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Viking Pools (Latham International) Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

In a stunning turn of events, Latham Manufacturing Corp, who is the largest manufacturer of inground pools in North America, as well as the parent company of Viking Fiberglass Pools (Viking Pools) and Composite Pool Corporation (CPC), has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. Such is major news in the fiberglass pool industry, considering Viking Pools is one of the most well known fiberglass pool manufacturers in the country.  

As all my readers know, I literally just wrote a blog discussing the future of fiberglass pool manufacturers and alluded to the fact that the business models of these manufacturers are quite flawed, with too many plants to support and not enough pools to build because of a lower demand. A look at the rise and fall of Latham, including their relationship with Viking, is a perfect example of how such a model can cost a company their financial well-being.

Back in 2005, right when the swimming pool market was at its peak due to the housing boom/easy credit-for-everyone phase, Latham International purchased Viking Pools. In fact, in October of that year, Bob Dumas of Pool and Spa News reported:

"In yet another major industry acquisition, Latham International, the nation's leading manufacturer of packaged inground swimming pools, has purchased Viking Pools, one of the largest makers of fiberglass shells.

It is the fourth high-profile acquisition for Latham since 2002. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"Fiberglass is a growing segment of the market," said Mark Laven, president/CEO of Latham, which up until now had only purchased companies related to the vinyl-liner pool segment. "It's appealing to builders because it's labor-saving, and it's appealing to consumers as well."......... Todd Stahl called Viking and Latham's pairing a "compelling combination" and said that his company is "very excited about our partnership."

"Teaming with Latham was an opportunity we couldn't pass up," he said. He added that he believes the acquisition will elevate Viking's professional profile. "We were a family operation--they're all mom-and-pop operations in the fiberglass industry. But we wanted to be recognized as a leader in the industry, and it's hard to do that when you're a small morn-and-pop business. Now we are at a level that no fiberglass pool company has ever been at before."

Latham, N.Y.-based Latham International also owns Pacific Pools, a leading package-pool maker. The firm has averaged one major acquisition per year since 2002, including:

* Triac, November 2002

* Kafko, November 2003

* Fort Wayne Pools, December 2004

                                                        

Each of Latham's acquisitions has been designed to expand the company's geographical reach and broaden its product offerings, according to Laven. The firm currently employs approximately 1,200 people at 15 locations throughout the United States and Canada." (end quote)

So those were the thoughts 4 years ago of Todd Stahl and Mark Laven. Essentially, Latham tried to buy up a major company in just about every market of the swimming pool industry. The problem, as we all can now clearly see, is that they did not anticipate a fall in the market. In fact, Latham's bankruptcy papers state:

"As of November 30,2009, on an unaudited consolidated basis, the Debtors reported total assets of approximately $66,994,161, including approximately $5,783,601 in accounts receivable and $16,838,340 in inventory, and $239,438,055 in liabilities, which included $2,261,529 in accounts payable and $197,529,346 of long term debt, as discussed more fully below. For the 2009 fiscal year through November, the Company, on an unaudited consolidated basis, reported net sales and losses of$90,190,350 and ($181,414,993) respectively.

C. Circumstances Leading to the Commencement of the Chapter 11 Cases

Significant declines in market demand for the industry's products over the past three years have resulted in lower sales and significant unused manufacturing capacity in the Debtors' product lines. The downturn in the economy has negatively impacted sales industry-wide. The Debtors estimate that industry sales for 2009 will be down approximately 45% from 2008 and 70 to 75% from 2005. As a result of declining sales, there is significant excess industry capacity in the market. Historical sales have been best correlated with consumer sentiment and the availability of credit for customers to purchase the Debtors' products. The housing boom earlier in the decade, and corresponding home equity cash outs and rising prices for the Debtors' products, provided robust sales for the Debtors' products and the market in general. However, commencing in 2007 and continuing today, the housing bust and deteriorating economic climate resulted in declining industry sales. The continued downward spiral of consumer sentiment due to the state of the economy has contributed to the declining sales experienced industry-wide. In addition, traditional lenders who provide financing to consumers, such as GE and KeyBank, have ceased lending for pool purchases...... In response to these economic challenges, the Company aggressively worked to mitigate the economic impact caused by the above circumstances. During the period from 2007 to 2009, the Company made significant headcount reductions over each of the Company's divisions. Along with reducing headcount, management has actively worked to decrease the Company's legacy manufacturing footprint, reducing manufacturing facilities from 32 to 15. Additionally, a significant SKU reduction initiative was implemented in order to simplify manufacturing operations and reduce inventory, and the Company is taking advantage of these changes in 2009. This program has been a key component of managements ability to successfully reduce inventory levels and subsequently drive profitability and cash flow.....While these efforts have, in part, helped the Company weather the current economic decline, the Company still requires additional cash to purchase inventory in the near-term in order to operate their business. Because of the seasonal nature of the industry, the Company must spend approximately $25,000,000 during the first half of 2010 to satisfy the Company's peak seasonal working capital needs, as well as to reduce their existing debt load, in order to continue their operations." (end quote)

 

 Although they could have prognosticated a heck of a lot better in my opinion, I won't make that the focus of my article here. As I stated in my last blog, I've been asked by readers all over the country lately the current state of many swimming pool companies and manufacturers.  Latham's filing for Chapter 11 speaks volumes regarding the stability of some of the industry's most well known brands. 

So What's This All Mean?

Essentially, this all means that the swimming pool industry is similar to just about every other industry out there right now. With the economy struggling, it has created a refiner's fire for the biggest and smallest of companies. As I've stated before, I call it the ‘Bubba Gump' principle. Yes, there is quite a storm out there right now, but just as Forrest's boat survived the storm due to their strong foundation and went on to be extremely successful, so will many small and large swimming pool companies get through these difficult times even stronger. Latham and Viking Pools are not the last pool companies we'll see suffer major financial problems in the coming months. In fact, if I wasn't worried about frivolous lawsuits I'd throw out some predictions. But in an effort to keep things simple, I'll just report events as they happen.

Also, I'd like to state for the record that I strongly hope Viking, Composite Pool Corporation, and some of these other struggling manufacturers are able to weather this difficult storm. When I see a company like Latham, with its 1200+ employees on the brink of failure, it saddens me to know that these companies and their employees, as well as the families of their employees, are passing through a very difficult time.  Also, because Viking has so many pools in the ground at this point, it would be a crying shame for so many pool owners to lose their ‘lifetime warranty'.

Marcus Sheridan

http://www.riverpoolsandspas.com/ / http://www.poolschool.us/

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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

Disturbing: Bad Fiberglass Pool Installer+Irresponsible Manufacturer=Customer Disaster

One of the benefits of having this blog and PoolSchool is the fact that I receive emails from customers across the country at a rapidly increasing rate regarding their good, bad, and down-right ugly experiences with fiberglass pool builders and manufacturers. For example, read the following email I received this past week. (Because this customer is pursuing legal action against the manufacturer, I will hide the customer and manufacturer names for now...)

"We purchased a ****** pool last year and have been trying to get the pool repaired and then replaced for over a year now.  Our pool came with dimples and holes in the steps and within two weeks of the installation the whole pool warped at every curve.  Our pool is a small ****** pool that is all curves and each and every one of them now has a warp that runs from the top to the bottom of the pool.  ******Pools blamed the installers, who in fact did do a few things wrong but we have pictures of the install happening and you can actually see a warp in the pool before it was ever placed in the ground.  The flaws in the steps were there right from the start as well.  Our installers have since shut their doors (due to this) and ****** is laying all the blame on them so they are not helping us out at all.  ****** actually had the installers rip out a foot of concrete all around the pool four months ago stating that it would pop back into shape.  We now have a pool that we can't even put a safety cover on as there is nothing to attach it to, it is still warped and now unsafe to walk around.  We sure wish we had seen your "PoolSchool" before our much regretted purchase."

Pretty pathetic, wouldn't you agree? Such emails allow me to get a much better feel for which companies within the pool industry are willing to stand behind their product and which ones could essentially care less about the customer. Much to my surprise, the entire PoolSchool concept is now creating a source for consumer protection, awareness, and action. With the risk of sounding prideful, a customer recently told me in an email that I had, "become the Glen Beck of the fiberglass pool industry." Although hearing such statements wasn't the original goal of PoolSchool and this blog, it did give me a chuckle. It also gave me a sense of satisfaction knowing that we were able to help this pool owner in some way to make progress in resolving their pool installation issues. It truly matters to us here at PoolSchool and River Pools and Spas that pool consumers across the country, and world for that matter, are informed and have an advocate for truth.

This is also why I invite any of you who may have had a good or bad experience in the past by an installer or fiberglass pool manufacturer to contact us and we will do anything we can to help and make others aware of your thoughts.

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

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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/

 

 

As always, happy swimming and refer to this blog often to receive the latest in pool manufacturer and product ratings and well as general pool maintenance tips.

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5 Really, Really Dumb Mistakes People Make When Buying a Fiberglass Swimming Pool

Buying a Fiberglass Swimming Pool???.......

By Marcus Sheridan, www.PoolSchool.us

Well if you're reading this article, then chances are you're considering the purchase of a fiberglass swimming pool. Congratulations, you're on the right track, now you just need a little more guidance with this process. After having worked with well 1,000 people in their efforts to buy a fiberglass swimming pool, I've come up with my top 5 really, really dumb things people do during this important process.

• 1. Believe everything the manufacturer says: I always find it amusing when fiberglass swimming pool consumers tell me, "I've been spending a lot of time on manufacturer websites in order to know which one is the best." This statement, or some derivative of it, makes very little sense. Any fiberglass pool manufacturer can make themselves sound GREAT on a website. Whether it's a bogus statement about the efficacy of ‘ceramic pool cores' or the use of' carbon fiber for structure reinforcement', consumers need to be very careful as to the ‘claims' some fiberglass pool manufacturers will make. So do you want to know how to quickly figure out the quality of a fiberglass pool shell? Well the answer is simple: If the manufacturer does not list the complete, written warranty of their fiberglass pool shell on the website, then flags should go up....i.e.: Their warranty stinks. And remember, this warranty should show not just the structure warranty, but also the finish warranty, which brings me to my next point.
• 2. Don't pay attention to Finish Warranties: There is a reason many fiberglass pool manufactures don't talk much about their finish warranties. The reason, of course, is that their color finishes stink. Yep, that's right. They stink. (As you can see, ‘stink' is my word of the day;-) In fact, I will gladly tell you that any fiberglass swimming pool that has a finish warranty less than 10 years stinks. And be careful about prorated warranties. For example, there is a well known manufacturer that boasts of a ‘7 year' finish warranty. But if one reads this supposed warranty they will see it is actually a 3 year full warranty with 4 years prorated. Furthermore, if one reads all the disclaimers to this finish warranty they'll find they have almost no finish warranty at all. Remember, the colored finish to your fiberglass swimming pool is incredibly important. The last thing you want is a cheap color that fades terribly just after a couple of years and is prone to blisters. Believe it or not, there are major manufacturers in the fiberglass swimming pool industry with these problems.
• 3. Don't ask for references: I've said this before and I'm sure I'll say this many, many more times- If a pool dealer does not give you references, and I mean a LOT of references, then you should be highly concerned. Frankly, you should not even have to ask your pool builder for said references. For example, our company reference list currently holds almost 600 customers. Pool shoppers are welcome to call any one of them. So if a builder tells you that they have no references because their customers refuse to be on a list they are simply lying to you. Look at it this way: Would you ever have a problem fielding a few calls a year if your pool guy did a great job in your back yard? Of course not.
• 4. Focus Solely on Price: It bugs me that I even need to mention this but alas...I guess I must. It always baffles me to hear a customer say they want a great, great super-low price but they also expect great, great quality and service.....Huh? Say what? There is an old saying I once heard. It goes something like this: "All of your customers want you as a business to make money and turn a profit. They just don't want you to make any money on them." This quote certainly holds true for some shoppers, but I find the majority understand that in order to deal with a reputable, steady company where quality and service are a fundamental component of the building process, then the company must make money. This means on all customers. Now don't get me wrong. I am not advocating here that pool guys should break the bank on every job and not earn their keep. What I am saying, though, is that there will always, and I stress ALWAYS, be companies available that will build your pool for less. This is also why so many fiberglass swimming pool companies go out of business. In the short 8 years I've been in business here in Virginia and Maryland I have literally witnessed about 20 fiberglass companies start and fold their businesses. And no, that is not an exaggeration. How would you like to have had your pool installed by one of these companies? Although price always has and always will be an important part of choosing your pool builder, make sure that it's not your first priority. If it is, then you might find yourself being the next victim of a terrible pool building experience.
• 5. Focus on the short-term: Whether you are looking at the type, size, price, or any other component of your swimming pool, you need to make decisions based on how long you think you might be in your home, not just on your circumstances today. There are literally hundreds of examples of this but I'll name a few.

-A customer decides not to get a salt chlorine generator with their pool because they think it costs too much. (What they don't realize is that it will pay for itself within the first couple of years.)

-A customer elects to get a propane heater instead of a heat pump because of the huge initial price difference. (Again, just like the salt generator, the heat pump will cost much less to own over time.)

-A pool shopper settles on a vinyl liner even though they really want fiberglass. They do this because the pool will cost them $6,000 less initially. Over the next 25 years, they end up spending about $8,000 more than they would have during the life of pool ownership because of liner replacements. These residual expenses would have been non-existent had just gotten a fiberglass swimming pool in the beginning.

         6.   They don't go to http://www.poolschool.us/ before they buy. (Ok, so I'm biased;-)

   

So there you have it. Those are my top 5 really, really dumb things people do when buying a fiberglass swimming pool.  Although I could easily add about 50 other items to this list, this should give you enough to chew on for now.  As always, good luck with your shopping experience and don't forget to subscribe to our blog here at http://www.riverpoolsandspas.com/ (upper right hand side of this page) to receive all the best tips, articles, and videos on buying and owning a swimming pool.

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.

 

2009 Fiberglass Swimming Pool Design Awards

 

Welcome to the 2009 Fiberglass Swimming Pool Design Awards!! With the growth and success of http://www.poolschool.us/, and feedback we've gotten from fiberglass pool shoppers, we at PoolSchool have produced the first of what will be an annual review of the fiberglass swimming pool designs of the various manufacturers found within the inground pool industry. As with any awards/reviews article such as this one, the statements found herein are the opinions we've formulated over the years based on our extensive experience with fiberglass swimming pool manufacturers throughout the industry. The companies considered for these design awards are as follows: San Juan Pools, Trilogy Pools, Hatteras Pools, Sun Pools, Blue Hawaiian Pools, Alaglass Pools, Leisure Pools, Royal Pools, Composite Pool Corporation, Crystal Palace Pools, Viking Pools, and Aloha Pools.

The awards are as follows:

Fiberglass Pool Shapes:

Best Roman Design: Trilogy Pools wins this one rather easily with their Hyperion model in the Fusion line. What makes the Hyperion so unique is one's ability to literally choose what type of end they would like to have on the model. In other words, whether you are looking for a tanning shelf, steps, or benches; the customability of the Hyperion is second to none with Roman end fiberglass swimming pools. Another great feature of the Hyperion is its 44' length, making it the longest Roman end design in the fiberglass pool industry.

Most Innovative Design: Innovation has certainly picked up the pace the last few years in the fiberglass pool industry. What was once seen as impossible in terms of ‘custom' shapes and features has become a reality with many companies. The most innovative design, though, for 2009 goes to San Juan Pools for their Barcelona model. This fiberglass free form pool measures roughly 15'x28' and comes complete with a tanning ledge and a ‘spa island' (as we at PoolSchool have dubbed it). We call it a spa island because the pool has a built in spa that sits literally in the pool, touching no side walls. Props to San Juan for this unique model.

Best Kidney Design: Trilogy Pools wins another award for best kidney design with their Gemini model. Although the Gemini design isn't an exact kidney shape, it's pretty close, and it integrates some impressive tanning ledges into the mold.

Best Pool/Spa Combo: Pool and Spa combination designs have exploded recently in the fiberglass pool industry, mainly due to their popularity in such warmer climates as California, Texas, and Florida. Although there are many good models out there to choose from, the award goes to Aloha pools for the Serenade model. The Serenade is a 16'x38' free form design with an intelligent mix of steps and benches throughout the model.

Best Medium Sized Pool: Leisure Pools takes this award with their very popular Morrocan model. This pool is a great design because Leisure took a rectangle and rounded its corners and put a slight arch on one side of the pool. This gives the design the functionality of a rectangle with the personality of a free form look. With three seperate entry/exit points, the Morrocan meets the need of just about any consumer, and it comes in larger and smaller sizes as well.

Most Spacious Design: Blue Hawaiian picks up an award in this category for their large and spacious Olympic Bay model. The Olympic Bay is all about swim and play area, with almost the whole pool(16'x41' rectangle) designed for such activities, which is also why the unit has very little benches and steps that can eat up space.

Most Elegant Design: Trilogy picks up their 3^rd award here with their Regulus model. This 16'x44' design can be customized just like their Hyperion model but has an incredibly classy and elegant look about it. Leisure pools also receives an honorable mention here for their Elegance model, which comes in various sizes.

Best Diving Pool(*some manufacturers may or may not allow diving boards with their pools, be sure to check with the manufacturer if you are interested in a diving board with your fiberglass pool): San Juan picks up another award here with their Taj Mahal and Luxor Models. The reason why we like these models so much is because they are 44' long, versus the standard 39'-40' you will find with most other manufacturers. Viking and Aloha receive honorable mentions here with the Island Breeze and Mira Largo Models, respectively.

Best Patio Pool Design: Patio pools are typically considered to be 20' in length or less. So for those of you that are looking for a really, really small unique pool design , perfect for a patio and a quick dip, the Horizon model from San Juan receives the 2009 award.

Most Unusual Pool Design: ‘Unusual' in this sense may have a good or bad connotation, depending on the viewer, but we at http://www.poolschool.us/ have chosen the following designs because they made us raise a brow and debate their unique design, which is why we invite your opinions as well. The models are: The St. Lucia by San Juan, the Manteo by Hatteras, the Rebrandt by Trilogy, and the Twin Key by Blue Hawaiian.

Quality:

When we at PoolSchool first got into the fiberglass pool industry, we were under the false impression that all fiberglass pool shells were created equally. Now, after having installed about 600 pools, as well as receiving feedback from all of our eBook customers throughout the country, we realize that there is a wide divide in the fiberglass pool industry when it comes to quality of pools.  Some companies are doing a great job manufacturing excellent pools while others are producing junk and getting by because of their established name. But for the 2009 Highest Quality Fiberglass Pool Award, Leisure Pools get the nod based on their incredible Aquaguard Gelcoat and their use of Isophthalic resins throughout the pool's structure, a combination currently unmatched by any other fiberglass pool manufacturer. Although many other manufacturers certainly produce a quality pool, Leisure does set the current quality standards in the fiberglass swimming pool industry.

Web Site:

Web sites continue to improve for most manufacturers, but Viking Pools get the nod here because of the many, many pictures they have on their website.

Well there you have it folks. Although we could go on and on as to the different designs within the fiberglass pool industry, we hope this article helps you all in your efforts to find the right pool for you and your family. To learn more about fiberglass swimming pools, as well as to read further pros and cons of the different manufacturers, visit our popular website: http://www.poolschool.us/

Questions? Comments? Email Marcus Sheridan of PoolSchool at riverpoolsmarc@gmail.com .

How Much Can a Mistake Cost on a Swimming Pool Purchase?

 By Jim Spiess, www.riverpoolsandspas.com

 

There are many factors to consider when purchasing a swimming pool. First- Is the type of pool you will purchase, will it be an above ground pool, or an in ground pool? Let's look at above ground pools first.

How much will our above ground pool cost, and if it is an expensive pool does that guarantee quality and durability? Just because an above ground pool is expensive does not guarantee anything, for that matter most of your more expensive above ground pools are generally cheap pools that will cost you upwards to ten thousand dollars, and only last a few years. Beware of companies that advertise on television and show a beautiful pool with a ridiculously low price. If it looks too be true it probably is. These companies will do the same with magazine ads, only to do a bait and switch when they show up. There are many good above ground pools out there, Artesian Pools and Strong Pools make great pools, but beware of the riser pool made by Strong Pools, because it has its issues. These two manufactures have a difference of about one thousand dollars in their price; both have great warranties, and will not only last for many years of enjoyment, but will keep their look over the years. How many times have you seen an above ground pool get put up in the neighborhood and a year or two later they look twenty years old? An Artesian 24 foot round pool should cost you in the neighborhood of five thousand dollars with installation, the Strong Pool would be about one thousand more. How much can you lose on an above ground pool purchase? Up to ten thousand dollars if you make a bad choice. It is not a good idea to purchase an aluminum deck for an above ground pool. I recommend a wood deck or a composite deck, which is much more attractive, more durable, and will probably cost less too.

Now let's take a look at inground pools. Here we have really five types of pools to choose from: There is the natural pool which is filtered with plants and can even have fish in them, with a structure that is basically a vinyl liner pool. Initial cost can vary upon plants, type of fish, and stone work, but will generally run around thirty thousand. This is a great pool if you are more interested in a pond than a pool. Personally, I would not spend much on it because vinyl liners have a limited life to them, and it can be a mess to replace the liner on a large pond with vegetation, rocks, and fish. The cost is not that cheap because of the designing, planting, installation, and more, and your loss could be up to ten thousand after replacing liner and surroundings.

Second we have the vinyl liner pool. Its initial pool cost is around $25,000, and it falls into the category of a temporary pool. Liners today generally last between five to ten years, depending on how your pool was installed. If the pool did not have an over-dig and was put in exactly to specifications than that will increase the life of the liner. The problem is a lot of vinyl liner pool companies put the pools in fast and do a slight over-dig to make sure they do not get wrinkles in the liner. This causes the vinyl liner to get stretched and it has now had years taken off the life of the liner. Also, if the pool is put in out of square, it will shorten the life of the liner. We have people who call us to replace the vinyl liner in their pool, and they want to give us the spec sheet for the liner that came with the pool. We never go by that. We have to  measure the pool ourselves and it has not once come up to the measurements on the spec sheet of the customer. Replacing a vinyl liner will cost you between four thousand to six thousand dollars with water. This is also what will bring the value of your home down when you go to sell it. The problem with swimming pools and home sales is that three red flags come up when someone sees a pool. 1. How much maintenance is the pool going to take? 2. How much will it cost me to run that pool each year? 3. What are my future expenses on that pool? With vinyl, you have fairly high maintenance, more cost in chemicals with the pool, and future expenses. Home value can even go down ten to twenty thousand.

Third we have gunite pools or concrete pools. This is a permanent pool, which is high maintenance, high chemical cost, and elevated electrical costs. This pool will have to be resurfaced on average every 10 years, and that can cost from ten to fifteen thousand dollars depending on the type of surface. The price of gunite pools depends on the size and scope of the work, although there are large companies out there that are selling them very cheap because of the economy. My feelings on this is if you have thousands of pools that you have put in and you kept your customers happy then you should not have to cut your cost on your pools so drastically. Most reputable gunite company's pools range around thirty five to fifty thousand dollars. I would beware of the companies that are offering the same pool for ten thousand less. These pools can bring the value of your home down too, usually less than a vinyl pool, around five to ten thousand dollars. Your loss can be as much as twenty five thousand if resurfaced twice during your ownership.

Fourth we have the fiberglass pool wall with a concrete bottom. Initial cost around twenty to twenty five thousand. This pool is still a high maintenance pool due to the concrete bottom, and a lot of times I have seen these pools put in and the bottom painted with a waterproof paint, this can lead to disaster. The life of these pools is determined by the installer, but the bottom of the pool will need resurfacing at a cost of around five thousand dollars. The pool tends to look cheap and will take away from the value of your home, around five to ten thousand dollars. Your loss is around ten to fifteen thousand dollars.

Last we have fiberglass pools. There initial cost is around thirty five to fifty thousand dollars, around the same as a good reputable concrete pool installer. Maintenance is low, operation cost is low, and future cost is very low. Adds value to your home because of all the above. Your gain is extra money when you sell your home, and years of enjoyment without all the work and headaches. But going with the wrong manufacturer, or picking the wrong company, because you are basing your decision on price can cost you more than you save. For instance the pool you have chosen appears to be the same, but the cost difference between the two companies is around five thousand. Well, you could end up the loser when the concrete does not turn out right or the pool was installed improperly, etc. There are many things that could go wrong that will cost you more than the five thousand you saved. Maybe you picked the wrong manufacturer and save five to ten thousand and then find out that you really lost around twenty five thousand and now have a non functioning pool in your backyard. Pool choices are tough decisions, you are spending a lot of money, the last thing you want to do is make a mistake that will cost you even more. For more information on fiberglass pool cost go to http://www.riverpoolsandspas.com/ or http://www.poolschool.us/