Flawless fibreglass pool installation

by brittney_cutler_2 | April 28, 2022 11:00 am

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New technologies create beautiful and functional designs

By Jonathan Davis

As the surge in demand continues for new pool and patio projects, the industry keeps developing strategies to service and install more pools in less time—to maximize every moment of daylight during the busy season. With consumers investing more in their backyards, many builders are adding fibreglass pools to their repertoire, to ensure they get as many installations done as possible. There are some definite benefits to this type of offering, as well as a few things to consider. A better understanding of the installation process will make it easier for professionals to embrace fibreglass pools as an alternative option.

Why offer fibreglass pools?

Fibreglass pools are quickly becoming the product of choice for busy builders, along with service professionals who want to begin installing pools. More builders have begun to offer them, as it takes far less time to get homeowners swimming compared to a gunite or even a vinyl liner pool.

Fibreglass pools do not require on-site assembly like a gunite or vinyl liner pool, nor do they command a high price tag. They offer in-demand features such as large tanning ledges, beach entry designs, and even sunken living areas. Unlike the fibreglass pools of the past, today’s options not only have multiple shapes, sizes, and features for homeowners to choose from, but they also have improved construction components to give builders an easy-to-install pool. In fact, several manufacturers have even added patented features to their fibreglass pool construction, so professionals can install them quickly and without error. Installing a one-piece fibreglass shell reduces installation time and enables builders to complete more projects per year.

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For some perspective, it is important to compare the process to building a vinyl liner or gunite pool. Getting a vinyl liner pool finished can take two to four weeks with site preparation, liner installation, and timing and weather co-ordination. This compares to a fibreglass pool, which will take one to two weeks—including the deck. Gunite pools can take up to eight weeks, with a lot of labour involved. Vinyl liner and gunite pools are subject to variables which do not apply to fibreglass pools, making them easier to schedule with limited labour.

Excavation

For those who are newer to fibreglass pool installation, it is important to understand the differences between excavating for a fibreglass pool and excavating for a vinyl liner or even a gunite pool. The main difference when excavating for a fibreglass pool is the finished shell gets installed in one piece. Unlike liner or gunite pools, where crews dig a hole and then build the pool in the opening, fibreglass pools are manufactured in a controlled environment at a factory and then placed directly into the hole. This allows for a quick excavation, as tolerances for the dig do not need to be as tight and over-digs (the amount of dirt removed beyond the pool size) can be minimal.

Pro tip

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Rather than creating hash marks at given intervals and measuring down at their respective depths, a dual grade slope laser can help measure the exact depth at any point within the dig. By entering the slope of the pool floor into the dual grade slope laser, builders can more quickly and accurately complete the dig. When setting the laser depth, it helps to add 101.6 mm (4 in.) to the depth for the stone base. When the dirt excavation is complete, simply raising the height on the grade stick by 101.6 mm will allow for perfect top of base (bottom of pool) height for setting the base material.

Builders should allow space in each dig for a standpipe or access point to monitor ground water after the pool has been installed. At minimum, this is usually a 203.2 mm (8 in.) vertical pipe at the deep end of the pool which is set 154.2 mm (6 in.) lower than the deepest point and is tied to the rest of the dig, so any ground water around the pool can freely flow to this access point. This will be crucial if the pool ever needs to be drained.

Placing and setting

Choosing equipment for placing and setting the pool will vary based on the conditions of each site. Where access to the pool area is limited, a crane may be the best option. However, scheduling becomes crucial, as the hole will need to be prepped and the pool shell will need to arrive within a specific window, to minimize the amount of time the crane will be on-site. This is not to say a crane is not a viable option, as in many cases, it is easier to crane a pool completely over the home.

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When access and jobsite space allow, a larger excavator to dig the hole, take delivery of the pool, and set the pool may be the most efficient and allow for more fluctuation in the schedule. When setting the pool in the ground, the backfill materials and backfill methods are important to the successful installation of a fibreglass pool. The available base and backfill material may vary by region, but crushed stone with no fines is always the best product to use.

Builders who offer fibreglass pools try to combine their orders in a multi-pool shipment. By doing so, they can prepare all of the holes while the pools are in transit, then place all of them in the same day—making the process very time efficient.

Pro tip

Set the fibreglass shell on a minimum 101.6 mm base of crushed stone and backfill around the entire pool with the same material. This provides structural support, minimizes horizontal pressure against the pool shell, and still allows groundwater to move freely. Soils are soluble and can migrate with minor currents in the groundwater around the outside of the pool, while stone will not. Using crushed stone with no fines helps to eliminate the chance for voids both during and after the install.

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Once the pool has been set into the hole, a builder should get into the pool and walk the entire floor, to ensure it contacts the base material. Since a fibreglass pool is one piece, there may be several stresses acting on the pool while it is freestanding which will not be present once it is fully installed. For example, the weight of a large tanning ledge or steps may cause the floor to temporarily lift in certain areas until these components are properly supported.

Pro tip

Any potential high spots encountered when walking the pool floor should contact the base material with one’s own weight. If one does not feel solid ground underfoot while standing on a high spot, the pool will need to be picked up and the base adjusted.

Levelling

Before backfilling around the outside, it is important to ensure the pool is level. Industry standard is to within 25.4 mm (1 in.) around the entire pool, but aiming for 12.7 mm (0.5 in.) or less at this point of the install will allow for minor movements later and still result in a properly levelled pool.

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Levelling pools with large tanning ledges may prove tricky, as their unsupported weight could also be lowering the elevation. Getting under and packing these areas properly with stone can be difficult and using products like flowable fill can unintentionally lift the pool if it is not being held in place properly. The author’s company offers a backfill-eliminating structure designed to solve all of these issues. This optional add-on can be fabricated as part of the one-piece shell and simply extends the slope of the pool floor to create one constant slope. This product supports a large tanning ledge for the life of the pool and can help reduce installation time.

Plumbing

Plumbing fibreglass pools is not any more difficult than plumbing any other type of pool construction. Fibreglass pools can be installed with or without main drains. If a main drain is used, it is installed in the deep end wall of the pool and not in the floor, like a vinyl or gunite pool. When a main drain is not used, returns with slotted fittings are recommended for the deep end of the pool to help increase circulation.

There are also new skimmer options available which are even more efficient when building fibreglass pools. The author’s company offers their own type of skimmer, which can help save builders’ time by cutting the opening with a simple hole saw. It does not require the marking, levelling, and cutting of a rectangular opening. The only tool required to cut any fitting in a fibreglass pool is a hole saw. All cuts in the fibreglass pool structure, be it lights, returns, main drains, or skimmers, are all installed without gaskets and are sealed with 100 per cent silicone.

Pro tip

Schedule 40 hard polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe is recommended for all fitting and plumbing lines. Drilling holes in the outside coping of the pool shell and hanging the pipe from the pool coping is also recommended. This helps to reduce movement of the pool shell independent of the plumbing to reduce stress on connections to the pool.

Installing automatic pool covers

Automatic pool covers are becoming more common, so is important to know how to order one for a fibreglass pool.

When ordering an automatic pool cover, the builder or installer needs to provide the inside dimensions of the pool to the manufacturer. In most cases, the inside dimensions of a fibreglass pool are narrower than its marketed size. It is not uncommon for the inside water dimension of the pool to be just 4.6 m (15 ft) wide for a fibreglass pool marketed as 4.9 m (16 ft) wide. If the builder orders the cover at 4.9 m wide, it will be too big. The width of an automatic pool cover is key for proper fit and function.

To avoid this mistake, builders and cover installers should either wait until the pool is installed and take measurements or contact its manufacturer and ask for the inside measurements before ordering the cover. Most automatic covers are essentially custom products, so it is important to provide precise measurements.

Pro tip

Keep automatic pool cover track components installed symmetrically down the length of the pool on both sides. Most cover manufacturers provide enough track for the entire pool, but installers need to cut the track on-site during the installation. To help ensure a better installation, even if there is a variation in the pool’s width, it is important to install the track the same on both sides. Installers should lay the track around the perimeter before cutting it and be sure the lengths of the pieces are the same on both the right and left sides.

Standing out with fibreglass pools

Many pool professionals are adding fibreglass pools to their repertoire, to give homeowners more choices, as well as set themselves apart from their competitors. Offering high-end resort-style features in a fibreglass pool, which can be installed quickly in any temperature, is helping builders get more jobs done in the early cold spring months and even into fall and winter.

By being lean, mean, and efficient, pool professionals can continue to meet growing consumer demands. Fibreglass pools offer the features and benefits builders need to make the most of the upcoming busy season.

Author 

Jonathan Davis received his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering, and immediately went into project management for custom home construction for nine years. From there, he ran the fibreglass pool division of an excavation company in Northern Indiana for more than eight years. He is now the director of customer relations for a fibreglass pool manufacturer.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/features/flawless-fibreglass-pool-installation/

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