The Most Egregious Fiberglass Pool Warranty I've ever Seen

As most of you are very well aware, the entire purpose of this blog is to educate, and at the same time elevate, the fiberglass pool industry. And because the popularity of fiberglass pools has exploded throughout North America in the past 10 years, it’s critical to us, the writers of this blog, that such a growth curve continues to happen as consumers become more and more informed as to the beauties of fiberglass pool ownership.

But as with anything in life, positive movements can also beckon negative behaviors.  As a perfect example, I was made aware recently, by a consumer as a matter of fact, of a new ‘warranty’ from one of the manufacturers within the industry.  As I’ve talked about before in other articles, there are two components that make a ‘quality’ fiberglass pool:

• The Shell’s Structure
• The Shell’s Finish

Throughout the industry, most manufacturers have a similar structural warranty. But it is with the finish warranties where one can see major differences. And it’s also with these finish warranties that consumers need to be very careful because sadly, some manufacturers seem to be more inclined to play semantic games with customers than to actually be straight forward regarding their pool’s warranty.

The following is a snippet from the above referenced warranty:

“____________________ Pools finish coat or gelcoat is warranted against blistering, staining, excessive fading, discoloration, and surface yellowing caused by material or manufacturing defects for a period of 20 years from the date of the manufacture. This surface warranty is accepted with the understanding that with exposure to the elements and time that some color and surface degradation may occur. The warranty excludes discoloration, staining, fading, hairline cracks, blistering, surface yellowing, cobalting, and roughness due to water chemistry or material characteristics of the _________ finish.”

OK, so let me get this straight—The manufacturer warranties against blistering, staining, excessive fading, discoloration, and surface yellowing but also disclaims discoloration, staining, fading, hairline cracks, blistering, surface yellowing, cobalting and roughness???? Due to ‘characteristics’ of the finish???

What in the heck is going on here? (And no, I’m not joking, this really is the exact warranty as it appears from the manufacturer)

Many of you may want to know who the manufacturer is I’m referring to, but focusing on a single manufacturer is not the goal of this article. In fact, this article has a two-fold purpose:

1. Fiberglass pool manufacturers need to write legitimate warranties.

2. Consumers need to get a copy of the warranty before they buy.

Despite what many may think, most consumers do not actually get the warranty for their new pool shell until it shows up in their back yard…or later. This, as you might imagine(or can at least now imagine), is a very bad thing. It is also for this reason that I propose that every manufacturer in the fiberglass pool industry needs to be transparent with their warranties. In other words, if the manufacturer does not have the warranty listed, word-for-word, on their website, then flags should go up for consumers.

To see an example of a manufacturer going about warranties the right way, visits Leisure Pools’ warranty page, where you can get a PDF copy of the warranty—one that is not chock full of semantic paradoxes. Trilogy Pools is another example of a company being very open about their warranty. I’m sure there are other manufacturers doing a great job with this as well but the key here is transparency, straight-forwardness, and intellectual honesty.

Hopefully everyone understands and appreciates where I’m coming from here. As I mentioned before, I only addressed this subject because I truly care and felt it was time to bring it to light--especially in light of conversations I've had recently with a few consumers throughout the country.

Fiberglass pool warranties will always have some disclaimers—just like any other warranty for any product. This is fine to a certain extent, but the example shown above is down-right egregious and I frankly feel there is no room for it in such a promising and growing industry around the world that brings happines and joy to thousands upon thousands of families each and every year.

Marcus Sheridan

If you have any questions about pool warranties, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts/comments below or contact us directly.

Can any Fiberglass Pool have a Tanning Ledge and Custom Water Feature?

One of the greatest evolutions in the fiberglass swimming pool industry has been a concerted effort from many builders and manufacturers to add customized features to their products. And considering the biggest knock on a fiberglass swimming pool is its lack of customization, such an effort makes quite a bit of sense.

Since the beginning of the 21^st century, one of the more ‘en vogue’ swimming pool features homeowners have been looking for  is the addition of a tanning ledge/water feature to their poolscape. Because fiberglass pools have width limitations, such a feat is difficult unless the tanning ledge is modular (as offered by Trilogy Pools), or if the tanning ledge is built-in, just as it would be on a concrete pool.

The following video depicts a custom tanning ledge on a Leisure (Riviera Model) fiberglass pool. The tanning ledge is made out of regular concrete and is overlaid with a ceramic tile, specifically Aztec cobalt. Along with the ledge, you’ll also notice 3 bubblers that were built into the structure as well.

So if you are considering a fiberglass pool, and are worried you may not get as many ‘customized’ features as you’d like, make sure to check and see the limitations of your builder, as you may be very surprised just how customized these pools can really be.

Marcus Sheridan

Top 5 Fiberglass Pool Innovations of the Last 25 Years

When one looks back on the fiberglass pool industry over the last 25 years or so, it's truly amazing the amount of progress the industry has made as a whole. Upon reflection on these changes, I figured it would be a good thing to look at this time period and mention the innovations that have made their mark on the industry.

Top 5 Fiberglass Pool Innovations of the Last 25 Years

1. Vinyl Ester Resins

Without getting too technical here, there are many grades of resins that can be used in the construction of a fiberglass swimming pool. Unfortunately, fiberglass pools a few decades ago were being constructed without vinyl ester resin, which is a tremendous barrier and prevents water wreaking havoc on a fiberglass pool over time. When cheaper resins are used, such issues as cobalting and blisters rear their ugly heads, which was certainly the case with some of the first fiberglass pools. But today, just about every manufacturer in the fiberglass pool industry is using at least a layer of VE resin in their pools, which is a great stride in the right direction.

2. Cantilevered Coping

Maybe the biggest knock on fiberglass pools from pool builders and consumers in the past was their ‘bathtub' and modular-looking appearance. This stigma was mainly a result of concrete patios being poured up to the fiberglass lip versus on top of the fiberglass lip. I've spoken heavily on this subject before (watch a how-to video here), as it still is a subject of debate at times due to antiquated thought on behalf of certain builders and manufacturers, but the simple fact is that cantilevered concrete coping not only forms a powerful bond-beam around a fiberglass pool, but also allows it to rival a concrete/gunite pool in terms of aesthetics.

3. GOOD Color Finishes

Notice I did not write here ‘Colored Finishes'. This is because colored finishes on a fiberglass pool have had a tremendous benefit in terms of aesthetics to this industry, but is some regards these colors have hurt the industry as well. I mention this because like everything else in the world, just because a manufacturer produces a shell with colored finishes doesn't mean it's a quality product. Heck, warranties don't even mean it's a good finish considering some of the semantic games I've seen certain manufacturers play in recent months. Fact is, there are companies out there that are offering great colored finishes on their pools that will last a long time, which is a great thing for the consumer. I can only hope some other manufacturers that are not so ‘quality oriented' will soon follow suit.

4. Gravel Base and Backfill

Another point of controversy here but I'm happy to say that just about every forward-thinking, quality-minded builder and manufacturer (Trilogy Pools was pushing gravel 6 years ago)in the industry has now moved to gravel as the base and backfill to their pools. Having discussed this point in multiple other articles, I'm still at times saddened by the fact that some manufacturers have put up a fight against suggesting gravel as the base and backfill for their pools, which is a clear sign of delusion. In fact, just as vinyl ester is now a standard part of the fiberglass pool experience, gravel will soon be as well, mark my words. Simply put, there is just too much science, evidence,  and common-sense on the side of gravel.

5. The Use of Tile

These days, it's quite common to  see the use of ceramic tile in fiberglass swimming pools. Whether it's tile on the waterline, inlay tile in the steps and seats, or possibly a mosaic in the floor; ceramic tile has allowed fiberglass pools to take one more step in their customization abilities as well as their aesthetic rivaling of concrete pools. Other than the great videos that are available on our site, I'd also suggest you learn from one of the premier tile experts in the industry, Robert Ault, to learn more about the subject.

So there are your top 5 fiberglass pool innovations over the last 25 years. Although I'd could certainly list many, many more, suffices to say that these 5 have been critical to the growth of the industry.

Marcus Sheridan

Large Fiberglass Pool (16'x40') Design Awards for 2010

A few weeks ago, I posted an article called Small Fiberglass Pool Design Awards for 2010, which has been received with tremendous response. Considering the article has already been read over 1000 times in such a short period of time, I figured we ought to discuss as well the ‘Big Boys' of the fiberglass pool industry and give out awards to the designs that are at least 16'x40' in size. As with the previous article, I have analyzed all the fiberglass pool manufacturers in the industry to come up with awards. As always, the information herein is my opinion, and just because I like or dislike a design does not mean it should totally influence your decision as a fiberglass pool shopper. But like everything else found here on this blog, this article is meant to educate and enlighten consumers so that they are able to make the best decision possible for their family when it comes to purchasing a fiberglass swimming pool. So without further ado, here goes:

Classiest/Roman Design

The Regalus from Trilogy stays at the top this year. This 16'x44' unit is a sport bottom pool and may be the nicest looking design in the fiberglass pool industry. It's extremely classy, has quite a bit of play area despite the large ends, and because it falls in the Fusion line for Trilogy a customer can customize whether one of the ends gets a bench, a tanning ledge, or additional steps. Major props to Trilogy for producing a design that will aesthetically rival any concrete pool.

Most Play Area

The Luxor Shallow from San Juan pools takes this award. This 16'x44' rectangle not only has massive amounts of play area, but it also uniquely blends tanning shelves into the shallow-end step area and has a true swim-lane for those interested in laps.

Most Unique Diving Pool

Although there are more and more diving pools now available in the fiberglass pool industry, one of the most unique I've ever seen is the Frio model from American Fiberglass Pools. Not only is the pool 18'x43' (You can tell it's made in Texas!), but it goes to 8'6" and also has a large tanning shelf in the shallow end. Props to American for producing such a unique design.

Best Large Pool for an Automatic Cover

The 16'x40' Elegance model from Leisure Pools takes this award for a couple of reasons. Whenever a pool owner uses an autocover, pure rectangle shapes are much better because the tracks for the cover can then go beneath the coping edge of the pool versus being on top of the patio. So not only is the Elegance a true rectangle, but it's great for autocovers because all of its seating and entry points are on the long side of the pool, not on the ends. I mention this because auto covers have to roll-up on one end of the pool. This typically means there will be some type of metal lid on that end, which is not as ideal for persons getting in or out of the pool in that area. This is also why the Elegance 40' is great for anyone looking to run their pool parallel to their house.

Best Free-Form Design

The Taj-Mahal Shallow from San Juan pools takes this award. With its many curves and 16'x45' frame, this model is able to offer consumers quite a bit of character as well as a solid amount of play area.

Honorable Mention

The King Shallow from Royal Pools is quite an impressive design with its 17'6"x41'6" measurements. With its large seating area, as well as its 3'6" -5'6" water depth, this pool would make a nice choice for anyone considering a large fiberglass swimming pool for their home.

Marcus Sheridan

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Small Inground Fiberglass Pool Design Awards for 2010

One of my favorite parts of maintaining a blog about the fiberglass pool industry is the chance I have to look at the unique designs that manufacturers are coming up with as the industry progresses. Last year, we posted another very successful article regarding the top fiberglass pool designs of 2009 but this year I wanted to break things down even further and take this opportunity to solely focus on the ‘little guys' of the industry and analyze what makes some of these small inground pools (anything less than 30' in length) such a unique design.

Also, I want to point out here that I have looked at all the major fiberglass pool manufacturers (San Juan, Leisure, Barrier Reef, Sun, Trilogy, Hatteras, American, Royal, and Alaglass) in an effort to pick which designs I like the best. (Note** With their current financial and quality control issues, I could not in good conscience consider Viking Pool Products for these awards) I'd also stress that all of these awards are my personal opinion and just because some manufacturers are not mentioned does not mean they do not build a good pool or do not have some nice small pool designs. Again, awards are simply a matter of personal preference, so here goes:

Best Small Kidney Shaped Fiberglass Pool

This award goes to the Picasso model made by Trilogy Pools. I really, really like this pool because of its use of a large tanning ledge integrated into the kidney design. Trilogy is well known throughout the industry for their innovative approach to fiberglass pools and the Picasso is a perfect example of their vision.

Best Small Fiberglass Pool with a Spa Combo

San Juan is well known for their original designs and the Mandalay Bay model is certainly no exception to the rule. With its free-form shape, combined with the fact that it has a separate tanning ledge as well as an attached spa, San Juan packed just about every feature they could in this 12'x28' swimming pool.

Classiest Small Pool Design

The Elegance model by Leisure (14'x27') is certainly indicative of its name. Although the shape is essentially a simple rectangle, Leisure adroitly added a small, rectangular-shaped bump-out step/bench on one of the long sides of the pool. This simple addition added quite a classy feel to the design, making the name ‘Elegance' quite a fitting and appropriate one.

Flat Bottom Pool

Aloha fiberglass pools takes this award with their Palm model, an 11'x25' rectangular shaped pool with quite a large bench spanning the length of one side. If you're looking for a small, flat-bottom pool with a lot of seating, the Palm is a great route to take.

Free Form Design

With its natural curve appeal and large tanning ledge, the Vista Isle (12'x28') by Blue Hawaiian Fiberglass Pool takes this award.

Most Unique Design

Although there are certainly many small fiberglass pool shapes and designs that could be considered unique, I'd give this award to Sun Pools for their 12'x24' South Beach model. This key-shaped design has three unique entry point/benches and certainly has an original feel to its appearance.

 

So there are my small inground pool awards for 2010. As I mentioned earlier, I happily invite questions and comments below and remind everyone to subscribe to future articles like this one in the upper right hand portion of this page.

Marcus Sheridan, PoolSchool

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The Future of Fiberglass Pool Manufacturers: Who Will Survive?

  This article is simply the result of the many, many email inquiries I've received in recent weeks  from our readers regarding the future financial stability of fiberglass pool manufacturers. With the 'troubles' of Ocean Reef and San Juan Pools mentioned in the news recently, quite a few future fiberglass pool owners are now thinking much harder about the manufacturer they choose to do business with. This is absolutely understandable considering a fiberglass pool warranty is a 'manufacturer warranty', not a 'pool builder warranty'. In other words, if a fiberglass pool manufacturer goes out of business and you have one of their pools in your backyard, you're out of luck in terms of any warranty issues down the road.

Obviously, no one wants to make the wrong decision when choosing the pool of their dreams. When it comes to choosing a fiberglass pool, the consumer must make two important decisions: 1. The Manufacturer 2. The Builder. Up to this point, I've talked almost at nausea about the latter so it's time we discussed what's going on with these pool manufacturers.

Let me also say here that this article is purely my opinion based on what I'm seeing within the swimming pool industry. I've got many, many sources that have contributed to my thoughts here. That being said, this article is only meant as a guide to your pool purchase, and no more.

Where the Problem Started

You see, the reason why so many fiberglass pool manufacturers are now suffering is simple. In the early 2000s, the swimming pool industry had never seen such a high. This was especially true in 2005 where just about any pool company and manufacturer had more than enough work to keep themselves busy and pay all their bills without really having to doggedly work for it. As we all know too well, this was a time period of easy credit and skyrocketing home values. Just after being in a home for a few months homeowners had enough equity to borrow against for such items as additions, boats, pools, etc. Looking back at this time period, it amazes me just how easy it was for homeowners to buy a swimming pool. Simply put, it was the perfect confluence of events that culminated in a swimming pool explosion throughout the United States.

Around this same period, fiberglass pools were gaining a large portion of the market share within the United States. Although this trend had occurred years before in other countries around the world such as Australia, the United States didn't truly come around to fiberglass as one of the staples of the residential pool industry until the 2000s.

With all lights flashing green and all signs saying 'grow', fiberglass pool manufacturers sprung up across the country and also many already established manufacturers built more plants in key areas of the country to cut down on shipping costs to builders and also keep pace with production demands.

The Bubble Bursts

As I mentioned, this growth period culminated in 2005 and 2006, and it is now this same period which is putting some manufacturers under a mountain of debt and financial losses. Simply stated, many manufacturers were not intelligent with their business models and got too big for their own britches as they overestimated the economy's ability to maintain such unrealistic numbers.(Read an interesting article about this decline by John Miles of Pool and Spa News)

I'm not saying here that the collapse in the economy was an easy thing to see, because it wasn't. Heck, even our own government was mostly aloof to the disaster that so quickly occurred. Notwithstanding, this boom and bust period was handled better by some fiberglass pool manufactures, and builders, then others.

Manufacturer Benchmarks

In order for a fiberglass pool manufacturing facility to break even, it needs to produce(in most cases) about 600 pools a year. The ideal number though for financial stability is 700+. Of course, this number can vary depending on the facility and its ability to cut costs while still staying above water. Here is a list of the main fiberglass pool manufacturers in the U.S. and their production facilities during the 2000-2007 period:

• Viking Pools(Includes Composite Pools, Crystal Palace Pools, Liberty, etc, etc, etc): 5 facilities: West Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, and California
• San Juan Pools: 3 facilities: Florida, Arizona, and Indiana
• Blue Hawaiian: 2 facilities: Florida and North Carolina
• Aloha Pools: 4 facilities: Texas, California, Georgia, and Tennessee
• Trilogy Pools: 1 facility: Tennessee
• Leisure Pools: 1 facility: Texas
• Sun Pools: 2 facilities: Florida and Kentucky
• Alaglass Pools: 1 facility: South Carolina

If you count the number of facilities between these manufacturers, you come up with a total of 19. This doesn't even include some of the smaller companies. This being said, the industry needed to produce, at least among the top manufacturers, at least 11,400 fiberglass pools to come close to breaking even during the good years. Such was possible at that time but the sad reality is 10,000 fiberglass pools will not even be purchased in the United States in 2009. In fact, the more likely number will be around 7000. As you can see, the consumer demand does not meet the manufacturer overhead demand, which is why we are now seeing so many issues. This is also why the number of facilities now in production is less than the 19 mentioned above. Like all other businesses, manufacturers are doing what it takes to cut costs, and closing plants is often times the easiest way to make a big difference with monthly expenditures.

What Does This All Mean?

Now I'm not going to delve into here which of the above manufacturers have closed facilities. I'm also not going to predict (although I've certainly got an opinion) which ones will foresee major issues down the road. Notwithstanding, I will make this statement:

It is my opinion that the strongest fiberglass pool manufacturers in the coming years will be the ones who have less plants/facilities yet still have the ability to reach high production levels if necessary. Having a plant that can produce 2000 pools during the good times but at the same rate has the ability to turn a profit at 650 pools during the bad times is a much more sound business model then having multiple smaller plants that must be constantly fed when times are the toughest but also reach a certain production limit in the best of economic conditions.(Note** I do realize there are many more factors that will dictate a company's success, so let's just assume we all agree on those important variables.**)

So what am I implying with all of this? No, I'm not saying necessarily that Viking is in trouble yet a company like Trilogy will have no problems in the future. What I'm doing is making a simple analysis of the current state of the fiberglass pool market and where I think it's headed, which will hopefully give you, the consumer, enough food for thought to lead you in the right direction when it comes to choosing the manufacturer of your fiberglass swimming pool.

An Invitation to All Manufacturers

I also want to give manufacturers a chance to respond to this blog below regarding your company. If you'd like to discuss the stability of your company and its current direction, I absolutely invite you to do so in the comments section. Whether you agree with my synopsis or not, I'd still be inclined to hear your thoughts.

**Note: 3 Weeks after this article was written, Viking Pools filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy**

Marcus Sheridan, River Pools

Science and Fiberglass Pool Gelcoats: Why Some Colors Stink and Others are Built to Last

The Science Behind Fiberglass Pool Gel Coats and Quality vs. Cheap Color Finishes

As many of you are quite aware, I have talked quite a bit about fiberglass pool color finishes and their importance in the past. In fact, I've been thrilled this year to receive emails from so many people across the country talking about this important subject and asking further questions. Recently, a customer asked by how the fiberglass pool manufacturers were able to scientifically test their finishes versus just putting a product out in the market and seeing its performance in pools over time. I thought this was a great question, and so I decided to make this video, which was shot at the Leisure Pools facility in New Braunfels, Texas.

Currently, the main method for testing fiberglass pool gelcoats is by performing a boil test. Such a test, which typically means the gelcoat is submersed in boiling water from 100-200 hours, is a great indicator as to what will happen to a pool that has been in the ground for many years and experienced the effects of the sun, chemicals, etc. In the United States, there are only a few color gelcoat manufacturers available for the fiberglass pool manufacturers to choose from. Considering Leisure gets their famous Aquaguard product from Australia, therefore spending much, much more on shipping, they have attempted to find an American manufacturer that will meet the Aquaguard standards. Unfortunately, they have fallen short in these efforts and only found that most of the products don't even resemble the performance of Aquaguard. Although many of my readers have asked how I grade out the different finishes used by the various fiberglass pool manufacturers, I will defer from mentioning a bunch of names at this time. Notwithstanding, I will say that my studies have found that the ‘crystite color finishes' are the worst in the fiberglass pool industry. Obviously, ‘Aquaguard' receives the highest current marks. There are a few middle of the road finishes and there is also a new finish currently in the works being created by another fiberglass pool manufacturer.

The key, as always, is for you as a pool consumer to thoroughly read your pool's finish warranty. Personally, I would expect the warranty to be at LEAST 10-15 years; otherwise I wouldn't consider the product. Also, just because it says a certain number of years the finish is warranted, make sure you still read the fine print. Some manufacturers are famous for their warranty disclaimers.

If you have any questions about color finishes and want further detail, please don't hesitate to make your comments below.

And as always, happy swimming!

Marcus Sheridan, http://www.poolschool.us/

Installing a Fiberglass Pool Properly: Sand vs. Gravel, Which is Better?

There is a famous bible verse that applies to this important subject:

 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

"But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

(Matthew 7:24-27)

I have to tell you, it's a funny thing to me that man was told thousands of years ago that building structures upon rocks was much more intelligent than building upon sand, notwithstanding, there are still people, some of which claim to be ‘industry experts', that insist upon the use of sand as the base and backfill for a fiberglass pool. Alas.......I guess some of these 'foolish' people never learn.  Just look at what Todd Stahl, the owner of Viking Pools, says about the manner:

 "The fact of the matter is that in most situations gravel is not the correct material to be placed around your pool. It is difficult to compact and is typically only used because it is inexpensive."

Let's analyze this statement for a second. First of all, in Virginia and Maryland, gravel literally costs twice as much as sand per ton. Apparently, Mr. Stahl has been living in the beautiful hills of West Virginia too long to know the price of pool materials along the ENTIRE EAST COAST. Secondly, to say that gravel "is difficult to compact" is like saying "fire is hard to get warm." How anyone in the world could view their own vast and profound knowledge of geology greater than that of proven science is beyond me. Just think about it for a second- In order for sand to come close to compaction it must be saturated with water and tamped. But gravel? That's right, gravel only needs to be tamped and it's compacted, which is why it's used as the base and footer for incredibly heavy and large structures all over the world. In fact, when was the last time you saw concrete, asphalt, basements, block walls, etc, etc built on sand??  For example, my home has a basement constructed with large concrete wall panels (Superior Walls). These incredibly heavy panels line up vertically and interlock to form our basement and do you know what they are sitting on? That's right; you guessed it- a gravel footer. In other words, my entire home is sitting on a 12" gravel base. Yet people like Todd Stahl in the fiberglass pool industry still subscribe to sand..... OOOOO-KEEEE-DOOO-KEEEE

 

But enough of common sense. Let's just throw that out for a moment and look at the scientific reasons as to why gravel is better as a base and backfill for fiberglass pools. One of my business partners, Jason Hughes, wrote and incredibly respected and popular article about fiberglass pool problems, one of which discussed sand versus gravel. This is an excerpt from the article:

"If you talk to enough people or scroll through enough online forums you'll probably come across someone who has developed a bulge in the wall of their fiberglass pool.  We encountered this problem years ago with several of our pools.  This caused us to scrutinize our installation process and thoroughly inspect the pools where these problems occurred.  What we found flies in the face of the standard and accepted method of installing fiberglass pools across the country.  The problem in our case stemmed from the backfill material that we used.....namely sand.  Tens of thousands of fiberglass pools have been installed with sand backfill without incident, and most of our sand backfilled pools were fine as well.  But when the right (or wrong) combination of circumstances align fiberglass pool walls do bulge.  Question:  What happens to sand when it becomes saturated with water?  It liquefies.  That would be fine if the liquefied sand were resting against something other than fiberglass which is renowned for its flexibility.   Fiberglass pools are structurally engineered to remain full of water.  The outward pressure from the water works in conjunction with the structure of the pool to stabilize the vessel.  When sand liquefies it is heavier than the water on the inside of the pool and if the wall is not strong enough to maintain its shape a bulge develops.  High water tables as well as soils that hold water both lead to situations where a significant amount of water surrounds the pool structure and saturates the backfill material.  So does this mean that fiberglass pools are not suitable for installations with high water table or certain soils?  Quite the contrary; I would submit that there is no better pool to have in such circumstances.  You just need to make certain of two things.  First, that you're pool is strong enough to prevent bulges.  And second, that you eliminate the sand backfill and use gravel.  Is there a difference between the strength of fiberglass pools?  Yes, but from the perspective of the consumer it will be virtually impossible to rate the "bulge-ability" of the various pools on the market because all manufacturers claim to be the strongest and most stable.  The one thing you CAN control is the backfill material, and based on our experience, using gravel backfill is the only insurance against wall bulges in any situation with any pool.   Clean crushed blue stone ¾" or smaller is the gravel used in our installations because it has several distinct advantages over sand or even round pea gravel.  First, its properties do not change when it becomes saturated with water so it performs the same wet or dry.  This makes it ideal for any situation and especially in areas with a high water table or difficult soil conditions.  Second, the point on point friction that occurs between the pieces of gravel make it a very stable material on the sides of the pool; much better than saturated sand that liquefies or pea gravel that acts like little ball bearings.    Third, the gravel compacts upon placement unlike sand which needs to be placed in lifts and compacted with water.  This is further addressed in the discussion on plumbing problems below.  You will see that this is a major advantage as well.  Opponents to gravel backfill pitch against it by saying that it's a cheaper material and used in order to cut cost.  In reality it actually costs us significantly more to use gravel.  We feel it is well worth the investment because you can't put a price tag on peace of mind........... Why would the plumbing settle?  Good question!  The plumbing doesn't settle, the backfill material around the fiberglass pool settles and takes the plumbing with it.  Yes we're back to our sand vs. gravel discussion again.  This is great because this is a topic that needs attention.  The problem is that it's very difficult to fully compact sand around a fiberglass pool during installation.  Many times, despite a fiberglass pool installer's best efforts to bring the sand up in 6"-12" lifts and fully saturate the sand with water, the sand still settles some over time.  The plumbing is encased in this sand and as the sand settles, it exerts downward pressure on the plumbing of the swimming pool.  Many installers tie their plumbing up to help hold it in place, but not withstanding, that's still a lot of pressure.  Settled plumbing manifests itself in one way....leaks.  "Leak" is a dirty word!  We want to avoid saying that word, and we do so by using gravel backfill that just doesn't settle!  If the backfill doesn't move, the plumbing doesn't move.  It's as simple as that!"

There are a couple of other points I'd like add to Jason's explanation. Let's suppose you have a 6' deep fiberglass pool to install. When excavating for a fiberglass pool, the over-dig is typically about 12". Therefore, the deep end of the pool will be backfilled with either 6' of sand or 6' of gravel to fill in this 12" over-dig. Keep in mind here that your pool's patio (concrete deck) will be resting on top of that first 12" of backfill. Obviously, it's very important that this first 12" of concrete decking is on solid ground, ground that does not settle over time. Notwithstanding, many pool builders will backfill the deep end of the pool with 6' of sand and then add about 3" of gravel on top of that sand to form the base of the concrete decking. Are you starting to see just how little sense this makes? Tell me, which would you rather have the first 12" of your concrete decking resting on- 6 feet of gravel or 6 feet of sand with 3" of gravel on top? I can guarantee that 3'-8' of sand backfill (depending on the depth of the pool) will settle at least slightly over time. It doesn't take a genius to quickly realize this is not healthy for the structural integrity of a pool's concrete decking.

The other point I'd like to add deals with sand's ability to follow moving water. Jason mentioned this a little bit and I want to further delve into the subject. Let's say that after 6 years of owning your fiberglass pool (that was backfilled with sand) you fall victim to a plumbing leak at one of the pool's return fittings. This means that huge amounts of water are blasting away behind the pool wall. Before long, because sand so easily follows moving water, the force of the water creates a tunnel effect and an empty void is created behind the wall. Obviously, voids in the backfill of a fiberglass pool can have major negative ramifications, with the fiberglass bending to the shape of the void. As you can well imagine, this is not a good thing, but it can be almost entirely prevented with the use of gravel. Unlike sand, gravel will not wash and follow moving water very easily. Therefore, if leaks ever do unfortunately occur, at least the pool's backfill will likely not be altered.

So there you have it folks. I could go on and on about this topic but I'll stop there. Everything written here is simply the result of having installed our first 300 pools with sand and our last 300 pools with gravel. The reality is that anyone who insists sand is a better base for fiberglass pools is simply living in an antiquated state of denial and refusing to build a fiberglass pool to a modern standard. Such people are likely still using rotary phones in their homes and 8-tracks for easy listening in their vehicles. This is also why I give credit to cutting edge companies like Trilogy pools of Tennessee because they have taught their dealers that gravel should be the base and backfill for a fiberglass pool. Mark my words: Within 10 years of this little blog, over 90% of the fiberglass pool industry will be using some type of gravel as the base and backfill for their pools. Until then though, I, along with my business partners Jim and Jason (and anyone else who likes to mix common sense with pool education), will continue to do everything we can to be a source for positive change in the fiberglass pool industry.

Marcus Sheridan, http://www.poolschool.us/

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Fibergass Pools, Little People Big World, and TV's Misconceptions

 

Fiberglass Pools, Little People Big World, and TVs Misconceptions

I recently saw an advertisement regarding a fiberglass pool manufacturer that had donated a pool to the TV Show Little People Big World. Upon reading the advertisement, which made it sound as if Little People Big World had chosen the manufacturer because of their superior quality, two thoughts came to my head.

• 1. I'm glad fiberglass pools are becoming such a part of mainstream TV.
• 2. Just because a fiberglass pool is used on a TV show doesn't make it any better than the next.

With the introduction of HGTV and other home improvement shows, many manufactures, such as Viking Pools and Trilogy Pools, have been kind enough to donate their pools towards a good cause. Although I strongly appreciate the good will in these gestures, the reality is this:

Do not allow your impressions of a fiberglass pool manufacturer to be affected by what they have done on TV.

I can say such a statement without bias because one the manufacturers that our company at River Pools and Spas carries is Trilogy Pools. Trilogy was on Extreme Home Makeover a few years ago because they donated and built a pool for a needy family.  But the fact that Trilogy was on Extreme Home Makeover doesn't make them a great pool. The greatness and superiority of their product are found in such areas as: lifetime structure and 15 year finish warranty, powerful customer testimonials, quality materials used in pool structure, etc.

So before you choose to use a fiberglass pool manufacturer simply because they promote what they do on TV, remember to keep the essentials in mind. In fact, I would be concerned if a builder or manufacturer focused all of their marketing efforts on charitable deeds without also promoting the quality components of their product. Although charity is a wonderful virtue, it does not build a quality pool with an excellent structural and finish warranty.

Marcus Sheridan, http://www.poolschool.us/

 

 

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Viking Pools vs River Pools and Spas Pool Company

 By Jim Spiess

My business partner Marcus Sheridan has done pool comparisons on other blogs, this one is a fiberglass pool comparison, but on a little bit of a different scale. As a business owner and as a person, I believe that what makes you successful is not how much money you make, but how you conduct yourself as a business and an individual. Because Viking Pools is so upset with Marcus Sheridan for pointing out their flaws in his popular ebook found at www.poolschool.us , they have stooped to new lows with such websites as www.riverpoolsvirginia.com and other similar sites. Essentially, Viking has made it their main priority to affect River Pools' business in a negative manner. An interesting way of solving their own deficiencies but so be it. So with a new competitor in the Virginia market, I will attempt to compare the two companies in this article. I will also admit right up front that I am biased in my opinions of the two companies, because I own one of them, but just because I am biased, does not mean I am not telling the truth.

Category 1: Innovation

Because Viking Pools have been around so much longer than River Pools and Spas, they were able to be one of the main innovators in terms of the fiberglass swimming pools in the early years of the industry here in the United States. They were one of the first companies to have colored finishes and they did a great job integrating benches, ledges, etc into their pool molds. In the last year though, River Pools and Spas has found two other pool companies, Leisure Pools and Trilogy Pools, that have done a better job with color and one of the companies can customize benches and seats to better suit the customer. Essentially, Trilogy has been the first company to specialize in modular fiberglass customization. In other words, one can take a ‘fusion' model and change the steps, add tanning beds, spillovers, etc. To understand this further, see their website at http://www.trilogypools.com/fusion/the-fusion-advantage.  Simply put, Trilogy has set the tone for the future of fiberglass swimming pool customization. Leisure Pools has set the bar with their color process and all American swimming pool companies have been trying to figure this process out, because when a Leisure pool is repaired it blends in so that it cannot be seen, therefore you do not even know that there was a repair. To learn more on this visit Leisure's website at http://www.leisurepoolsusa.com/ Simply put, Leisure leads the industry in color finishes for fiberglass pools, which when you add the two together, River Pools and Spas has the best color finishes available and the best innovation of fiberglass pools available.

 

Category 2: Shapes and Sizes

Both Viking and River Pools and Spas have a very large amount of pool designs to choose from, especially if you count Viking's multiple lines that they offer with Composite Pool Corporation and Crystal Palace Pools, and then you look at the fact that River Pools carries two lines with Leisure Pools and Trilogy Pools. In terms of sheer numbers, Viking does have an advantage, with more models to choose from. In terms of elegance and classiness though, Trilogy and Leisure dominate when one looks at such models as the Grand Elegance and the Moroccan by Leisure Pools and the Hyperion and the Regalus by Trilogy Pools, which are in my opinion four of the classiest large pool designs in the fiberglass pool industry.

Category 3: Warranty

Marc has spoken heavily on this subject regarding fiberglass pools(to see his now famous blog regarding Viking's color problems, go to: http://blog.riverpoolsandspas.com/blog/bid/22092/Why-is-Viking-Fiberglass-Pools-Trying-So-Hard-To-Discredit-Marcus-Sheridan-s-Swimming-Pool-eBook) , with his emphasis always being placed on the Surface / Finish Warranty of the pool shell and not so much on the structure warranty of the shell. In terms of structure warranty, both Viking and Trilogy boast a lifetime warranty on the structure. Leisure however boasts a 35 year stated structure warranty. But where one will find a significant difference between manufacturers is with the finish warranty, especially now that all manufacturers are using colored finishes, and not just white, with their pools. Viking has a 7 year warranty on their finish, but if one actually reads the warranty (which as far as I can tell is not listed on their website) they will find that the warranty is only 3 years full and 4 years prorated.  Trilogy, on the other hand, displays their entire warranty on their webpage (http://www.trilogypools.com/about-trilogy-fiberglass-pools/warranty ), which shows a 10 year, non prorated surface warranty. Leisure has a 15 year finish warranty and Leisure's warranty covers fading and yellowing. It is because of Leisure Pools' aquaguard gel coat finish that they are able to offer such an exceptional warranty. For more information on Leisure Pools warranty visit their website at www.leisurepoolsusa.com.

 

Category 4: Website

Both http://www.riverpoolsandspas.com/  and http://www.vikingpools.net/ are great websites. Both have quite a few videos, but River Pools and Spas has more blogs and more information on pools then Viking does. Both websites have a lot of pictures and a pool styles to choose from. Viking has their models directly on their site, and with River Pools and Spas you need to go to their links to see the different models. River Pools and Spas has a testimonial on every page and also have a page related to testimonials.

Category 5: Owners

Viking boasts that they have the benefit of a big corporation with the benefit of a small family business. Such a statement is an oxymoron. Viking is owned by a big corporation, River Pools and Spas is a small family business that strives to maintain that personal feel, which is why every customer is on their reference list.