Monday, February 20, 2017

Summer Is Coming - How to prepare your Water Slide for the upcoming POOL SEASON!

                      Image result for daffodil flowers

Forget about that groundhog and whether or not he saw his shadow this year. When you see these beauties popping up all over the place, you know Spring is in the air and if you are anything like us, you are pretty excited! We are so ready to ditch the coats, hats, and gloves for something a little less restricting.  Yes, the time is here to start thinking about getting yourself AND your Back Yard Paradise ready for Pool Season. Since we are a water slide company, this post is going to focus specifically on getting  your water slide opened up and ready for another season of thrills!


Properly winterizing your water slide in the Fall is preventative maintenance at it's best. Taking steps to close your water slide at the same time you close your pool each year will prevent start-up problems and unnecessary expenses in the Spring. Because a Paradise Slides Water Slide is made of fiberglass with a gel-coat finish, it is important that the fiberglass components be washed and then waxed prior to the end of the season. If you did all of this at the end of the season last year then give yourself a pat on the back! You are ready to open it up for the new Pool Season!

Residential Water Slide for Back Yard Pool
Project by Corner to Corner Landscape from Hackensack, NJ

First, if you live in an area that has snow/ice then you can go ahead and remove tarps or covers if you are certain that there will be no more freezing rain or snow for the season. If some crazy storm happens to come in and cover your slide with snow or ice then just be sure to remove the precipitation as soon as possible.

Next, go ahead and give your water slide a good wash and wax. Wash with a mild soap such as dish washing soap but avoid using strong alkaline cleaners or abrasives. We recommend that you do this at least twice during the operating season (more if you have a salt-water pool) with a good paste wax formulated for gel-coat surfaces. We have had good results using 3M Marine Ultra Performance Paste Wax to protect the slide and make it slide. Click HERE for shopping links. You can also use their 3M Marine Rubbing Compound to buff scratches if ever needed. Click HERE for shopping links to the rubbing compound.

Once your slide is washed and waxed you will want to inspect the slide. Not sure what you are looking for? Check out our Daily Inspections checklist on our website by clicking HERE!

Now that your slide is washed and waxed and you have completed all of your inspections, it is time for the owner to complete their final duty.  This "duty" of course is to give that water slide the first slide of the season! We know... We know... This is the toughest part but somebody has to do it!

Now get out there and get your Paradise Slide ready for the season! You don't want to be stuck doing the WAX-ON WAX-OFF THING when you should be doing the CLIMB-SLIDE-SPLASH-REPEAT THING!

Residential Water Slide for Back Yard Pool
Project by Premier Pools & Spas in Rancho Cordova, CA
Thank you for checking out our blog! Is there something you want to know about water slides that you would like us to blog about? Leave a comment and we will see what we can do.



Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Water Slides, Should I Offer Them To My Customers?






Residential Water Slide Custom Model PS50L-C in Light Blue


So, you have run across Paradise Slides, a family owned company who specializes in Custom Fiberglass Water Slides for Residential Homes and you are thinking to yourself...

Are water slides something that can be profitable for my company?

YES - Of course any time that you can add a feature to the pool you are already installing or upgrading then there is the potential to make more money. Plus, Paradise Slides offers a discount to all our contractors! Contact Us if you would like a copy of our Contractor Price List.

Are water slides something that my customers would even want?

YES - Water Slides are a growing trend in the pool industry. It's like having a water park in your own back yard with no lines, no lugging all of that gear to the water park, and best of all, no red stinging eyes from the urine in public pools. Yeah we heard about that study by the CDC too...gross! I think the question is not "Who would want a water slide in their back yard?" but rather "Who wouldn't want one?"

Are water slides easy to install?

YES - Let me start by saying that anybody with minimal construction experience can install our slides, and guess what, the picture at the top of this post was actually installed by a homeowner! If you are thinking about offering our water slides to your customers but not sure what actually goes into the process...call me, Lynette at (706) 865-4849. I will be happy to send some installation instructions and don't forget, we are always here to help during the process if you have questions.

Check over all slide sections to ensure you put them in the right order.
Dry bolt the slide before pouring your piers to ensure proper placement.

The slide is up, now to build the steps and platform!