Any given pool will need repairs at some point during its typical 15 to 30-year lifespan, many of them as a result of normal wear and tear. According to a poll of home swimming pool owners, average pool repairs cost between $250 and $900. You should employ a professional for the majority of swimming pool repairs.
We looked previously at the pool repairs that are specifically related to pools with vinyl liners in the first piece of our series on swimming pool repairs. This time we’ll look at the kind of repairs that are frequently associated with pools that have fiberglass liners. The good news about fiberglass pools is that they typically need fewer repairs over the course of the pool’s lifespan than vinyl liner pools.
Fiberglass Pools: Bulging Walls
The walls of your pool could end up bulging if the wrong backfill was utilized when it was being installed. Due to the fact that sand can become heavier than water, oversaturated sand is frequently to blame when bulging occurs. We strongly advise you to ensure that gravel, rather than sand, will be used for backfill when installing your pool, rather than waiting to see if oversaturated sand will result in bulging or breaking pool walls.
Fiberglass Pools: Plumbing Leaks
Once more, using sand as a backfill often results in this kind of issue. Over time, the oversaturated sand will settle further, applying pressure on the plumbing and leading to pipes that bend or break. The best course of action in this situation is prevention, so make sure your installer backfills with gravel rather than sand.
Fiberglass Pools: Cracks
The liner will last longer and require fewer repairs if you picked fiberglass versus vinyl, even though you initially spent more out of pocket. However, if the fiberglass surface does develop cracks or scratches, it will need to be completely resurfaced using a refinishing gel coat that is put onto the pool’s whole surface. This repair usually costs several hundred dollars, but it necessitates emptying the pool which increases the cost overall. Thin cracks, often known as “spider cracks,” might develop as a result of damage sustained during installation, shipping, or building, or even as a result of a weakness in the fiberglass brought on by pressure from the backfill.
Fiberglass Pools: Fading Coloring
Your fiberglass swimming pool liner’s gel finish will certainly deteriorate with time, necessitating repainting. Since it does not call for any specialized tools or expertise, you can DIY this project if you like. You may anticipate paying a professional to resurface your fiberglass liner for roughly $900* for a normal 500 square foot pool, which will include fixing any small cracks or other flaws in its surface. Of course, in order to perform this type of repair, the water in your pool must first be emptied, so you’ll also have to pay for fresh pool water.
After examining the repairs that are frequently needed for both fiberglass and vinyl liner swimming pools, in our next topic, we’ll examine repairs that may be required for concrete, or gunite, swimming pools.
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Lyon Financial
Since 1979 Lyon Financial has made the backyard resort dream come true for over 500,000 families across the U.S. Through our solid relationships with more than 3,000 pool contractors and our continued commitment to putting our clients first, we have built a reputation as the first choice in providing pool financing solutions. For more information, visit lyonfinancial.net or call (877) 754-5966 today.
*With the rapid recent rate of inflation and increased difficulty sourcing materials, the actual costs will widely vary from location to location. The dollar amounts listed above were rough average estimates in late summer 2022.
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