Fiberglass swimming pools are popular throughout many areas of the country. If you are a homeowner in Michigan, however, you need to have a serious conversation with a reputable pool builder to determine if a fiberglass swimming pool will meet your needs. Some people can be very happy with a fiberglass swimming pool, while others need to understand some of the challenges fiberglass swimming pool owners in Michigan may face.
A fiberglass swimming pool is prefabricated in a plant, and typically transported via truck to the backyard of the home where it is going to be installed. They are usually in one piece, and a reason that homeowners choose them is because installation is usually promised to be done fairly quickly. The same permitting process is used for fiberglass swimming pools and the other options of vinyl liner pools and gunite pools. The excavation process is similar, with a few variations.
The freeze/thaw cycle in Michigan is a huge concern for fiberglass swimming pool owners. Since the shell is in one piece, the chance for the ground shifting can cause a fiberglass pool to twist, bend, and in some cases even crack. It would be rare for a pool installer to guarantee that this will not happen to a fiberglass swimming pool and many home owners have found out the hard way. Of course, there are many home owners who have fiberglass pools installed who never have these problems, but there are more issues that owners should be aware of.
Some of the popular selling points to a fiberglass swimming pool are that the pools are a better value than gunite or poured concrete pools. This can be the case, with a fiberglass pool being less expensive than gunite. Another selling point that salespeople share is that a fiberglass pool will cost less in chemicals and maintenance. This can be partially true. Each pool does require water chemistry balancing and monitoring, however, we have not found that a fiberglass pool leaves much of an advantage in this area. It could be said that the smaller the pool, the less chemicals that will be required, and fiberglass pools are often much smaller than their inground vinyl liner or gunite counterparts. Sometimes they are not much larger than a large spa.
When considering your options of including how you will use the pool, the weather in your area, the type of soil the fiberglass pool will be installed in, and your design requirements, it might be suggested as an option. If you are in Michigan, we encourage you to be diligent in your research.
If you are a homeowner with an existing fiberglass pool, Ask the Pool Guy would be happy to help you with your maintenance and service requests. Our team of knowledgeable service technicians can also help you with troubleshooting any issues that may arise.