Planning for Swimming Pool Repairs, Part 2

Over the typical 15 to 30-year lifespan of an in-ground swimming pool, any given pool will require some repairs, many of them due to regular wear and tear. Average pool repairs fall between $250 and $900, according to a survey of residential swimming pool owners. For most swimming repairs, you’ll want to hire a professional.

In our first post in this series about swimming pool repairs, we looked at the ones that relate directly to pools with vinyl liners. This time, we’ll take a look at the kinds of repairs that often come with pools that have fiberglass liners, instead. The good news about fiberglass pools is that, compared to vinyl liner pools, they tend to require fewer repairs over the lifespan of the pool.

Fiberglass Pool Repair Type 1: Bulging Walls

If an improper backfill is used during your pool’s installation, the walls can end up bulging. Over-saturated sand is often the culprit when bulging occurs, because sand can become heavier than water. Instead of waiting to see if over-saturated sand will cause bulging or cracking pool walls, we highly recommend that you make sure that your pool will be installed using gravel, rather than sand, for backfill.

Fiberglass Pool Repair Type 2: Leaks in Plumbing

Again, this kind of problem is typically caused when sand is used for a backfill. The over-saturated sand will eventually settle more, putting pressure on the plumbing, which causes pipes to bend or break. Of course, the answer here is prevention: make sure your installer uses gravel instead of sand for backfill.

Fiberglass Pool Repair Type 3: Cracks

If you’ve chosen fiberglass over vinyl, you’ve paid more out of pocket initially, and you can rest assured that the liner will be less likely to fail or require repairs. At the same time, though, when that fiberglass surface does exhibit cracks or scratches, it will require thorough resurfacing with a refinishing gel coat that is painted onto the entire surface of your pool. Requiring the pool to be emptied, this repair often costs a few hundred dollars. Thin cracks, sometimes referred to as “spider cracks,” can occur due to a weakness in the fiberglass caused by pressure from the backfill or even damage that occurred during installation or shipping or the construction process.

Fiberglass Pool Repair Type 4: Faded Coloring

The gel coat on your fiberglass swimming pool liner will probably fade over time, requiring repainting. This is definitely a project you can DIY if you prefer, since it does not require any special equipment or skill set. For a typical 500 square foot pool, you can expect to pay a professional to resurface your fiberglass liner for about $700, which will include repairing any small cracks or other blemishes in its surface. Of course, your pool water will need to be drained before this kind of repair can be completed.

Now that we’ve looked at repairs typically required of both vinyl liner pools and fiberglass pools, in our next post we’ll take a look at repairs that can be necessary for gunite, or concrete, swimming pools.

Lyon Financial

Since 1979 Lyon Financial has made the backyard resort dream come true for over 400,000 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.