Fiberglass Pool Information | Fiberglass vs Concrete vs Vinyl Liner | Pool Design Guides
Attention Fiberglass Pool Owners: Please Do Not Disclose this information to your buddies with Concrete/Gunite Pools…because they’ll be way jealous and drastic things could happen.
We have to be considerate here, what’s done is done. They can never enjoy the benefits of fiberglass pools the way you can, so there’s no point in rubbing their noses in it.
*Concrete pool owners: if you have accidentally come across this article, save yourself years of regret and anguish and leave this page now before any more damage is done. If you have a friend with a fiberglass pool that deliberately referred you here, they should immediately go on your pooh-pooh list and lose all future Christmas gifts.
Now that’s behind us:
Here are 5 Things You Should Never Disclose to Your Friends with Concrete Pools
1. All the time you’ve had with Your Family while They’re outside Cleaning the Pool
Please, never mention all the times you’ve watched them, dripping with sweat, brush and clean the pool from your air conditioned kitchen. They don’t have a choice, you know. Because of the porous surface of concrete pools, weekly brushing of the entire pool is recommended to remove any algae that embeds into the surface. Yes, I know you probably never brush your fiberglass pool. Why would you? The surface is non-porous, inhibiting the growth of algae, and that makes your life really easy. I know you feel guilty, maybe you could volunteer to brush their pool for them next week…NOT!
2. What You’ve done with the Money You’ve Saved on Chemicals
Clothes for the kids, a few nights out to dinner, they’ll never know how much more they spend on chemicals per year than you do and what they could be doing with the money…no need to even bring it up. It’s because of that porous surface thing again. It takes a lot more chlorine or other sanitizer to kill the algae and other bacteria embedded in those pours. Because your fiberglass pool doesn’t foster algae growth, it only requires a fraction of the chemicals used by your friend’s concrete pool.
3. How non-abrasive the Fiberglass Pool surface is
I know they told you that their kids have to wear water shoes while swimming in their concrete pool because the surface is so rough, so you never want to tell them how gentle, but skid-resistant, the surface of your fiberglass pool is and how easy it is on your children’s feet.
4. That you don’t need to Plan for Costly Repairs
I’m sure that they’re aware that they’ll eventually be spending $10–$20k on tile, coping, and plaster work, so there’s no need to point that out….not to mention acid washing every couple years. They’re responsible, I’m sure they’ll plan their budget accordingly. But you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank with costly renovation work with your fiberglass pool because the lifetime cost of ownership is significantly less. The vast majority of fiberglass pools installed in the United States since the 1970s have never had any major repair work.
5. That you don’t stress over pH and other water chemistry stuff
You’ve seen your friends dumping gallons of acid into their pool, but you probably didn’t know why. It’s because concrete pools are naturally alkaline and raise the pH of the pool water. Therefore, it’s much more difficult to keep your buddy’s water balanced than in your fiberglass pool that is inert and does not react in any way with the water in your pool. That’s just one less stressor you have to deal with, but remember…let’s keep it hush-hush.
Ok, so that’s it. You should be able to disclose any other info about your fiberglass pool to your concrete pool friends without fear of jeopardizing the relationship.
Glad I could be of service.
Please feel free question or comment, but please, let’s make sure it stays between us :)
At River Pools, we manufacture world-class fiberglass pools for customers across North America. If you're interested in buying a fiberglass pool for your home, you can browse our pool models, try out our pool pricing calculator tool, or request custom pricing using the button below.
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Editor's note (5/16/24):
This article was originally written by Jason Hughes, (Founder, River Pools Virginia, Genesis Course Instructor). Any opinions expressed are those of the author. Any prices referenced were based on information that was readily available at the time.
River Pools is a brand of inground fiberglass pools produced via the River Pools division of the manufacturing facility in Fortville, IN. While our expertise is in fiberglass pool manufacturing, we have a network of expertise relating to all things inground pools. Our own collective experience from over the years spans manufacturing, project design, installation, and pool service. We often tap into this knowledge base and share information freely with homeowners, just like you, who are considering having a swimming pool installed in your backyard.