Buying Used San Juan Fiberglass Shell?

Mar 5, 2018
3
Peoria, IL
Hello, I’m new here and this site has been a great help in answering some of my questions on pool ownership before I pull the trigger and sign a contract.

A little about me: My backyard is small and I just want a small patio pool as to not take up a lot of green space. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just serve its purpose for myself, friend and family. I live in central Illinois and therefore have decided fiberglass was the way to go due to our extreme cold and warm weather at times.

The pool I want is the Crystal Springs model (approx 17x12 with two built in benches and holds 3,900 gallons) My local San Juan dealer tells me that they actually have this model in stock, but it was manufactured in 2002 and installed in the town across the river from me. A tornado came through our area a few years ago and leveled the home it was at but the pool remained unscathed. San Juan went in and removed the pool so the house could be rebuilt, but during that time the elderly woman who owned it passed away. Omg story short- dealer ended up with the shell. He said he would sell it to me for $3,000. i know these pools will basically last forever if well maintained but thought I would reach out here for advice before purchasing.

Advised?
good price?
Should I try to negotiate?
I asked if the 25 year warranty would still be good on it and he said no.

Any help would be appriciated. I have included a picture of the pool before it was removed from its initial location.

Shane
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Hello Shane and welcome to TFP! :wave: With that size pool, as long as you don't see any stress cracks, fractures, or damage from the removal, I don't see a concern. You might see if they can take care of the gelcoat for you. No telling it the previous owner really cared for it properly. If it has any scale or oxidation, maybe they can give it a gentle sand and buffing for you. Bring the color back. That might give you some bargaining power as well if they elect not to lower the price anymore. Just a thought.
 
Shane,

I think you should be fine as well. If there is one item that I would consider asking it would be to replace the skimmers and returns. They are caulked on and I might be concerned that one might have been compromised when it was removed. Should be a pretty cheap and easy job. These are pretty much the only area where you might get a leak other than a crack in the shell.
 
The skimmer and returns have already been removed. I went out to SJs “pool yard” to look at the shell after business hours yesterday and it all seems sold and no visible blemishes from the underside. Although I can’t speak for scale or other buildup though since they are stored upside down.

The only issue I saw was that the lip of the shell in three areas is missing. Maybe 1”x3” in each area? I’m sure it hadto do with removal.

I feel better about all of this after getting some feedback! Thanks!!!

This dealer/installer seems like a really nice guy. Has all great reviews and won some designer of the year award from San Juan- so hopefully that all holds true when and if this deal happens.

Heres a pic of the shell as it sits now. You can see to the right of the tire one of the small chunks missing that I was talking about 94D2B193-4ED4-41AD-83C3-D4E2C9D5B57C.jpg
 
That lower lip will be buried under concrete so small cracks on that lip are fine. If I can make a recommendation on the install I would suggest getting a cantilever deck if possible. Without one a smaller FG pool tends to look bathtub-ish. At least I felt like mine did. I put a flagstone cantilever on it after a few years and you cannot tell it is an FG pool now.
 
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