Once again we have to ask ourselves, “Why is this happening?” I can see two reasons: use of inadequate return fittings and plumbing settlement resulting from pressures from the backfill material. 1 cause of leaks in fiberglass pools?” what would you say? Without hesitation my response would be leaks in the return fittings. Problem #2: Leaks From Plumbing Settlement A fiberglass pool set on good soil with a gravel base will not move – period. I am a huge proponent of gravel as a pool base material because unlike sand, it does not liquefy when saturated with water. This leads me into the ongoing sand versus gravel debate within the fiberglass pool industry. The second cause is displacement of the material under the pool. Common culprits include disturbed soil, organic material and improperly compacted base material beneath the pool. First, the material under the pool can settle. Solution: Prevent Pool Shell Settlementįiberglass pools settle because the foundation under the pool moves, plain and simple. If not, we lift the pool and adjust the pool base accordingly, following the three-step process each time the pool is re-set. If the rigid parts of the pool shell (parts that don’t flex) are within that range, and the flexible parts of the pool can be adjusted to become within that range, we begin the backfill process. Our goal is to get every pool within 1/2 inch of level. Walk the pool floor to ensure the entire pool is resting firmly on the base.ģ. Check setbacks and measurements to ensure the pool is in the correct location.Ģ. Upon setting a pool shell we follow a simple, three-step process:ġ. With that backstory in mind, I want to share with you what we’ve learned so you can hopefully avoid some of the same pitfalls we encountered, become more profitable and better the fiberglass pool industry.īased on my experience, there are two predominant causes of un-level fiberglass pools: improper leveling of the pool, and pool shell settlement. Notwithstanding, we managed to confront these problems head on, find solutions and yes, even keep all of our customers happy in the process. We started from scratch, learned the hard way and managed to make just about every mistake known to man. The following are five problems that have literally cost us at River Pools (Warsaw, Va.) hundreds of thousands of dollars, many long hours away from our families, and yes, even blood, sweat and tears. If you’re like the rest of us, however, and find the nuances of a quality fiberglass pool installation a little more involved than you first suspected, hang on because I’m going to share with you five things I would love to have known before installing my first fiberglass pool more than 12 years and 700 projects ago. “Fiberglass pools are a breeze to install, right? Just dig a hole and drop it in!” Ever heard that one? Well, if you’ve installed any number of fiberglass pools and found that statement to be true, move on to the next article, because there’s nothing for you to learn here.
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