From Backyard Struggles to Poolside Success
Swimming and all things aquatics have always been a significant piece of my life. Setting up a backyard swimming pool for my children since they were very young was always important to me, something I could do to bring joy to my family. Living in the Midwest US, our summers are short, and the chances to jump in the pool are numbered by the few warm days.
We have had a backyard pool since 2012, but it wasn’t until 2015 when I decided to upgrade and got the big boy pool with a sturdier frame and larger filtration system. I was excited to set up a bigger and better pool for the kids, expecting it to be more fun and easier to maintain. However, reality soon set in, and my fairytale ending took a bit of a turn.
The Challenges
Keeping the water clean and the chemicals balanced proved to be no easy task. Even more challenging was getting the water warm enough for the kids to swim for more than 10 minutes without their lips turning blue and their teeth chattering. I had to do something.
That something turned into hours of scouring the internet in search for the best way to keep our pool clean and warm. I tried everything - from solar covers and (immersion) heaters to several hundred feet of black hoses placed throughout our yard to absorb heat from the sun. Although the water temperature did eventually go up one degree, it was not worth the effort involved. I soon resorted to filling up a large storage bin with warm water for the kids to sit in when they got too cold. That warm water bin soon became the place they squeezed into and sat in the longest while the large swimming pool sat vacant.
The Turning Point
In 2017, I questioned the whole backyard pool because of all the work and little use it had gotten in the last couple years. Although I had become adept at balancing the chemicals and keeping the pool clear of debris, it was more time-consuming than enjoyable. The water was still too cold to swim comfortably, and I was spending more time on upkeep than on family fun.
Determined not to give up, I once again scoured the internet for a solution. That’s when I discovered SunnyTent on a European website. It was a genius invention—a dome that could cover the pool, like a convertible top for a car. You could swim with the top down or half-way closed, depending on your preference.
The Solution
Excited, I contacted the SunnyTent company right away. They were so friendly and helpful yet I found out that they did not deliver to the US. I felt stuck, I knew this was the answer yet I did not know how to get one. I found a shipping forwarder in the UK that was willing to receive and ship the SunnyTent to me in the United States! I received it in March of 2018, just in time to start preparing for the summer swimming season.
The SunnyTent transformed our swimming experience. It provided way less cleaning time and a much warmer pool. Our pool quickly became the favorite among our kids and their friends. We were always hearing when they jumped in, “Wow! This is way warmer than our pool!”. Many of their friends would also ask, “How do you keep it so clean all the time? Ours has so many leaves and bugs, I hardly want to go in.”
Joining the SunnyTent Team
After countless hours of searching, trial and error, and backyard experiments, I had finally found the solution I was looking for. A way to keep our pool clean and warm without the hours of work to do so, all at a one-time cost. The SunnyTent not only solved our problems but also brought more joy and fun to our family’s summer activities.
I was so impressed with the product and the company’s customer service that when the opportunity arose, I decided to join the SunnyTent team as their first USA customer service representative. Now, I am here to provide the customer service to you in the US. My journey with SunnyTent has been one of perseverance and eventual triumph, and I am excited to help other families enjoy their backyard pools as much as we do. Thank you, SunnyTent, for revolutionizing our swimming experience!
- David Rautmann
