Swimming pools are a joy. Nothing beats relaxing by the pool in the comfort of your own backyard. Pools are gathering places for friends and family. Owning a small fiberglass pool in New Jersey gives you everyday access to great exercise, fabulous recreation, and unlimited opportunities for relaxation. Best of all, fiberglass pools are easy to care for. Need convincing? Here’s a quick look at what you can expect.
Basics of Pool Maintenance
All swimming pools require the same four things:
- Water level maintenance
- Water chemistry monitoring
- Filtering
- Cleaning
Fiberglass pools are no different; they require attention to the same four things. Where fiberglass pools make a difference to their owners is in intensity and frequency.
Water Level Maintenance
Water levels in fiberglass pools should always be maintained above the skimmer level. Fiberglass pools should never, ever be drained without the help of a professional. These pools are under significant pressure from the surrounding external groundwater and an empty fiberglass pool will buckle, bulge, and crack. Swimming pools typically lose about ¼ inch each day or roughly 2 inches a week to splashing, evaporation, and filtering backwash. Any more than that and you may have a leak. Installing an autofill feature will keep the water levels in your pool just where they need to be.
Water Chemistry Monitoring
Pool water needs to be monitored for the following:
- Free chlorine
- Total pH
- Cyanuric acid (CYA)
- Alkalinity
- Calcium hardness
Again, pool water in fiberglass pools is no different; water chemistry needs to be monitored carefully to keep swimmers healthy. However, fiberglass pools need significantly fewer adjustments to water chemistry than concrete pools because the surface of a fiberglass pool is inert and has no impact on the chemistry of the water. In contrast, concrete pools are alkaline. This alkalinity leeches into the water and increases its pH, requiring a daily addition of acid to keep things in balance. In addition, concrete and vinyl pools are porous, so they are continuously absorbing water and chemicals, which throws the chemistry out of whack. That’s why so many owners of concrete and vinyl pools pay a service company to check and maintain their pools weekly. Fiberglass pool owners have a much easier time keeping water chemistry in balance.
Filtering
Every pool needs a filtering system to keep the water clean. The system needs to run long enough to completely turnover all the water in your pool. When the water passes through the filter, small particles, bacteria, and algae are removed. The gelcoat on the surface of fiberglass pools resists the growth of bacteria and algae, so owners of fiberglass pools generally only need to turnover their water once a day with the filter system, especially if the pool is covered when not in use. Concrete and vinyl pool owners need to turnover the water twice each day. The difference adds up to a major savings in electricity costs over the lifetime of the pool.
Cleaning
The surface of the water and the surface of the pool need cleaning and brushing, skimming, and vacuuming are all part of the process for any pool. That said, fiberglass pools are much easier to clean. The smooth gelcoat surface resists algae growth and needs only gentle brushing to keep it clean, whereas concrete pools require weekly cleaning with a steel brush to keep them from turning into green ponds. Oily rings around the water line of a fiberglass pool can be removed with a soft rag or sponge. No expensive cleaning surface is required to keep your fiberglass pool looking its best.
Still Have Questions?
Contact Atlantic Pool Experts to discuss the pros and cons of fiberglass pools. We’re the leaders in fiberglass swimming pool installation and swimming pool removal in New Jersey. Now’s a great time to get started creating your dream backyard. Call us today!