Top 5 questions people ask when buying a fiberglass pool

1. Will the pool pop out of the ground (float)?

The only way a pool will pop out of the ground is if the pool has more water around it than in it. The pool cannot quite simply “pop” out of the ground by itself. As a matter of fact there are many more concrete pools that have “popped” out of the ground than fiberglass. And Vinyl liners are way more susceptible to ground water damage. Check out my blog titled “blah” to read more about this. At Albert Group Landscaping and pools we do two things to help you make sure this will not happen.

1. We install either drainage around the pool or a sump tube for inspection. We can do both if you like as well. The drainage pipe is used when it is possible to pipe the water to a lower section suitable for this. A sump tube is a 12” pipe installed vertically at the deep end of the pool. We place a skimmer lid on top to give it a finished look and be safe. If you decide that you need to drain the pool, you may at this time open the lid to the sump tube and see if there is any water in it. If there is none at this point you may drain the pool.

*For my customers reading this* If you ever feel the need to drain the pool please call me. I will come out for free and help you with this decision. There is normally no need to ever drain the pool. If a deer jumped in and died that’s one thing, if you have algae – no way!

2.  We will not build a pool without a concrete locking collar. I understand that some people may want to save some money. But I have a reputation to protect. This collar will do more for you than just add weight to the pool – making it even harder to to “pop”out of the ground. This collar also keeps the shape of the pool from changing. If a pool installer is willing to skip this – run!

2. Can a fiberglass pool crack?

Sure - if you smash it with a sledge hammer. Let’s face it you can crack anything if you really wanted to. Pools made by Leisure Pools USA have a breaking strength of 21,000 psi. So if you use this pool in the manner that it was designed you will be fine. But if you do have an accident it is easily repairable.

3. How are you going to get the pool around my house - can you even get the pool into my back yard?

Most of the time this is easy - even if you think it’s hard. Trust me, I’m not going to waste my time on an estimate for something  that is simply not possible. We usually only need a 6- 8 foot path. If that is not available the next option is to crane it in over the house. And finally - under very rare circumstances – a helicopter mat be used.

4. We have heard that salt water pools are all the rage. Why, and are fiberglass pools compatible with salt?

First, fiberglass pools were designed with salt in mind. There are zero down sides to using salt water chlorination for your pool sanitation. Currently, many public pool across the country are making the switch for safety reasons. You can think of salt systems as “set it and forget it”. You almost cannot make a mistake that will cause an unsafe swimming condition. I still recommend checking the water before you swim with test strips. But you will find that the water is almost certainly fine and you can go swimming. The only problems I have ever seen are the system needs to be cleaned (a simple 10 minute process). Or - the system may have gotten turned off(or down) by accident.

5. Can a Fiberglass pool have cool options like concrete pools?

Absolutely, some of the more common options are:

1.       Waterfalls

2.       Spa jets

3.       Tanning ledges (baha shelf)

4.       Swim up bar

5.       Built in seating

6.       Heater

7.       Salt chlorine generator

8.       Underwater speakers

9.       Deck jets

10.   Shear descents

11.   Lights (LED, Color changing, and standard are all no problem)

12.   Cartridge filter

13.   Basketball net

14.   Volleyball net

15.   Robot vacuum

16.   Custom stonework around the pool