Something in the world of floating have you stumped?
Show Highlights
In today’s Daily Solutions Podcast, Graham & Ashkahn dole out some advice on (not) running pumps when floaters are in your tanks.
The best case scenario if a pump goes on with someone still in it — their float is ruined. Worst case scenario? Their hair could get stuck in the filter or worse.
In our risk-averse society, these disaster scenarios compel us to set up safeguards to make sure they never happen. At Float On, we make it a point to never run a tank when a floater is still in it.
As they say, “Plan for the worst, hope for theta waves.”
Show Resources
Listen to Just the Audio
Transcription of this episode… (in case you prefer reading)
Graham: Today’s question is, “I’ve heard different things about running the pump while someone is in the tank. Is it safe or not?”
Ashkahn: Oh boy. Okay, okay.
Graham: I’m just going to shoot from the hip here and say I have serious concerns about running the pump when someone is in the tank.
Ashkahn: We should kind of give some pretext here about this is very much like our opinion, I don’t know.
Like every float tank can be different and there are subtle things that you can do with the way that your filtration system’s set up, and the piping and all that, that can change the answer to this question.
Graham: Now I feel bad about shooting from the hip so quickly.
Ashkahn: Shooting from the hip is part of it. It’s part of the game.
Graham: All right, so Ashkahn’s totally right. There are huge disclaimers that come along with this conversation.
Ashkahn: Let’s just talk about why it could be a concern, right?
Graham: So one of the things that is true about float tanks that isn’t necessarily even true about pools and spas and things like that, is that the pump tends to be, in a lot of float tanks, very close to where the inlet is.
Ashkahn: So we’re basically concerned about someone’s hair getting caught in the pump, and that having a disastrous result.
Graham: And you might have heard of things like entrapment or the Virginia Graeme Baker Act, the GBA, and all that stuff is more-
Ashkahn: It’s the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, is the official title.
Graham: Sorry. The VGBAPNSA.
Ashkahn: VGBPASA.
Graham: So the deal with that though is the idea of getting trapped against a suction inlet, not that your hair is going to get actually entangled in the mechanical parts of a pump, which makes, I guess, the possibility of entrapment or of something going wrong in a float tank, again one that has the pump so close to where the inlet is, slightly terrifying.
Ashkahn: Yeah, because in pools they have their pumps often twenty, thirty, forty, a hundred feet away in piping between where the pump room is and where these kind of inlets are in the pool, so it’s just slightly different logic with float tank. You are floating horizontally in this water, your head’s usually somewhere right near these things, depending on which way you’re floating in the tank.
So it’s very unlikely, for this to happen would be statistically like pretty crazy, but the consequences are so huge, which is why it makes it kind of a nerve-racking thing to think about. Like were this to happen to someone, it would be pretty bad.
Graham: And I should say I know of absolutely no one who this has ever happened to.
Ashkahn: And you’d have to have like two-feet-long hair, and all this, everything would just have to go just right. But at the end of the day there is, I guess it still seems, like a possibility at least in certain float tanks or certain setups, et cetera, with all those disclaimers. Which is why it makes us nervous.
We try not to do it, not just try, like we have certain systems set up in our shop to allow us to not run the pump while somebody is in the float tank.
Graham: Yeah, and at least in ours, we’re in those setups where we do, we have pump systems that are very close to where the inlet is in the float tank, so there is that risk if someone did have a couple-of-foot long hair, that they could get it entangled into the pump system, and so we’d rather get someone into a float late than risk rushing the other person out by turning on the pump in the room and risking their hair getting entangled.
Ashkahn: For us that’s a general rule, we do not run the pumps while people are in the float tanks, and for the same reason we don’t have our float tank controls on automated schedules either, because we don’t want the pump to just always turn on five minutes after the music or whatever it is.
We want a human being to actively make the decision to turn the pump on every single time the pump runs, and that way they always know to make sure there’s nobody in the float tank and that they’re actually kind of in control of the situation.
Graham: So it definitely puts some restrictions on the schedule and we have to do things like pay attention to when showers are going on the rooms, which is usually our cue that someone’s out of the float tank, we use the shower going on.
And we actually have shower sensors now, since we’ve opened, installed in our rooms, that let us know when the different showers go on for our different rooms, so we can pay attention without being big creepers and just kind of listen in the hallway for the various showers to turn on after we hit the music.
Ashkahn: And that’s about enough confidence for me. I guess technically in some weird scenario, someone could turn the shower on and go like get back into the float tank, and lie back down. But at that point it just seems so improbable that it’s hard to justify making plans around that.
Graham: Yup, and the other place that you’ll hit this other than just me and Ashkahn being paranoid, is health departments talking to float tank centers and them being paranoid about this exact same thing. We’ve even talked to health departments that are afraid about someone hopping back in the tank after they’ve gotten out and showered.
For them, even having a shower indicator might not be enough of a protocol in order to protect someone, right? Sometimes they actually want more extreme measures like you have to visually see the person or know that they’re out of the tank.
Ashkahn: Yeah.
Graham: So not very common but that’s the level, and it’s the exact same reasons that we’re scared are the reasons that they get paranoid again, even about someone hopping back in to get their wedding ring out of the float tank or something like that.
Ashkahn: So yeah, you know, and a lot of float tanks, there’s maybe a concern, some with long piping or just kind of different setups this kind of same logic may not hold true, but it’s at least something to keep in mind and to realize that it might not just be that you’re disturbing someone in the float tank when you’re turning the pump on.
There may be a kind of serious risk there.
Graham: Yeah, I still feel bad about shooting from the hip at the beginning. Is there anything else that we need to say here? Disclaimers at the end that we need to get out as well?
Ashkahn: Hopefully this has just never happened and won’t be a problem.
Graham: And we’re just paranoid?
Ashkahn: Yeah. That’s the ideal world.
Graham: All right, there you have it guys.
Recent Podcast Episodes
HIPAA Compliance – DSP 330
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) required the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop regulations protecting the privacy and security of certain health information. This means that most medical information recorded by healthcare providers has to be stored based on a certain standard of security.
This is only just now becoming an issue in the float industry as centers are starting to accept insurance and medical referrals. However, this is still extremely rare. If this is something that may affect you personally, definitely research additional resources to make sure you’re in compliance.
Getting High (on air) in Float Tanks – DSP 329
Graham and Ashkahn light one up to honestly answer what they think about people coming into float centers high.
The guys share their experiences having Float On share a wall with a dispensary and the number of problems (or lack thereof) that it has caused over the course of many years.
Sit back, grab some munchies, and enjoy the ride with these guys.
What you Need to Know about UV – DSP 328
Have you ever wondered why the UV light on a float tank needs to be replaced so often? If the light is glowing, doesn’t that mean it’s working?
Ashkahn and Graham tackle everything you need to know about UV light, how it works in a float tank, and most importantly, how it can go wrong. This episode is dense with information useful for anyone who uses UV in their float center.
What’s going on with the MAHC? – DSP 327
The Model Aquatic Health Code is a document released by the CDC and has made waves throughout the float industry as this year it included a section on the ideal health department code for float centers as well as pools and spas. Some folks are worried about this because it may mean more rigid and unruly regulations in certain areas.
It’s been a few months since its release, so Graham and Ashkahn give an update to how it has impacted the industry and what it means going forward. Also, Ashkahn learns to abuse the show notes.
Logo Copycats – DSP 326
If you’ve ever looked at a collection of logos from various float centers, they can start to look a little similar. How do you avoid this when designing your own float center logo? Is it a big deal?
Graham and Ashkahn dish on logo design, the importance of simplicity, and a not so subtle reminder that the “don’t be an asshole” rule exists for a reason.
Latest Blog Posts
Should I Have One or Multiple Styles of Float Tank?
If you had every model and type of float tank you’d be running the Burj Khalifa of float centers, with an estimated 38 unique float tanks, which include pods, custom open pools, cabins, vertical tanks, and inflatable or portable float devices currently on the market (not even counting old models).
This is all to say that there are a ton of options out there when considering tanks for your center.
Whether you’re opening a two-tank center, or a bajillion-tank center, do you want all the same model, or will you have some variety?
Why ROI Calculators Suck! (or at least why you should use caution)
“What is an ROI calculator?” I hear you asking. “ROI” simply stands for “Return on Investment”. An “ROI Calculator” is just a tool that outlines the cost of something and generates what your anticipated profit will be over a certain length of time. Usually annually.
We should make a distinction between a simple ROI calculator (i.e. a widget built into a website with limited inputs), and a financial plan (complete with P&L, cashflow, and balance sheets). Both are going to try and do the same thing, but one is going to be far more detailed and accurate.
Roughly what we’re going to be talking about is a return on investment for your whole business, but return on investment can (and should) be used for lots of different aspects to your business to help you determine how best to spend your company’s money. Usually, though, that’s going to require a lot of detail that a simple widget can’t provide.
How to compete on price without slashing prices
Let’s say you’re a float tank center and more centers are starting to show up in your town…
Or, maybe you are that other center starting up a town that already has float tanks…
As new centers enter the market, the typical response is to run promotions on daily deal sites, promote large specials, and/or run Facebook Ads selling floats for much less than the usual offerings.
The best case scenario is this price slashing behavior subsides shortly after the neighboring center opens.
But what if it doesn’t? What if an existing competitor decides their new price is even lower?
How do you compete with a price slashing neighbor without competing on price?
Learn a few ways to make price a non issue with your customers…
Float On’s Halloween Spooktacular!
‘Twas briny, and the epsom groves fluttered with salt-bats, a lurking fog floating atop the murky bog. From the dark maw of silence came a guttural groan, an eerie utterance akin to those of monsters. From the depths of darkness, that groan turned into what mortals...
