Cooke Industries
Introducing the new Water Witch Smart Sense continued from previous page
The first Water Witch was launched in 1993 and despite some cosmetic changes, the same model has existed for 27 years. The Water Witch is a great solution for maintaining the water level in pools, but it comes into its own for projects such as infinity edge troughs, balance tanks, pool and spa combinations and other unique projects. These projects require unique functionality from an operational perspective. Troughs and balance tanks have water levels that fluctuate more wildly than what you’d see in a standard pool, so the Water Witch is the perfect option for these projects. The Water Witch has gained a strong reputation within the swimming pool industry and during the last decade, that reputation has transcended into other fields. Several units have been used in agricultural and mining projects to both maintain minimum and maximum water levels in tanks, dams and other water holdings. Customer expectations continue to evolve and Cooke Industries realised it was time to improve on the Water Witch. The Water Witch Smart Sense is being launched in January 2021 and will offer a host of exciting new features, whilst the new model will also be easier to install, commission and operate.
“We’re privileged to have had extensive feedback over many years about the different applications our customers use the Water Witch for and what they wish it could do,” Cooke said. “We’ve been able to incorporate enormous flexibility into this new model as it includes settings for commercial and domestic pools, spas, balance tanks, other water bodies and a new feature to pump water out of troughs and balance tanks when the water level is too high. The new technology makes it perfect for every project.” “We did consider options such as an app, but they offered very little benefit to the home owner,” Cooke said. “It was technology for the sake of technology and all that does is add to our production costs. It was important to us that we keep production costs as low as possible because we’re proud to be a small Australian manufacturer and it’s pleasing that we can launch a new model with improved features, yet maintain existing pricing.” The Water Witch has gained a loyal following with customers as far away as Europe and North America. This is despite the current model not being directly compatible with the electrical plugs in those continents.
Early Neptune’s Mate Production
The Smart Sense can easily be installed in any country across the world, as the internal transformer hard-wired to an Australian power plug has been replaced with an external power pack. “We’re excited about the opportunities this new model will bring and we hope to expand the Water Witch name across the world,” Cooke Said. Will the next model be sold for 27 years? “I’d think not,” said Cooke. “Our world and technology are changing more rapidly than ever. We’re excited about the Water Witch Smart Sense and what it will do for pool owners, but we’re already well down the path of planning our next model and considering available and emerging technologies to further enhance the system.” The Water Witch Smart Sense will be launched Australia-wide on 27 January 2021 and Cooke said they are looking forward to celebrating the launch with a promotion that will appeal to local customers.
Swimply - beware!
SPASA VICTORIA
SPASAVIC has noticed that the US-based pool sharing company ‘Swimply’ is currently being promoted in South Australia and other parts of the country.
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Dubbed the “Airbnb of pools”, Swimply is a pool hire app that charges guests an hourly rate for a variety of backyard arrangements.
Before deciding to hire out their backyards, pool owners in South Australia should be familiar with the Public Health (General) Regulations 2013.
Swimply acts as an ‘introductory’ service to connect hosts with guests and claims no liability for negligence by homeowners or guests, or responsibility for damages.
Unlike others, SPASAVIC does not support this initiative in any way due to potential safety and liability concerns, as well as the potential for this initiative to detract from our members’ businesses.
This legislation states that if homeowners are hiring out their properties for monetary gain, water quality and safety must be maintained to a commercial standard.
Home owners need to be aware of the commercial guidelines compared with domestic rules.
SPASAVIC will always put the interest of our pool and spa builder members first, along with the safety of the community and the viability and sustainability of our industry.
If the regulations are not satisfied in the event of an injury or death, home owners could still be liable, regardless of contracts with Swimply.
