DIY Fiberglass Pool
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DIY Fiberglass Pool
Fiberglass pools are nothing new, in fact these types of pools have been around for nearly 50 years. DIY Fiberglass pools are single piece, factory built shells made with fiberglass, resins, and finished with a gel coating, a non-porous surface similar to modern day boats and pool slides.
DIY Fiberglass Pool types
Fiberglass pools are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes with various tile patterns, fiber optic lighting, and in-floor cleaning systems, possible. Some forms of maintenance like acid washing, resurfacing, and liner replacements don’t exist with with fiberglass pools, but proper weekly chemical and cleaning maintenance are still needed to protect the gelcoat finish.
DIY Fiberglass Pool Care
There are some things that you will need to consider before you go ahead with a Fiberglass pool:
1. You cannot drain your pool.
Your fiberglass pool is designed to remain full of water at all times. If the pool is drained without proper directions, hydrostatic or ground pressure outside the pool could cause the structure to buckle or crack. All damage to the pool shell resulting from improper pool drainage is the owners responsibility.
If it becomes necessary to drain the pool, contact your fiberglass pool installer or the the fiberglass pool manufacturer
For optimal operation, keep the water level in the center of the rectangular skimmer plate on the pool wall. Low water level may cause the circulating pump to loose prime resulting in pump damage, high water level reduces or eliminates the skimmer effectiveness
2. Surface Care
The “bathtub” ring which forms on the pool wall or tile caused by body oils, suntan lotions and air borne contaminants can easily be removed with swimming pool tile cleaner or other non abrasive commercial tile or vinyl cleaners. On a DIY Fiberglass pool do not use abrasive cleaners, steel wool, metal scrapers, brushes or tools as these may cause permanent damage to the gel coat finish. Dulled gel coat above the water line may be restored with a heavy cut automotive polishing compound either power or hand applied followed by a coat of wax. The gel-coat finish of your fiberglass pool can be scratched like any other gloss surface. The gelcoat is seven to eight times thicker than a normal coat of paint so it is not likely that scratches will be more than superficial.