River Pools & Spas Blog | Installation & Construction (12)

Unbiased Pool Owner Speaks Out Regarding Concrete vs Fiberglass Debate

By: Guest Author

As just about any pool shopper knows, there is a significant debate raging on in the swimming pool industry: Concrete Compared to Fiberglass: Which is the Best Swimming Pool? Understandably, this question merits serious consideration. But the truth is, just about every pool guy is quite biased when it comes to the product they sell. And no matter what any person says, they are almost always leaning one way or another when it comes to what they tend to recommend to customers.

7 Qualities of the Best Fiberglass Pool Builders in America

By: Marcus Sheridan

Although I’ve been living the life of a ‘pool guy’ for over 10 years now, it has been over the last 3 where I’ve really begun to know the industry in and out. Because of this blog, the eBook, and the events I’ve had the opportunity to teach at, my conversations with fiberglass pool builders and consumers all over North America have increased 100-fold. In fact, on a normal day I’m now getting as many emails outside of our installation area (Va/Md) as I am inside.

Comparing Fiberglass, Concrete, and Vinyl Liner Pools in the Modern Age

Don't blindly wonder if a fiberglass, concrete, or vinyl liner pool is right for you. Our educational ebook does a deep-dive comparison of the 3 types, all while noting the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Installation & Construction

Pool Bonding 101: Why Handrails, Coping, and Water Could Shock You

By: Jason Hughes

...and you thought you were supposed to shock the pool, not the other way around! Whether you are experiencing this in your own inground pool, or are in the process of researching for your future pool, this article will give a brief explanation of swimming pool bonding in non-pool guy terms. The key phrase to become familiar with here is equipotential bonding, which is essentially a function of connecting various pool components together with a bare copper wire to make them the same potential.

Video Tour of Gorgeous Fiberglass Pool with Retaining Walls

By: Jason Hughes

One of the most challenging aspects of buying an inground pool is visualizing what the finished project will look like, and this is especially true on a sloping lot where retaining walls are needed.

11 Simple Ways to Enhance the Look of Your Backyard Swimming Pool Oasis

By: Marcus Sheridan

Although there are certainly many ways to dress up an inground swimming pool, I wanted to write a brief list showing 11 things (just about all of which are shown in the video) you may consider to dress up the overall appearance of your backyard ‘poolscape’. Keep in mind that as you read the following ideas they are just that—ideas, and by no means a requisite to having a beautiful pool in your backyard. As I always say, it’s better to have a pool in your backyard without all the options you wanted, than it is to have a beautiful pool with every option you ever dreamed of...in your head…and not in your backyard.

Pool Excavation: 4 Questions You May Not Think to Ask!

By: Guest Author

One of our goals with this blog is to nullify what we refer to as the “curse of knowledge” throughout the swimming pool industry. Pool professionals, and all professionals for that matter, often forget that the common customer lacks the depth of knowledge that they have taken years to acquire. What results is a breakdown in communication regarding products, services, construction processes, and an overall misconception of what exactly will happens in the backyard. I’m certainly not immune to this, as I certainly make the same mistake from time to time with my clients. So the purpose of this article is to discuss one of the most common pool construction processes that fall under the dreaded “curse of knowledge”: Swimming Pool Excavation.

Do Fiberglass Pools Work with Shrink/Swell, Clay, and other Soil Conditions?

By: Marcus Sheridan

Although there are certainly quite a few myths out there regarding the drawbacks of fiberglass pools, one of the most amusing has to do with its ability to deal with adverse soil conditions. For example, just the other day, I had a lady ask me this question after she had sat down with a concrete pool salesman. "So I hear fiberglass pools do not work well with shrink-swell soil conditions. Is that the case?"

Concrete, Vinyl, and Fiberglass Pool Fading: Which Fades the Worst?

By: Marcus Sheridan

In a continued effort to point out the pros and cons of all types of swimming pools on this blog, this article will discuss a common issue that can arise with a swimming pool over time—fading. As you are likely aware, any surface of any product is going to lose some color and brilliance with time. So the main goal here is to give you an accurate expectation of each type of pool, as well as the factors that can dictate color loss.

Swimming Pool Wiring: How Much Does Electrical Hook-up Cost?

By: Jason Hughes

What does it cost to wire a swimming pool? Every inground pool project comes with certain peripheral costs that need to be figured when calculating a budget. In many cases, one such cost is electrical hook-up. This article is a guide to provide inground pool shoppers with a "ball-park" idea of what to expect to spend to have an electrician wire all of the components of their pool. Please keep in mind that swimming pool electrical hook-up cost may vary widely between regions.

Attention Fiberglass Pool Shoppers: 26 Things You Must Know Before Breaking Ground!

By: Guest Author

If you want a crash course on the finer details of a fiberglass pool installation, then you've come to the right place. Contained in this article are points of a fiberglass pool project that are NOT frequently covered on the internet, or possibly even in your backyard with your contractor, but are absolutely essential to a successful installation. These are the things you absolutely should know before the first piece of equipment shows up.