Everything you always wanted to know about pools...

Signature Aquatics of Greensboro takes the opportunity to

educate our readers on the many confusing terms used

in the swimming pool industry.

Everything you always wanted to know about pools

Before you invest in your swimming pool or spa, you need to know exactly what your contractor is talking about. The more you know, the more able you are to get exactly the result you want from your renovated pool. So here are some important terms to understand:

Auxiliary area: A dressing, locker, shower, toilet area, or building space intended to be used by bathers.

Backwash: The process of thoroughly cleansing the filter media and/or elements, and the contents of the
filter vessel.

Bottom suction outlet: See main drain.

Cantilever Deck: Monolithic poured concrete that overhangs the edge of the pool waterline
(See Vertical Mastic).

Chlorine Generator: Apparatus by which salt is transformed into chlorine by means of an electrical charge through a cell.

Clear swimming pool water: Pool water that is free from cloudiness and is transparent.

Clean swimming pool water: Pool water that is free of dirt, oil, scum, algae, floating materials, or other visible organic and inorganic materials that would sully the water.

Coping: The cap material installed on top of the pool edge that finishes flush with the surrounding deck.

Deck: An area surrounding a pool Drain: A fitting or fixture, usually at or near the bottom of a pool, through which water leaves the pool--normally to the recirculation pump.

Effective particle size: The theoretical size of sieve (in millimeters) that will pass 10 percent by weight of the sand in a high-rate sand filter.

Equipment area: an area used for pool recirculation and purification equipment and related piping.

Expansion joint: Non-corrosive material used to separate two structures and allow for movement.

Elevation: Height at which the top of the pool is set in relation to other structures. The elevation of the pool usually denotes the top of the finished coping material.

Epoxy Injection: Process of installing non-structural epoxy at high pressure to seal cracks in a
gunite structure.

Gunite: One sided dry mix application of pneumatically placed concrete used to create the structure of a pool or spa. Also known as shotcrete.

Inlet: A fitting or fixture through which circulation water enters the pool. Ladder: A series of horizontal treads or rungs, either connected by vertical rail members or independently fastened to an adjacent vertical pool wall.

Main drain: A fitting or fixture at the deepest portion of the pool, through which circulation water is removed from the pool for the purpose of recirculation or draining.

Mastic: a soft, pliant, joint material that forms a seal between the coping and the concrete deck.

Medical pool: A special-purpose pool used by a state-recognized medical institution engaged in the healing arts under the direct supervision of licensed medical personnel.

Overflow system: Perimeter overflow gutters, surface skimmers, surge or collector tanks, other
surface water collection system components, and their interconnecting piping used to remove excess
water from pools.

Overlay: Process of installing rock, tile, or thin concrete over and existing concrete deck.

Plaster Preparation: The means of preparing a pool or spa for replaster by means of sandblast
or hydro-blast.

Pool volume: The amount of water, expressed in gallons, that a pool holds when filled.

Recessed steps: A riser/tread or series of risers, extending down from the deck and terminating at the pool well that creates a stairwell.

Recessed treads: A series of vertically spaced cavities in the pool wall that creates tread areas for step holes.

Recirculation system: The interconnected system traversed by recirculated pool water. For example, from the pool through the collector or surge tank, recirculation pump, filters, chemical treatment, and heater, and back to the pool.

Shallow pool: A pool with a maximum depth of less than six feet.

Skimmer: A fixture mounted in the side wall of a pool, through which surface water is removed from the pool for the purpose of recirculation.

Strip: Removing the existing plaster from the pool exposing the original gunite structure underneath.

Surge tank: Large vessel for capturing overflow water in competition pools equipped with a gutter recirculation system.

Trim tile: 1” or 2” non-skid tiles installed on each step or bench to mark the edge of the vertical riser.

Turnover time: The period of time in hours, required to circulate a volume of water equal to the
pool capacity.

Vertical Mastic: Mastic installed between the waterline tile and a cantilevered deck.

Waterline: Either the midpoint of the operating range of the skimmer(s), or the top edge of the overflow rim.

Water treatment: The process of conditioning and disinfecting pool water by filtration and the addition of chemicals.

Submitted by: Signature Aquatics

Signature Aquatics installs custom concrete and Viking fiberglass inground swimming pools and spas in Greensboro, Winston Salem and the Triad. Contact Signature Aquatics at www.SignatureAquatics.com for further information.

Fiberglass Swimming Pool Myths

Unfortunately, there are some serious fiberglass swimming pool myths regarding the potential drawbacks of owning a fiberglass swimming pool. We at Signature Aquatics of Greensboro, North Carolina will try to address and alleviate these so-called issues.

Fiberglass Pool Myth #1

Fiberglass Pools Will Float or Pop-Up:

This is one of the most amusing of the myths and misconceptions we've heard regarding fiberglass pools. If anyone (especially another pool dealer) tells you that fiberglass pools pop out of the ground, then they are simply being dishonest and trying to use fear as a means of motivating you to get another type of pool.

There is a local company (we will not mention any names here) that loves to tell homeowners that every time there is a hurricane or heavy rain in the area, fiberglass pools all over the place float up out of the ground. We personally called this company once and asked them to give us just one name of someone who had a pool float, and of course they were unable to give us such information.

During our years of swimming pool building in North Carolina and Virginia we have never had a pool float after installation. This is because not only are the pools always full of water, but the concrete deck engulfs the pool's outer lip, making it impossible for the pool to move unless the concrete deck moves with it. Additionally, Signature Aquatics installs a drainage system below every Viking Fiberglass Pool that we install making it impossible for the swimming pool to "float" under ANY condition. Please don't be fooled by anyone who uses this ploy as a means to push you in a different direction.

Fiberglass Pool Myth #2

Fiberglass Pools Look Cheap:

Had someone said this 15 years ago, I would have agreed with such a statement. Now, however, this is just another fiberglass pool myth. Times have changed in the fiberglass industry, especially with the introduction of cantilever concrete coping, colored pool finishes, waterline tile, mosaic inlay tile, fiber-optic lighting, water features, etc, etc. With so many options and features to choose from, homes of all value ranges can easily find a pool that corresponds aesthetically with their appearance. When we show pictures of the pools we have installed to customers, we often get asked if they are seeing concrete pools. This is because fiberglass pools are now very beautiful and permanent looking. This is also why customers of all economic classes (we have installed many pools where the home value is well over 2 million dollars) are going with the fiberglass advantage.

Fiberglass Pool Myth #3

Fiberglass Pools Only Work in Warm Climates:

This fiberglass pool myth really makes no sense at all! It is an accepted fact in the swimming pool industry that fiberglass has the ability to "flex" due to its incredible tensile strength, much more so than any other type of permanent pool (i.e. concrete). Moreover, when people are concerned about freeze conditions having an adverse affect on fiberglass, they are forgetting that when the water in a pool freezes, it expands in an upward direction (where there are no barriers). But the simple fact is that we have never had even one customer sustain any damage to their fiberglass shell due to freezing weather conditions. Again, this statement is easily verifiable with our customer reference list.

Fiberglass Pool Myth #4

Fiberglass Pools are Much More Expensive than Vinyl Liner Pools:

The answer to this fiberglass pool myth is a little tricky, but hopefully we'll be clear here. Typically, if someone is comparing a fiberglass pool to a liner pool - apples to apples, features with features - they will find that a fiberglass unit typically runs 5-10k more, initially. We say initially, because when considering the cost of a pool there are two different ways to arrive at the number.

The first way is by solely looking at the initial cost of the project. The second, unlike the first method, takes the initial price but also adds the expenses of the pool over the course of its lifetime.

For example, let's say you spend $25,000 initially for a vinyl-lined pool. Considering the liner will typically last 8 years on average (this number can be more or less depending on a variety of factors) before it has to be replaced, and the average cost of a liner replacement is usually between 3-5k, a pool owner could easily spend 8-12k on liner replacements alone during the first 20 years of the pool. The same principle is applicable to concrete pools who have to be replastered (every 8-12 years), where the average cost for this service is well over 5k. This is one of the great beauties of a fiberglass pool.

There are almost never any large expenses down the road for a homeowner to worry about. When a potential pool buyer figures in the cost of long term repairs/expenses, as well as the year-to-year savings on chemicals, it is no wonder why so many consumers are willing to pay more initially for a fiberglass pool in order to pay less and have less headache in the long run.

I hope this aided you in sorting out the Myths from the Facts of Fiberglass Swimming Pools. Please feel free to let us know if you would like us to cover any additional subjects.

Submitted By: Frank Bowman

Frank is the Co-Owner of Signature Aquatics based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Signature Aquatics specializes in Viking Fiberglass and Custom Concrete Swimming Pools and Spas in North Carolina including Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Chapel Hill, Charlotte. Providing discussions about fiberglass swimming pool myths, Saltwater Chlorinators, Infinity Edge Pools, Fiberglass Pool Prices, Variable Drive Pumps, Pool Renovations and ceramic composit pools

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Signature Aquatics Named North Carolinas Viking Fiberglass Pool Dealer

Signature Aquatics was just named the new Platinum Dealer for Viking Fiberglass Swimming Pools in the Piedmont and Triad of North Carolina. Signature Aquatics has been the premiere Concrete Swimming Pool Builder for both residential and commercial applications for the past decade and due to their unsurpassed quality, customer service and expertise was pursued by the manufacturer to represent Viking Fiberglass Pools in their market. We performed extensive research and found Viking to be the industry leader in the Fiberglass Pool market and therefore teamed up with them to provide future swimming pool owners of the Piedmont and Triad with a new authority in Fiberglass Swimming Pool Builders.

Submitted By: Frank Bowman

Frank Bowman is one of the Owners of Signature Aquatics located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Signature Aquatics provides expert swimming pool installation of concrete and fiberglass swimming pools in North Carolina including Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Cary, Charlotte