Dizzy Pig. All of sudden we started getting phone calls and emails begging for more. So finally, we decided to bring in a few for everyone to try.

People were excited.

I’m really not kidding. This amazing woman walked all the way here just to make sure her husband had these in his stocking for Christmas morning. I guess we weren’t the only ones that were excited? We tracked our package of Dizzy Pig Spices every hour to see where it was at! All of us at the shop were super excited to try some at home.

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Hello friends!

I guess it is about time that we start a blog. So many of you have been asking for advice with your pools, hot tubs and Big Green Eggs that we decided to put it in an easy to read space.

Do you have a suggestion for us? Want us to blog about something specific?
Please let me know!

Until next time,
SPAS