Heatform fills a much-needed market gap…
Panel pools are not new to the industry and have been around for a long time in plastic or steel form.
Few have been insulated and even fewer made in the UK.
An eco-innovation by Dan Phillips and the team at Lighthouse Pools, Heatform is the first panel pool system to be made in the UK using recycled PET plastic bottles for insulation.
The recycled PET foam core was a great break through, as this not only created a stiffening box section but also allowed the fibreglass to be strengthened without using expensive ribs and flanges to strengthen the wall section.
With the moulds made, the first panels of the production line were utilised to create the first test pool.
“This was a success and an industry game changer with a pool in and finished in just over a week,” reports John Whiteside, who takes responsibility for Lighthouse’s Business Development and Sales.
MARKET NICHE
“Dan worked hard to get the test pool installed and the marketing commenced,” John continues. “Soon, we realised we had found our niche in the UK market.”
The runaway success of Heatform has seen Lighthouse Pools currently boasting a nationwide dealer network of over 30 trade companies who are regularly quoting and installing the Heatform system. So far, eight showrooms are displaying a Heatform pool.
John again: “Heatform was an idea to improve the ease of installing a pool economically, to assist the trade with getting pools into the ground quickly so that more pools could built during the course of our short summer.
“The big difference is the time taken for a trade builder, as professional labour can be reduced – no plastering or brick laying required,” John says. “The panels simply bolt together and form a straight fat clean wall. This makes the product almost DIY,” says John. “But we like to call it an assisted build.”
Building trade professionals can be difficult to get hold of and are expensive, which can cause big delays on site.
A lack of bricklayers and plasterers will slow down the building of a standard liner pool, this system allows a good pool engineer with some building experience the ability to assemble a whole pool reducing the amount of external expertise needed to put a pool into the ground.
A winning formula, the Heatform plus points include:
• Speed of install
• Reduction of time in the ground and more importantly the mess that is made with cement and render construction
• Insulation in the panels, giving heat retention, which in turn reduces the energy bills which are steadily increasing
• Amazing colours and effects of modern liners
On a Heatform project, specialist pool trade companies are only needed to guide the builder or home owner through the process of digging the hole and forming a fat concrete slab.
Then support is added to the pool walls internally so that back fill material can be added to secure the walls. The trade will help and guide through the plumbing requirements and then install the liner and assist with the plant room plumbing.
John emphasises: “It becomes the perfect kit pool when added to one of the ‘white goods’ kits freely available, supplying skimmers inlets and pipework, some of these even offer bag liners in the kit. “We have realised that the product has a multitude of uses and with the addition of the above ground steelwork, it has become very flexible for exercise and even teaching pools,” he points out.
“This year we added to the development with entry steps to make the process even easier to get a pool in and finished in any weather, without the need to build steps and render them the three types of steps really do top the pools of nicely.”
Among the many UK pool builders now flying the Heatform flag is the multi award-winning Wensum Pools & Spas, based in Fakenham, Norfolk. Featured in Wensum’s brochures and on display at their large showroom site, Heatform has been a refreshing fast track solution for customers and the Wensum team. “As well as the strong eco credentials, the biggest selling points are the price but also the availability of the Heatform system within two or three weeks,” says Wensum’s Ben Halton-Farrow. “We had an enquiry from Essex and because of the distance, we did not want to install it – so we sold it as a supported self-build. “Although we consider ourselves to be a traditional block and on-site liner builder, we now specify the Heatform panel system on all indoor pools,” Ben adds. “The display pool definitely helps, because if we have customers visit, we simply take them to the pool and talk them through the benefits.”
Heatform back up its product’s potential with a team of technical staff in Plymouth to assist with general knowledge of the panels.
Marketing support includes brochures, banners and posters as well as corner section displays.
Lighthouse Pools is still looking for dealers across the UK and would urge you to get in touch for more information.
Lighthouse Pools
01752 253525
sales@heatform.co.uk
