Atlantic City. The NESPA Pool & Spa Show. January 29, 2019. There's a new kid in town with a catchy name. The VacDaddy!
Let's go back a few years to explain why this is such a big deal and why you may never vacuum pools the same way again.
Matthew D'Aguanno, pool guy, is hauling a 30-pound pump in one hand and a 20-pound cartridge filter in the other . . . on one of several trips from the truck to the pool. Second pass, carrying his telescoping pole and vac head, with a dripping hose over one shoulder, and a 50-foot extension cord draped crossbody over the other. He feels like a bandito, marching to a gunfight. Thirteen minutes later, the pole is connected to the vac head, the vac head is connected to the hose, the hose is primed and connected to the pump. The pump is connected to the filter and the power cord is plugged in. He is ready to begin work and thinks to himself . . .
"There's got to be a better way."
It has taken nearly ten years of imagining, drawing, creating, building, perfecting and he never gave up on the idea.
And on January 29th, D'Aguanno and crew will unveil his 'better way' of vacuuming at the Pool & Spa Show.
"The idea was to make a lightweight vacuum system that could be carried poolside, in a single trip, with no connecting bulky parts and no priming hoses. We just wanted to plug in and vacuum. The plan was to make it so simple and lightweight that almost any member of the family could use. We've done that."
In early trials, D'Aguanno, who owns CPC Pools on Long Island, had one member of his team use traditional pumps, filters and hoses. Another team member used a preliminary model of VacDaddy. This is not akin to the legend of John Henry’s Hammer. There was no contest. The portable pool vac was finished in 22 minutes . . . just as the traditional pump was getting started after struggling to prime the hose.
"From those early tests we believed we had something great. Imagine cleaning a pool faster than it normally takes just to set up! Clean two pools in the time it used to take you to clean one. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to understand the financial implications for the pool company as well as for the vacuumer. Two pools in same amount of time means twice the money."
But D'Aguanno wasn't satisfied. He went back to the drawing board again and over the past year has patented this system and worked with a team of engineers who have redesigned his brainchild to ensure that the gallons per minute will outperform motors with 5x the horsepower. "It doesn't have to be big to be powerful. And you shouldn't have to constantly change batteries to do the job with a lightweight pump." VacDaddy now weighs in at 10 pounds, wet, and creates a suction of 55-60 gallons per minute, more than a 1.5 hp traditional pump and triple the most powerful battery pump.
"VacDaddy mounts on your telescoping pole and uses a universal connector to fit your gunite or vinyl vac head. A transformer safely drops your 110v power to 24v and the built-in filter bag, with a greater volume than a standard pump basket, has a quick connect so it is easy to clean. We even have a vac-to-waste cap which enables you to use VacDaddy for openings and late season vacs."
D'Aguanno seems to have thought this through from every angle. But of course, he's a pool guy. During his 35 years in the pool industry, he estimates that he has vacuumed 15,000 pools personally and has managed crews as large as 10 vacuumers. "Cleaning pools can be a lonely business. The mind has plenty of time to imagine. It is so fun to see all those ideas come to fruition."
VacDaddy invites you to clean a pool during the Pool & Spa Show where they will have working demo models for all three days at the show. Come meet the inventor and you can try and buy VacDaddy this year at booth #2355.