A word about price...

With todays economic climate the consumer is in a position to receive a great value for their dollar. This is especially true in the swimming pool industry, but I caution you that as your excitement builds as bid after bid come in at lower and lower prices that you may not actually be getting what you think you are. It may be tempting to go with a low ball offer and take the risk that you will be saving a few thousand dollars but I can assure you that you will end up spending up more money in the long run. As these low ball pool installers are throwing pools in thousands of dollars below our actual cost, I find myself wondering how that could be...but in the past few months, I have found out why... We have gotten more calls for renovations in the past 3 months than we have in the past 2 years. When we go out to these projects we find a common thread. Cheap & undersized equipment, undersized plumbing, terrible construction practices and the owner is left holding the bag. As I spend time looking over the contracts these customers had with their initial pool company, I find myself on the side of the pool company. They are doing exactly what their contract said they would. Few customers know what size plumbing to install in a pool, what the tolerance of level is, what a rough grade is and many other industry phrases mean. I will hit on some of the main issues our renovation customers have run into: 1. Rough Grade - In many cases the pool will be installed and the company will rough grade the site. This can mean many things from company to company but from what we see it means dig the pool and spend about 10 minutes with the bobcat pushing the dirt around the site. The dirt is not ready for seed or plantings and will have rocks, stumps, roots, etc in it. 2. Pool Level Tolerance - This is the how close to perfect level the pool is. The industry standard for fiberglass pools is +/- 1 inch. This means in some places the pool is 1 inch high and in some places the pool is 1 inch low so really it can be 2" out of level. We set our pools to +/- 1/8" and our infinity edges to +/- 1/32". 3. Pump and Plumbing Sizing - A large pump is not the sign of a good pool. In most cases a 3/4 hp pool pump is more than enough to run almost any residential swimming pool. The key in not the horsepower but the actual flow rate and head loss calculations. While it is more expensive, you should opt for a smaller pump and larger plumbing. We use nothing smaller than 2" plumbing on any of our pools. Pools with a 3 hp pump and 1 1/2" plumbing just cost a ton of electricity and barely move any water at all. Its like trying to suck a drink through a coffee straw...no matter how hard you suck, you're not going to get any more through that straw. I ask you to become an educated consumer and demand that you get what you pay for. Sometimes cheap is just that...CHEAP. The deals you should be looking for in todays economic climate are those from the best and most reputable companies around. These companies stand behind their product and provide components that will stand the test of time. The quote below is interesting and I feel it sums the situation up well. There is an old adage... " It is unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money... that's all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing what it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot... it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it would be well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better in the first place." There is nothing in this world that someone can't make cheaper, quality wise, and sell for less money. We price our work very competitively for the quality we put into every job. For that reason we stand behind our work with confidence. We guarantee your satisfaction and would be happy to meet with you to compare any legitimate written bid for comparable work. Thank you for considering Splash Pools. We want your business and will do everything possible to justify your confidence in us. Submitted By: Splash Pools Splash Fiberglass Pools of North Carolina serves all of North Carolina, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cary, Lake Gaston, . We specialize in the installation of Viking Fiberglass Swimming Pools, Vinyl Liner and Concrete Swimming Pool Installations and Renovations including Tile and Coping, Natural Stone and Paver Decking, Pool Resurfacing with Pebble Tec outdoor fireplaces & kitchens, landscaping and more. Visit Splash Fiberglass Pools of North Carolina at www.SplashPoolsNC.com

Fiberglass Swimming Pool Myths

Fiberglass Swimming Pool Myths

Unfortunately, there are some serious fiberglass swimming pool myths regarding the potential drawbacks of owning a fiberglass swimming pool. We at Splash Pools of Raleigh, North Carolina will try to address and alleviate these so-called issues.

Fiberglass Pool Myth #1

Fiberglass Pools Will Float or Pop-Up:

This is one of the most amusing of the myths and misconceptions we've heard regarding fiberglass pools. If anyone (especially another pool dealer) tells you that fiberglass pools pop out of the ground, then they are simply being dishonest and trying to use fear as a means of motivating you to get another type of pool.
There is a local company (we will not mention any names here) that loves to tell homeowners that every time there is a hurricane or heavy rain in the area, fiberglass pools all over the place float up out of the ground. We personally called this company once and asked them to give us just one name of someone who had a pool float, and of course they were unable to give us such information.

During our years of swimming pool building in North Carolina, Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Lake Gaston, Charlotte and the surrounding areas we have never had a pool float after installation. This is because not only are the pools always full of water, but the concrete deck engulfs the pool's outer lip, making it impossible for the pool to move unless the concrete deck moves with it. Additionally, Splash Pools installs a drainage system below every Viking Fiberglass Pool that we install making it impossible for the swimming pool to "float" under ANY condition. Please don't be fooled by anyone who uses this ploy as a means to push you in a different direction.

Fiberglass Pool Myth #2

Fiberglass Pools Look Cheap:

Had someone said this 15 years ago, I would have agreed with such a statement. Now, however, this is just another fiberglass pool myth. Times have changed in the fiberglass industry, especially with the introduction of cantilever concrete coping, colored pool finishes, waterline tile, mosaic inlay tile, fiber-optic lighting, water features, etc, etc. With so many options and features to choose from, homes of all value ranges can easily find a pool that corresponds aesthetically with their appearance. When we show pictures of the pools we have installed to customers, we often get asked if they are seeing concrete pools. This is because fiberglass pools are now very beautiful and permanent looking. This is also why customers of all economic classes (we have installed many pools where the home value is well over 2 million dollars) are going with the fiberglass advantage.

Fiberglass Pool Myth #3

Fiberglass Pools Only Work in Warm Climates:

This fiberglass pool myth really makes no sense at all! It is an accepted fact in the swimming pool industry that fiberglass has the ability to "flex" due to its incredible tensile strength, much more so than any other type of permanent pool (i.e. concrete). Moreover, when people are concerned about freeze conditions having an adverse affect on fiberglass, they are forgetting that when the water in a pool freezes, it expands in an upward direction (where there are no barriers). But the simple fact is that we have never had even one customer sustain any damage to their fiberglass shell due to freezing weather conditions. Again, this statement is easily verifiable with our customer reference list.

Fiberglass Pool Myth #4

Fiberglass Pools are Much More Expensive than Vinyl Liner Pools:

The answer to this fiberglass pool myth is a little tricky, but hopefully we'll be clear here. Typically, if someone is comparing a fiberglass pool to a liner pool - apples to apples, features with features - they will find that a fiberglass unit typically runs 5-10k more, initially. We say initially, because when considering the cost of a pool there are two different ways to arrive at the number.

The first way is by solely looking at the initial cost of the project. The second, unlike the first method, takes the initial price but also adds the expenses of the pool over the course of its lifetime.

For example, let's say you spend $25,000 initially for a vinyl-lined pool. Considering the liner will typically last 8 years on average (this number can be more or less depending on a variety of factors) before it has to be replaced, and the average cost of a liner replacement is usually between 3-5k, a pool owner could easily spend 8-12k on liner replacements alone during the first 20 years of the pool. The same principle is applicable to concrete pools who have to be replastered (every 8-12 years), where the average cost for this service is well over 5k. This is one of the great beauties of a fiberglass pool.

There are almost never any large expenses down the road for a homeowner to worry about. When a potential pool buyer figures in the cost of long term repairs/expenses, as well as the year-to-year savings on chemicals, it is no wonder why so many consumers are willing to pay more initially for a fiberglass pool in order to pay less and have less headache in the long run.

I hope this aided you in sorting out the Myths from the Facts of Fiberglass Swimming Pools. Please feel free to let us know if you would like us to cover any additional subjects.



Submitted By: Frank Bowman

Frank is the Owner of Splash Pools based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Splash Pools specializes in Viking Fiberglass, Custom Concrete and Vinyl Liner Swimming Pools and Spas in North Carolina, Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, Clayton, Greensboro, Apex, Wendell . Providing discussions about fiberglass swimming pool myths, Saltwater Chlorinators, Infinity Edge Pools, Fiberglass Pool Prices, Variable Drive Pumps, Pool Renovations and ceramic composit pools