Long term fiberglass people?

[kduff85]

My wife and I are looking at installing a pool in our new home. Doing research seems to show that FG pools are easier to maintain, use less chemicals, and are easier on the feet. We like the thought of this but we cannot seem to find information on people who have had a FG pool for more than 2-3 years. I have seen loads of issues getting them installed, which concerns me as well.

Is there anyone here who has had their FG pool for 5+ years and have any thoughts on it? Should we go FG? Should we go gunite instead?

We live in North Richland Hills, TX. Soil is not rocky like I see a lot of Austin install people talking about.

Most of the FG information I can find online is from the manufacturers and of course they're only going to talk about the pro's vs Gunite. Looking for actual owners opinions! Hopefully this is the right spot to ask.

 

[keithw]

I've had mine for 11 years. No issues. I do like the feel of it over gunite and vinyl. As with any pool install is important. But I would certainly recommend FG. Mine is the base white color. It seems that different areas have pool installers that specialize in different types of pools. I would make sure that you are comfortable that your area has enough installers who do FG.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

..... Doing research seems to show that FG pools are easier to maintain, use less chemicals, and are easier on the feet.

None of that is true...except maybe the easier on the feet part.

All pools, no matter the surface type, need regular maintenance and chemical management. There is nothing inherent to the pool surface that changes the basic underlying chemistry of water sanitation or saturation balance. You can just as easily run out of chlorine in an FG pool as you can in vinyl or plaster and you can just easily scale out calcium onto an FG surface and ruin it. Websites that promote the notion that FG is "easier to maintain" are usually expressing those opinions from a biased point of view.

With that said, there is nothing wrong with FG as a surface choice and many FG owners love their FG pools. If you follow the pool care method TFP teaches here, then you can have an excellent pool.

Good luck finding an installer.

 

[kduff85]

Thanks! Yes all the information I seem to find on "FG pools are easier to maintain and cost less chemicals" are from the manufacturers websites or sources. So that is why I came here to see what is true and what isn't from unbiased people!

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I've had mine for 11 years. No issues. I do like the feel of it over gunite and vinyl. As with any pool install is important. But I would certainly recommend FG. Mine is the base white color. It seems that different areas have pool installers that specialize in different types of pools. I would make sure that you are comfortable that your area has enough installers who do FG.

11 years! Awesome. Have you had to refinish the surface? And I have definitely heard a FG pool is only as good as the installer!

 

[toofast]

About five years and it's been perfect

 

[keithw]

No I haven't had to resurface it, the pool surface looks just like it did when I installed it. Two suggestions I would make if you are going to do FG is do some form of cantilevered deck and then do a tile scumline. FG pools tend to look bathtub-ish with their wide coping IMO. But with cantilever decking and tile you would not know what kind of pool it is.

 

[TPR]

I've been doing the same research as you as I live in the Plano area near you - we visited Aqua Pools in Alvarado but we personally don't know any people with a fiberglass pool (appears DFW area is dominated by gunite). We are in the midst of our pool search and going through the same debate. There are a handful of posts on here related to fiberglass in our area if you do some searching - they may help.

 

[kduff85]

About five years and it's been perfect

That's great to hear! Do you remember what brand/model you went with?

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No I haven't had to resurface it, the pool surface looks just like it did when I installed it. Two suggestions I would make if you are going to do FG is do some form of cantilevered deck and then do a tile scumline. FG pools tend to look bathtub-ish with their wide coping IMO. But with cantilever decking and tile you would not know what kind of pool it is.

Thank you again for the info! I will make sure to add those to my list of features!

- - - Updated - - -

I've been doing the same research as you as I live in the Plano area near you - we visited Aqua Pools in Alvarado but we personally don't know any people with a fiberglass pool (appears DFW area is dominated by gunite). We are in the midst of our pool search and going through the same debate. There are a handful of posts on here related to fiberglass in our area if you do some searching - they may help.

We were actually planning on going to Aqua Pools in Alvarado this Friday just to check it out. I prefer designs by Leisure pools but I am unsure how good that installer is for my area.
DFW is definitely gunite dominated, we will talk to a couple of gunite PB as well to make sure we have all the info. I'll keep digging here as well to find out more!

 

[keithw]

My Pool is a CPC model Marco. They were acquired by Viking a number of years ago.

Keithw's pool pics

New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass pool

 

[randytsuch]

I don't really remember when we went to fiberglass, but well over 10 years and probably 15 or more.
Love that we choose fiberglass. At the time, the cost wasn't that much more over plaster. The fiberglass has held up very well over the years, I would definitely do it again.

Note that since this was NOT a new pool, the old plaster was removed, and fiberglass blown on top of gunite. I have no idea if that makes a difference in durability, just wanted to put it out there.

Also, I think I can worry less about adding chemicals that might damage the surface of the pool. I still try to be careful, but I would worry about it more if I had plaster.

Randy

 

[toofast]

This is what I have..
Home - Thursday Pools

 

[nightnurse613]

An old thread but we've had a FG pool for 20+ years. I would contend that ALL pools require proper maintenance but there are fewer places for algae to gather on a FG pool so; less maintenance is a reality. Chemistry is a little different. We love our pool, have had to have it sanded and a new gel coat applied after 15 years. Took the opportunity to apply new waterline tile and travertine cap tile during the recoat and added a rail assist for old, fat people AND our grandchildren. Even with some sand on the steps, the pool is VERY slippery.

 

[needsajet]

It's fair to say you're likely to use a tad more acid the first year or so with plaster, but it's not a huge cost. To get extra long plaster life, there's some extra things you can do when it's new that might be considered extra effort. Plaster done poorly can be costly to fix. One member here was unaware of the effect of low pH (before adopting TFPC) and etched his plaster surface and made it a bit rougher than it would be otherwise, which wouldn't have happened with FG. But yeh, adopting TFPC from the outset equalizes a lot of things.

I think the main reason plaster/gunite is more popular is because you can shape it any way you want (free form). It gives a very permanent and classy look when done well. Plaster gives you options like colored and sparkling beads and other additives that add to the bling. Waterline tile is a great idea for a fiberglass pool, haven't seen that in person, but it would cure my biggest concern with fiberglass. A bit of extra design on the surrounds can make any pool look classy.

Grip, foot comfort, yada yada, they're both good, but be sure to have grip on the stairs! If any surface feels overly slippery, do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to be sure you don't have algae.

 

[planoxt]

I've been doing the same research as you as I live in the Plano area near you - we visited Aqua Pools in Alvarado but we personally don't know any people with a fiberglass pool (appears DFW area is dominated by gunite). We are in the midst of our pool search and going through the same debate. There are a handful of posts on here related to fiberglass in our area if you do some searching - they may help.

Hi. I'm researching FB in Plano. Wondering if you went ahead with DB pool?

 

[Tx-C]

Our very first pool was a fiber glass pool, we had it for 8 yrs and was installed 8 yrs before we purchased the house. We loved the feel of it in our feet. We just finished a gunite pool at our new home with colored plaster and it feels almost as good as the fiberglass pool. We Never really had any issues with it at all and it was installed for 16yrs, we did have a company resurface it prior to us selling the home. That said we LOVE our new gunite pool but as far as feel, they are similar to us. We didn’t enjoy the feel of pebble although many love it.

 

[jatkinson]

Friend has a fiberglass pool in a Texas. It badly pooched up in the center of the floor and leaks like a sieve. I think his PB screwed up the rock fountain on the far wall and it probably washed soil under the pool. We have super expansive soil so I'm sure that probably didn't help.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I've had mine for 7 years now with no problems to speak of. Love the smoothness of the walls and floor. The steps take a short while to get used to as they're slightly slippery so a handrail is a must.

Maddie

 

[dunginhawk]

Is there any product you can add to the FG pools prior to filling it that would add some grip to the stairs? Although my manufacturer (*thursday pools) claims to have solved this problem.. but of course everyone may say that

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Is there any product you can add to the FG pools prior to filling it that would add some grip to the stairs? Although my manufacturer (*thursday pools) claims to have solved this problem.. but of course everyone may say that

Aha! I had that same problem at first but learned to just walk in slowly while holding the handrail. Yes, there is a bit of texture to the surface of the stairs on my fiberglass pool, but nothing like grippy bathtub stickers or something.

Maddie

 

[Brad_C]

Mine is 48 years old this year (I've owned it for 20 of those). It has lost a lot of the colour and you can see a lot of the raw glass, but it still feels smooth and the anti-skid hasn't lost its texture. When sitting in it on a 46 degree day (that's 114 in old money) the colour doesn't matter so much.

We've had both over the years and I don't swing either way. If I was doing it new I'd have concrete, but that's only due to flexibility in shape. Glass is a bit more tolerant of abuse, which is good as I had the place rented out for a few years.