News Release. June 8, 2006. Cranbury, NJ.

The Pool Dr. (www.pooldr.com), announced today the founding of the industry's first national museum, and only product evaluation center devoted just to swimming pool cleaners.  The latest estimate is that there are over 150 so-called automatic residential and commercial cleaners and a slew of garden hose and other hand held wands and vacs.  The founders and designers formally owned and maintained a website that sold virtually every automatic pool cleaner on the market, before electing in 2006 to sell only the highest-rated models.  However, that decision may be ultimately be modified once again in 2007 after extensive testing and evaluation, and conduction of industry and consumer surveys.

Automatic and power-driven pool cleaners (see our article on the History of Pool Cleaners, soon to be added to this site) began to drift onto the market during the middle of last century.  It was not until the last quarter of the 20th century that they became acceptable, but still in relatively small numbers.  In 2006, while the numbers of sales and the diversity of brands and products have risen significantly, the majority of pool owners still clean their pools manually, or hire expensive pool cleaning service to do the job.  

The National Swimming Pool Cleaner Museum and Product Testing Foundation's technical goal is to collect examples of every brand and every model of pool cleaner ever offered to the public. The task is literally  impossible, and that lofty goal will not and cannot be achieved. The reasons are many. The industry is extremely fractionalized and not exactly known for its record keeping.  Manufacturers are always trying to one-up the competition, and even the information and statistics compiled by the APSP (Association of Pool and Spa Professionals), the swimming pool industry's trade organization is sketchy at best.  Many brands and models have come and gone.  And who keeps an old pool cleaner, especially if the "damned thing never worked in the first place."

But the realistic goal is attainable, namely to collect the world's first and thus largest collection of old pool cleaners.

 

Become Part of History ... And Save $$$ On A New Pool Cleaner
Trade-In Your Old Pool Cleaner

     In a continuing effort to provide consumers with not only the best cleaner for their pool and budget, but the most complete and information Buyer's Guide anywhere, The Pool Dr. has founded the National Swimming Pool Museum and Product Evaluation Foundation.  Pool Cleaners have been around as long as swimming pools have, and swimming pools, in one form or another have been around almost as long as the first humans taught themselves how to swim.  We invite pool owners to donate their old pool cleaners to the world's only Pool Cleaner Museum, or trade them in for a significant credit on a new PoolDr. Pool Buster, Blue Line or Gitter Line cleaner.  Our trader will evaluate the value of each proposed traded in unit on an individual basis and make an offer of the credit amount the PoolDr. will give the consumer.

     The factors in determining the amount of credit, include:
                1.) The rarity or uniqueness of the traded-in product;
                2.) The information supplied by the consumer identifying their old cleaner (year purchased,
                       manufacturer, brand name, model name, serial number (if any);
                3.)  Condition (e.g. complete or missing parts, working  or not, general appearance, etc.).

   In rare instances, if the consumer does not want to trade-in in their old or historic cleaner for a new PoolDr. unit, PoolDr. may make an offer for purchase the product.

  In order to submit your old cleaner for consideration, please send us an email at pooldrstore@yahoo.com  and describe your old cleaner as accurately as possible, using the above-referenced factors as a guideline. Make sure you include your telephone number and preferably your name and address as well, and indicate the best days and time of day to contact you. It will be very helpful if you can take a photograph and attach it to your email.  Please let us know which of our products you are most interested in trading your old cleaner for a credit on. We can also be reached by calling Rich at (800) 676-1600.

   All submissions will be evaluated and all offers will be sent to you expeditiously.
 

 

---