Australian Outdoor Living

Don’t getegg on your face this Easter - we’ve come up with some great ideas for your backyard egg hunt!

 

For many kids, your garden is a wonderland of fun and it can only get bigger and better with Easter on our doorstep. To start with, the Easter bunny has to arrive so you need to leave evidence! Put a couple of carrot chunks near the door for the kids to see when they set about their adventure. This will create excitement that the Easter Bunny really has left them treats!

 

Another good one is to leave cotton wool in obvious places, to top it off, you can say, “Look the Easter Bunny has left his fur everywhere, just like Kitty!” It all adds to the illusion!

 

What had me stumped when I was younger, was the EB’s tracks! They were there, so he MUST have been and MUST exist! My parents, really were tricksters and had all bases covered by leaving foot prints in talcum powder/flour across the kitchen floor, away from the carrot’s I’d left and out the back door.  (carpet freshener is perfect to use on the carpet – and kills two birds with one stone!)

 

Heck if you’re kiddies are young enough, you can even get away with footprints made out of paper or cardboard!

 

 

If you have more than one child, you’ll know better than anyone else that the hunt can quickly escalate to World War 3 when the one sibling has more than the other. To solve this problem, colour code their eggs! Use the coloured foil to make it clear which colour each child has to collect – too easy and conveniently, there will be the same amount of each colour thanks to some clued up parents.

 

For older kids, you could use riddles to help them find where the eggs are – get their brains ticking before they dive into a mountain of chocolate for the entire weekend!

 

“Perhaps near the blue lagoon

Is where the treasure lies,

Use your intelligence and your eyes

To find your hollow moon”

Answer: Silver wrapped egg hidden near the pool!

 

One for the adults: how about using hollow plastic eggs and filling them with vouchers/coupons for local restaurants and shops? You can watch your waistline and your back pocket all at the same time. Nominate a prize egg that contains a $50 gift voucher for the hunter that finds it. Of course, to be fair, you’ll have to nominate one person to hide the eggs. Keep them happy by laying out a spread of hot cross buns, mini Easter eggs and a nice cool drink and let the celebrations unwrap.

 

Easter is such an exciting time for the young ones and young ones at heart! Have fun and get creative because unfortunately soon enough they’ll become teenagers, catch on, and most probably sleep through Easter, rather than waking you up at 5AM!

 

Have an eggcellent Easter everyone! This is the one time of year you can feel good about having the most chocolate in the household – make the most of it!

You can increase the value of real estate by making cost effective improvements...

 

 

Throughout the last few weeks we’ve been discussing pool safety as it has affected communities everywhere due to recent avoidable tragedies. So just what should a pool owner do?

 

Australian Outdoor Living’s family leisure pools have a 100mm safety ledge to give your little whipper snappers somewhere they can reach for safety when the going gets tough in the pool. In addition that this, all our pools have a non-slip finish preventing those little heads from being banged and even keeps the adults in line!

 

 

Here’s a snapshot of all the safety regulations:

 

» All swimming pools must have a continuous safety barrier maintained by the pool owner that restricts access by young children to the pool;

 

» If you are a property owner and are selling a property with a pool built before July 1993, you must make sure that the safety barrier meets today's standard for new pools;

» Fencing must be constructed so that the outside fence is an effective barrier to children, it is permanent, young children can't crawl under or climb over using props, it is at least 1.2 metres high and;

» Any boundary fences used as part of the child-safety barrier are at least 1.8 metres high on either side with a 900mm non-climbable zone, which may be located at the top inside of the boundary fence if it is t least 1.8 metres high on the inside;

» Gates must swing outward from the pool area, be self-closing from any position and fitted with a latching device out of reach of small children at least 1.5 metres above ground level.

 

 

It’s important to note these safety features and while having a pool is fun, the warmer weather is still hanging around and it’s easy to get distracted and leave the kids with their mates (they get embarrassed so easily these days!).

 

For more information on how to keep the pool a safe place, visit kidsafe.com.au

 

Australian Outdoor Living's swimming pool expert, Michael Robinson, discusses the pros and cons of salt water and chlorine swimming pools...

 

 

There is enough to think about when it comes to installing a pool and it all can be very overwhelming especially if you don’t have a helpful pool builder who can answer all of your questions! For those of you that don’t, hopefully I can help you out with one of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to installing a swimming pool...

 

“Which is better? Chlorine or salt water?”

 

Using chlorine or salt helps to clean and sanitize the water in your pool so it is safe for your family to swim in. There are pros and cons of each, and there is no ultimate or “better” option.  It really does depend on personal preference and how often your pool is used. But if you want my honest opinion – salt water is generally the way to go. 

 

Why? Salt water systems are a simple and economical way of producing chlorine for your pool. Salt water pools are basically a "little chlorine factory in your backyard" as the salt is turned into chlorine in a safe way (broken down via electrolysis) in the salt chlrorinator and added to the pool across the filtration process.

 

YES!  – Chlorine is in salt, so even if you have a salt water pool, there will still be a small amount of chlorine present in the water. However, the levels are lower and are not as concentrated as they are in chlorine pools.

  

When installing your salt water system, you will be set up with a “base” level of salt in the pool. From here, you must ensure the correct salt-to-water ratio is consistently maintained. Salt never disappears or evaporates from the water, you manage the salt as the water level changes – through how much water is “splashed out”, rain, backwashing and draining. This is relatively easy.

With a chlorine pool, you have to buy chlorine chemical tablets from a pool shop and add these to the pump system/chemical doser or in a floating filter (which breaks down the chlorine tablet in the water over time). Chlorine kills mould and bacteria faster than a salt pool will; this makes the pool water clear, clean and safe to swim in. Your pool will have to be tested with a pH kit and chlorine tablets added as required, to balance out the pH levels. Chlorine pools typically require more work and are more expensive as you are constantly buying and adding tablets to the pool to maintain the pH levels.

 

In a nutshell, salt water pools are awesome because:

»      Salt is cheaper to buy & is more economical than chlorine

»      Less maintenance & less time consuming

»      You don’t have as many harsh chemicals lying around your yard

»      Safer for families with younger children and curious pups!)

»      No sore stinging eyes

»      Chlorine smell isn’t so strong

»      Chemicals aren’t as strong & salt is easier on our hair & skin

»      People think salt is more “natural”

»      Salt is easy to adjust

»      Salt water chlorinators also operate your pumps with timers turning them on and           off when needed to maximise filtration

»      Salt is easier on your bikini or swimwear so they last longer! (& they are                         expensive nowadays too – save on sanitizing your pool & swimwear costs! )

 

It is worth noting, salt water systems can be a little more expensive to set up initially but within a few years, pay for themselves. Spending the extra dollars in the early days will pay off! 

 

Typically throughout a year, you can expect to spend approximately $680 on chlorine for a chlorine operating pool and $90 on salt for a salt water pool. This doesn't include other acids and chemicals you will need to purchase for the pool. While you will need more acid in a salt water pool throughout the year, the expense of other chemicals for both types of pools will be similar. All these figures are dependent on the size of pool & how much the pool is used.

 

Of course, there are a lot of opinions out there and everybody has their own for and against arguments but I thought I would share my 2 cents!

 

Please feel free to comment or leave your opinion on which type you prefer below.

 

Michael Robinson

General Manager | Swimming Pools Department at Australian Outdoor Living

 

A swimming pool is a substantial investment. AOL warns buyers to "do their homework" before entering any contracts with pool builders & suppliers...

 

South Australians may have seen recent media reports about a local pool installer that has unexpectedly closed its doors, leaving a number of customers in the dark and wondering about the fate of their pool or spa on order.

 

Unfortunately these types of incidents often reflect badly on other industry operators, but like all other industries we have good and bad examples and some operators who are unable to deliver on contracts for a variety of reasons.

 

Whatever the reason, it is unfair for a customer to be left out of pocket because of circumstances that are beyond their control and we understand that buying a pool is a major investment decision not lightly reached so when something goes wrong it can have a devastating effect.

 

Australian Outdoor Living (AOL) has an outstanding track record when it comes to helping out customers of other companies that have been left with a hole in the ground or out of pocket for a deposit on their dream pool. We take pride in being an Adelaide-based business that understands the value of community and we have previously stepped up and helped people in circumstances where their worst mistake has been trusting the wrong pool supplier in the belief that they will have their contract honoured.

 

It’s important to remember that this latest issue doesn’t reflect the local market, or all of the operators within it. At Australian Outdoor Living, our pool and spa sales have been at record levels this year and despite the onset of winter months, plenty of South Australians are now getting plans and approvals in place so they have a pool to enjoy for the coming summer.

 

If you’re in the market for a pool, our advice is to do your research and go with a company with an excellent reputation, and if you are a customer or know someone who has been affected by the sudden closing of one of our competitors then give us a call and we can see what we can do to try and turn a nightmare into a dream backyard addition.