If there’s one thing that distinguishes Alan Bettin Swimming Pools is that it’s never been afraid to try new things. From the early days in the 1960s when founder Alan Bettin was inspired by a client to build his first swimming pool and to expand his landscaping business to embrace pool building, to being one of the first companies to build eco-pools, ten years before government and industry demanded the insulation of concrete and liner pool structures, Bettin Pools has been pushing boundaries.

Now managed by brothers Paul and Nick Bettin, the pioneering spirit still runs through the business. Service Director, Nick Bettin said, “We’ve seen tremendous shifts in the industry since we took over running the company in the late 1980s - growth in consumer wealth led to many more pools being built especially in our geographic patch in Farnham; much greater reliance on professional pool maintenance; technologically advanced plantroom equipment that has improved the efficiency of running a pool, products that have enhanced pool safety, and now we are all having to compete with the internet in a very price conscious industry.

“Filtration media has also been a big debate. Sand media has been by far the most popular filter media because it is effective and lower cost than other options, but glass media has been lauded for its longevity and performance, and Zeoclere entered the ring as a contender. Always wanting to be on the cutting edge, when glass media was first introduced, we sold it to clients but unfortunately, we saw no appreciable difference in water clarity.

“Arguably glass media may have a longer life span than sand, but it’s a costly alternative given there is no marked improvement in water quality, which makes switching to glass hard to justify for our typical clients. Seventy-five percent of our private clients have outdoor pools and, on average, get five months use from their pool each year and they too do not see the economic benefit of glass media. When glass media was first introduced, we were excited by the stated benefits over sand, but we have not been convinced by those claims and no longer promote glass media.

“By contrast, there is irrefutable evidence of the benefits of Zeoclere media when used in the right environment; by that I mean pools that are in constant use, have heavy bather loads and are therefore at greater risk of ammonia build up – an environment where the client can see the benefit of paying a premium. Although it’s a premium priced product, Zeoclere is ideal for pools that potentially have a high ammonia contamination rate from constant use. For these types of pools, Zeoclere is an easy step-up because clients are guaranteed to get the water clarity they need and there is the bonus of less backwashing which leads to financial savings over the long term.

“We service and maintain up to 400 pools each year, and have started offering Zeoclere to clients but it really comes into its own in pools that are used all-year-round; indoor pools, pools in private schools and health clubs, and hydrotherapy pools. Already 10% of clients have switched to Zeoclere and they have all witnessed improved water quality. We are receiving fewer service call-backs which is helpful in the summer when business is so hectic, and in the winter months we will undertake the filter regeneration work – a win/win result for everyone.

“High-quality marketing materials that spell out Zeoclere’s benefits has helped to persuade clients to switch, and the smaller 20 kilo-sized bags makes buying and usage simple.”