Fiberglass Pool Decision

[dubele]

Hi all,

I am new here. I live in eastern Pennsylvania and I am looking into putting in a new pool. I have decided to go with gunite or fiberglass. I've read a lot and I am still undecided mainly because of all the online sales pitches and inability to get the real "truth".

If you are a pool installer, please do not respond. I'd really like to hear from people who have fiberglass pools and have had them for at least 7+ years.

In talking with a few builders, I did get one piece of advise that I think I can believe. They have told me that Barrier Reef makes the best pools. They feel they are superior in strength and that they are much heavier than the others. So, I am going with Barrier Reef or Riviera (made by Barrier Reef). My only hang up on fiberglass is two things:

1) Lifetime Warrantee - The pool companies state a lifetime warrantee on the structure. I forget who and where, but I was told that this is limited to only 7 years in Pa. If this is true, I doubt I will go fiberglass as a "cracked" fiberglass pool seems like it will have to be ripped out and replaced.

2) Maintenance - The fiberglass pool companies say there is very little maintenance and the pools will look great forever. I just saw a white fiberglass pool that was installed 3 years ago. Honestly, I thought it looked terrible. There was a black film on the sides and it looked bad. This is my fear....I install this beautiful pool and it starts to look horrible.

I am realistic. I don't expect the pool to look as good as it did say 15 years after it was installed, but it shouldn't be an eye sore.

So, I guess my question is to those people who have had a fiberglass pool for many years. These are the people who are past there "honeymoon" period and have the experience of a real situation. Please tell me, how is your pool holding up and are you still satisfied?

Thanks,

Doug

[waterbear]

1) Lifetime Warrantee - The pool companies state a lifetime warrantee on the structure. I forget who and where, but I was told that this is limited to only 7 years in Pa. If this is true, I doubt I will go fiberglass as a "cracked" fiberglass pool seems like it will have to be ripped out and replaced.

Plaster can crack also and either type can be patched. Realize that fiberglass pool have been around for about 50 years now and if they were not a viable product they would not have stayed around this long. Also, realize that if the company determines the cracking was caused by faulty installation (which is the usual case) then the warranty is void in most cases.

2) Maintenance - The fiberglass pool companies say there is very little maintenance and the pools will look great forever. I just saw a white fiberglass pool that was installed 3 years ago. Honestly, I thought it looked terrible. There was a black film on the sides and it looked bad. This is my fear....I install this beautiful pool and it starts to look horrible.

Black film sounds like improper pool maintenance and sounds like black algae! ANY ;pool will look bad quickly with improper water maintenance. Plaster can pit from low pH or low calcium hardnesa and any pool can get scale deposits if the water balance is off. IF one tests the water and adjusts it PROPERLY and REGULARLY then the pool should look as beatuiful 10 years after installation as it does when brand new!

There is less maintenance with a fiberglass or vinyl pool compared to a plaster/aggregate pool because the surface is non reactive so pH is more stable and calcium is not a major issue unless it is very high. The smooth surfaces give algae less of a chance to 'stick' so santizer demand can be lower in some cases. HOWEVER, this does not mean one can get sloppy with testing and maintaining the pool! If you want it to look good you have to take care of it, which includes brusing, vacuuming, cleaning, etc.

I am realistic. I don't expect the pool to look as good as it did say 15 years after it was installed, but it shouldn't be an eye sore.

Why not? With proper care it should be very close!

So, I guess my question is to those people who have had a fiberglass pool for many years. These are the people who are past there "honeymoon" period and have the experience of a real situation. Please tell me, how is your pool holding up and are you still satisfied?

Thanks,

Doug

My fiberglass pool is going on 10 years now and there have been no problems. I have a San Juan. There are other good fiberglass manufacturers. The installer is the most critical link in a fiberglass pool. I like fiberglass over plaster and aggregate finish pools because they are less reactive and your overall chemical use (particularly during the first year when the plaster is still curing) will be lower and the smooth surface gives algae less of a 'foothold' on pool surfaces if you should get algae (with proper water maintenance you should not). They also do not need to be acid washed or replastered (but may require fiberglass repair 20 years or so down the line). This was one of the main reasons I decided to go with fiberglass and do not regret my decision at all. I have worked in this industry in areas of commercial pool maintenance and retail sales so I do have experience with different pool surfaces in actual usage conditions.

Main disadvantages of fiberglass pools is you are limited to the sizes and shapes in the manufacturer's catalog. However, many of the manufacturers have very extensive ones so finding a pool to your liking should not be a problem and the selection is usually much greater then inground vinyl liner pools. Gunite and shotcrete pools can be made in any shape or size so they do not have this limitation and if you want or need a specific shape then this is a consideration.

Also, fiberglass pools can be more expensive in some localities since they have to be trucked to the end location from the factory and that can add considerably to the cost of the pool. If you live near a factory they can be less expensive than a comparable plaster or aggregate finish pool. Much depends on where you are located and how competitive the pool building market is in your area.

Bottom line is this, there are pros and cons to all types of pools but fiberglass, vinyl, and plaster pools are all quite serviceable and, no matter which you decide on, will give you years of enjoyment! If you want a custom shape or color then by all means go with plaster/aggregate. If you want lower chemical operating costs and can find a pool in the manufacturer's catalog that fits your shape and size requirements and don't mind the white surface (it will look blue when filled with water, same as a white marcite plaster finish) and there are not prohibitive trucking costs to get the pool to you then you should be very happy with fiberglass. Only caution I would make would be to stay away from the colored gelcoats. They seem to have more problems than the white fiberglass gelcoat. Then again, colored plaster and aggregate finishes also tend to have more problems than white marcite does.

Hope this helps.

[dubele]

Thanks waterbear. I didn't know about the "Also, realize that if the company determines the cracking was caused by faulty installation (which is the usual case) then the warranty is void in most cases." That's a concern. If I go with a gunite company who will be in business years down the road and there is a crack, I don't think I'll have this issue. There won't be two parties involved (manufacturer and installer) finger pointing at each other. Now, if I go with fiberglass, I am going to go with a company that specializes in this and has been in years for a long time....and looks to be many years from now. This is one tough decision...would be much easier if it wasn't so expensive.

[dubele]

Oh, one more thing. I don't think I could live with a white fiberglass pool. I don't like how they look. I saw one last week and wasn't crazy about it AND it had a black film on it....it looked bad...and only three years old.

[waterbear]

Thanks waterbear. I didn't know about the "Also, realize that if the company determines the cracking was caused by faulty installation (which is the usual case) then the warranty is void in most cases." That's a concern. If I go with a gunite company who will be in business years down the road and there is a crack, I don't think I'll have this issue. There won't be two parties involved (manufacturer and installer) finger pointing at each other.

There might very well be three pointing fingers with a gunite pool--the builder, the plaster subcontractor, and the manufacturer of the plaster or aggregate finish used!. Also, they might point the finger at you and demand proof of your water chemistry since plaster surfaces are reactive and more affected by improper water balance than fiberglass is. Best bet is to understand what the warranty (lifetime or otherwise) REALLY means!

Now, if I go with fiberglass, I am going to go with a company that specializes in this and has been in years for a long time....and looks to be many years from now. This is one tough decision...would be much easier if it wasn't so expensive.

I live in Florida and there are a LOT of pools built here and builders come and go. In fact the builder who did my pool is long gone and his brother, who was one of the long time gunite pool builders in my area and had been in business for many years, closed up shop the following year! There are no guarantees!

Oh, one more thing. I don't think I could live with a white fiberglass pool. I don't like how they look. I saw one last week and wasn't crazy about it AND it had a black film on it....it looked bad...and only three years old.

A badly cared for pool with black stuff growing on it (or possibly black stains from copper based algaecides, once again improper pool maintenance) is never attractive. You DO have to properly care for your pool, no matter if it is fiberglass, plaster, or vinyl!

Here are some pics of my white fiberglass pool and my gray and blue speckled acrylic spa. IMHO, the pool looks much nicer and the water looks very blue. The colored spa is dingy looking by comparison.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SutRNik-Cmc/Ub-8VcyShtI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/s4J7Zrl9mhY/w701-h526-no/DSCF0055.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Sf0S8YCZMMo/Ub-8WUodzwI/AAAAAAAAAKA/QltYu2wS3-I/w701-h526-no/DSCF0057.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-IxiIcYHfX-c/Ub-8U0eTx9I/AAAAAAAAAJo/J_QDNHeCyMs/w320-h240-no/DSCF0056.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aikteNbEVPg/Ub-8V8omVtI/AAAAAAAAALE/3PqOTsBwDOY/w320-h240-no/DSCF0053.JPG

Just for fun, here is a pic from the build. Big difference, no?

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-f6uNfjfe_ys/Ub-9U3TMXtI/AAAAAAAAAKU/bchBJo85uKk/w701-h526-no/DSCF0044.JPG

[dubele]

Ok waterbear....I gotta say that is a nice pool and I like the white with the tile!! I could DEFINITELY live with that. The white pool I saw just was just white up to the cantilever deck and it just was too plain....boring.