Fiberglass Pool Information | Installation & Construction | Pool Videos
We figured we'd have some fun and attempt something we've never done, or even seen done before in the pool industry (although I'm sure it has)...and that's to do an entire fiberglass pool installation, including concrete patio, all in a single day!
You're probably asking, "Why would you do something like that, Jason?"
Three reasons:
- To promote fiberglass pools
- To promote fiberglass pools, and yes finally
- To promote fiberglass pools
You see, fiberglass pool installations are quick and easy.
The typical project takes more like 2 or 3 weeks as opposed to a day. Still, there's a major difference in the amount of stress a project causes a family when compared to concrete pools that take 3 to 6 months.
Not to mention the other great benefits of fiberglass such as ridiculously low maintenance, low lifetime cost, and low chemical use. It's hard to go wrong!
So check out this video. It outlines the entire fiberglass pool installation process, and plus it's just a lot of fun. That's what pools are supposed to be, right? Fun!
The One-Day Challenge
7:30 am
We get to the site (a nice, level lot), lay the pool shell off to the side, and start getting everything together.
8:15 am
We begin to excavate the hole.
Goal: dig the hole in an hour and a half.
9:30 am
With the hole excavated, we begin to set up the plumbing for the filter system.
9:50 am
We put gravel down at the floor of the pool hole and rake it out. This means the pool will be nice and level when we set it down.
We're still working on plumbing the pool system. We heat-bend the pipe.
10:30 am
We have the whole pool plumbed and the floor of the pool ready.
We set the pool in the hole and get it level.
11:00 am
We begin to fill the pool with water. (This is the first load of water, and we'll need about two and a half loads altogether.)
We put screws on top of the pool to keep our cantilevered forms in place and backfill the pool with gravel.
Goal: pour concrete around the pool by 2:00 pm at the latest.
11:50 am
We install cantilevered forms on top of the pool while we wait for the second load of water and more gravel.
12:45 pm
We pour the second load of water into the pool.
The cantilevered forms are on.
We run the light wire out to where the light transformer and switch will be.
The concrete truck is loaded and on its way.
The building inspector is on his way for the bonding inspection.
1:30 pm
The concrete truck arrives.
We'll tie up some loose ends and start pouring concrete.
1:57 pm
We've prepped our concrete. The grid seal is in the concrete. The bonding around the pool is done.
The concrete truck backs up, and we're ready to pour the concrete patio.
We run the concrete around the pool up against the cantilevered forms.
2:30 pm
We've poured the concrete and are finishing it now.
We'll do some grade work around the outside of the concrete.
The filter system and pump are up and running. The water is being filtered and chlorinated.
3:45 pm
We took off the forms to reveal the cantilevered coping.
The pool and patio are done!
The customer tells us, "I never dreamed it would happen in a day. It was stress-free."
Feel free to share comments or questions below. Thanks!
At River Pools, we manufacture top of the line fiberglass swimming pools for customers across North America. If you'd like to get a fiberglass swimming pool in your yard this summer, you can download our free ebook below, try out our pool pricing calculator, or request a custom quote.
Up Next:
Pool Construction: Comparing Concrete, Vinyl Liner, and Fiberglass Installations
Shopping for a Fiberglass Pool Shell? 6 Things to Look for
Editor's note: This blog article was updated on April 9, 2020.