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More than seventy years ago people began building swimming pools of concrete. In addition, for thousands of years, man has built boats constructed from wood. However, in the mid 1950's, fiberglass was introduced to both of these industries,
and a quiet revolution began. San Juan Fiberglass Pools are actually more permanent than concrete pools, not requiring the remodeling and maintenance that is necessary of concrete. Fiberglass is also more resistant to stains than a plaster finish and it never needs painting. San Juan has been making fiberglass swimming pools for over 42 years with well over 60,000 being installed from coast to coast. Our first pool, installed in Seattle, in 1958, still retains its beauty today. This lasting beauty and the low maintenance is what keeps more and more intelligent buyers investing in San Juan Fiberglass Pools and Spas. San Juan Fiberglass Pools are manufactured in a controlled factory environment under strict supervision, resulting in a predictable high quality product right down to the tile. The pool shell construction is virtually complete when it shows up at the job site. Fiberglass Is Impervious to Algae The non-porous gelcoat surface of a San Juan pool is a isophthalic polyester resin with color pigment mixed in. This gelcoat is chemically bonded to the fiberglass and becomes an integral part of the pool shell. The 32-mil gelcoat finish is nonporous, chemically inert, will not affect the chemical balance of the pool water, and is extremely resistant to acids and oxidizers. Algae cannot penetrate the finish and stains, which may form on the gelcoat, can be easily dissolved by the addition of a chemical stain remover to the pool water. In other words, the gelcoat finish on the San Juan pool greatly simplifies water maintenance procedures. If a fiberglass pool is neglected and algae were to grow, even if the pool was not filtered for an entire year, it is a simple matter of brushing the pool to remove the algae from the walls. In concrete pools algae can grow right through the walls of the pools, destroying the plaster finish and causing damage to the pool. The only way to remove it is to acid wash the surface. This requires scrubbing the floor and walls with acid, which makes the pool very rough and does not always get out the algae that has penetrated the walls of the pool. You would then have to sandblast and re-plaster or re-paint the pool, a very costly resolution. In vinyl pools the algae would destroy the flexibility of the liner and require costly replacement. It is not uncommon to see enormous amounts of black algae behind a vinyl liner pool. This requires extensive and costly measures to prevent damaging a new liner. 17 Times Stronger Flexibly Than Concrete Pools Since concrete is rigid and relatively inflexible, minor ground movement can cause the pool to crack. A San Juan Fiberglass Pool can flex substantially without breaking. San Juan Fiberglass
pools are 17 times stronger than concrete pools and having a tensile strength of 1 1,300 pounds Most San Juan Fiberglass Pools, even those with tapered bottoms, can be installed above ground. San Juan pools have been installed for many years on the rooftops of apartment buildings and hotels across the country. One of the more recent installations of this type was of two San Juan, Manatee model swimming pools on the 42nd and 43rd floor of the RIO Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. They knew they could not afford to take any chances so their obvious choice had to be San Juan. The concrete decking around a fiberglass pool is attached to the flexible lip of the pool. This allows the decking to move during expansive and wet conditions resulting in less of a tendency for the concrete to crack. The sand around our pools acts like a giant sump, carrying water away from under the deck and dissipating it through the sand and into the earth around the pool. This also contributes to keeping the deck from cracking during expansive conditions. Compare this to the way decking is poured around a concrete pool. The decking on other types of pools is commonly pored from the building foundation over to the edge of the pool. During excessive moisture and expansive conditions the decking cannot move enough laterally, becoming more susceptible to breaking and buckling in an upward movement than the decking around a fiberglass pool. 25 Year Warranty No one knows how long fiberglass will last, because the industry is only about 48 years old. We do know that we have been making our pools for over 42 years, installing well over 60,000 pools from coast to coast. San Juan Fiberglass Pools are installed in all climates from areas with heavy rains to severe freezing temperatures to the heat of the deserts. Our 25-year warranty is over 3 times as long as most lifetime warranties. Most states consider lifetime to mean 7 years. We have found that our product is impervious to many things and this confidence along with the growing demand and successful use of other fiberglass products allows us to warranty our pools for a full 25 years (non-prorated) in order to protect your investment. Quick Installation Time Because our pool is manufactured in a controlled environment and on a mold, the quality control is much higher than that of a concrete pool. Each pool is identical with the one before it. Since it comes to the job, in one piece, it eliminates many of the phases required in building a concrete pool. Your yard isn't a mess for months waiting for all the phases of concrete construction to take place. Also, you do not have the continuous parade of sub-contractors coming and going during this time. Our pools go in, in a matter of days and with only a small crew, under normal conditions. No Acid Washing. Painting or Re-plastering! Due to the smooth, non-porous permanent finish of a San Juan Fiberglass pool, it does not require the acid washing, sand blasting, re-plastering or repainting necessary of concrete pools. In a concrete pool the plaster finish actually deteriorates and has to be re-painted, resurfaced or re-plastered. This is not necessary with San Juan pools, so over the life of the pool, fiberglass will save you thousands of dollars in maintenance and remodeling costs, never mind the aggravation and loss of swimming time. No Liner Replacement The smooth, non-porous, permanent finish of a San Juan Fiberglass pool will not degrade due to exposure to sunlight Vinyl Liners are very susceptible to ultraviolet degradation and even with the best of care require replacement every few years with an average cost of $2,000.00 to $2,500.00. The fiberglass also is not susceptible to pinholes or tears, as is the vinyl pool, which means no unsightly patches. Liners cost thousands of dollars to replace. Energy Savings on Electricity Since a San Juan Fiberglass pool does not leach any material into the water, i.e., alkaloids and other materials from a concrete or plaster finish, you do not have to filter the pool as long to try to remove these foreign materials from the water. A fiberglass pool can reduce your electric costs by over 30% due to more efficient filtration and reduced operating time. Savings on Chemicals A San Juan Fiberglass Swimming Pools saves you money on chemicals for the same reasons they save on electricity. With no alkaloids being constantly leached into the water it is not necessary to use acids except in rare occasions, and the amount of chlorine needed is reduced substantially. These savings in chemicals can be as much as 70% over concrete pools. Differences Between San Juan and other Fiberglass Pools Over 42 years of experience and quality is the simple difference. Nobody has made and installed more fiberglass pools than San Juan, over 60,000 nationwide in the last 42 years. Today San Juan is the leader in the industry installing 68% of all fiberglass pools in the US today. Our pools have a minimum of 5 hand laid layers of fiberglass. We combine two types of fiberglass mat and heavy woven roving, which we place in alternate layers. In stress areas and overlapping Our gelcoat is put on approximately 32-mils thick, consisting of two applications. Other manufacturers use as little as four layers of fiberglass and only 20 mils of gelcoat, applied in one layer. Our pools are built with a polyhedron wall, a simple principal used in the construction of triangular shaped bridges to give them maximum strength. This means our pools have tapered walls. We use stiffeners on the bottom of our steps and ledges to provide additional support in these areas. We also use additional stiffeners in the sidewalls of our pools to provide extra strength. Our high quality, molds and the polyhedron wall allow us to be the only fiberglass pool manufacturer that puts ceramic tile on our pools in the factory under controlled conditions. Our tile is put on using silicone latex (a product developed as a result of the space shuttle program). This silicone contains an algae inhibitor, which deters algae growth in the joints and under the tile. Also this silicone will not get brittle, like conventional tile grout, and fall out with the tile in a few years. Our pools are built this way for one reason. Our experience has shown that these procedures are necessary to provide the most durable, long lasting pool available. They are not done just to add additional cost to our pools. After 42 years of learning about our product, we believe we are providing the best value on a pool for the money spent, compared to any other type of pool construction. Difference Between San Juan Pools and Concrete Pools As previously mentioned the advantages of fiberglass include being flexibly stronger, not requiring acid washing, painting or re-plastering, using fewer chemicals and electricity and they require less maintenance. Over the years, as a matter of fact, if you look in any yellow pages directory under “Swimming” you will usually find more pool service companies than builders, which illustrates the tremendous need for the service and repair of concrete pools. Due to the skin soft smooth finish of our fiberglass pools, you and your children will not get the reddened toes and fingers from the abrasive finish of concrete. Although San Juan Pools cost an average of 10 to \l% more than old fashion cement pools the question is "With all these benefits of fiberglass, why would anyone subject themselves to building a concrete pool?" Difference Between San Juan Pools and Vinyl Liner Pools Even though some vinyl liner pools are built into the ground, they are constructed very similar to the above ground types. A vinyl liner pool has rigid sides made of concrete block, pressure treated wood, galvanized steel, stainless steel, aluminum, plastic, or fiberglass to make its walls. They are nailed, glued, screwed or bolted together in sections. After the frame is completed a thin, usually, 20-mil sheet of plastic is attached to the inside which is what holds the water in the container. Our gelcoat alone is thicker than this. A wood or concrete deck can then be placed around iL Although the in-ground type appears to be similar in appearance to permanent pools like fiberglass or concrete, they require the same continued replacement of liners over the years as above ground liners, however, at a much greater expense. Vinyl liner pools initially cost less than most concrete or fiberglass pools. However, the cost of frequently replacing deteriorated, punctured or torn liners, brings the over all cost to of a vinyl pool to be considerably more than a fiberglass or concrete pool. The average person who enjoys a pool will eventually invest in a permanent pool and a permanent pool will add value to your property. Misconceptions and Questions about Fiberglass Pools The most common misconceptions about San Juan Fiberglass Pools are due to the problems that people are aware of with Corvettes and shower stalls. It must be understood that these products are not laid up by hand, but are in fact, made by spraying fibers of fiberglass with resin onto a mold, with what is commonly called a chopper gun. They are not designed to have the kind of strength that a San Juan pools has. They also do not use the kind of gelcoat we use for making pools because they do not have to be capable of withstanding continued submersion in water like a pool. Even with the drawback a corvette has with breaking if hit hard enough, it is remarkably easy to repair if damaged. If it was made like our pools, not only would it weigh a lot more, but it would also be extremely difficult to break. Another common misconception about our pools is that they can float and cannot be repaired if they do break. As far as floating is concerned, they also make boats out of concrete because it
floats and has its own ballast. A swimming pool, weather constructed of concrete, vinyl or fiberglass should never be drained during the rainy months or in areas Other misconceptions pertain to blistering, fading and the inability to repair cracks. Blistering is a problem that occurs with some fiberglass spas and pools. Under certain conditions small pimples could appear on the surface of the gelcoat (the color coating). This problem, it was determined, had to do with the types of resin and gelcoat products then being used, how they reacted together, and the way they were applied during the manufacturing process. The solution is to use the highest quality resin and gelcoat material, apply them with heavier applications and take great care in the rolling out and the curing processes to assure a smooth nonporous bond. San Juan uses this method, which costs a little more in time and material, and by doing so we are able to provide the kind of blemish free beautiful pool that our customers expect. If all the other fiberglass pool and spa manufacturers took the time and care we do in building their products, there shouldn't be any problem with blistering or peeled gelcoat. Fading or oxidation is a minor inconvenience only to those people who leave the lip of the pool exposed when the deck is poured, compared to pouring the deck over the top of the lip. This can be eliminated with periodic waxing of the four-inch fiberglass lip, but it takes years for this oxidation to happen and it only affects the surface above the water line or tile. One question that is asked is, "But what happens if the pool does crack, how do you repair it?" If one of our pools should crack, a service representative from the company would come out and spend approximately two hours to make a repair at the site. The process of sanding, putting on new glass and re-spraying the gelcoat is a simple repair that can even be done by many pool owners. CONCLUSION San Juan Fiberglass Pools offer many advantages which concrete and vinyl pools cannot. The 32-mil gelcoat finish of a San Juan pool is satiny smooth, not rough and abrasive. The San Juan pool is made of inert materials, which means that it will not affect the water chemistry. The Gelcoat surface is non porous and is impervious to algae growth, therefore it simplifies water maintenance procedures and eliminates pool surface refinishing. The daily cost of chemicals, electricity, heating and maintenance are much lower.
When you add up the differences, you will save thousands of dollars by installing a San Juan Fiberglass Pool in your backyard, and your home will magnify your family togetherness. These are just a few reasons to buy a San Juan fiberglass pool. |
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Most people are familiar with the durability, lasting beauty, and the ease
of maintenance and repair of fiberglass boats. People buy them for those reasons even though they cost a little more than wood boats. What most people are not aware of though, is the many and varied uses of
fiberglass in other industries and products. It is being used in helicopter blades because of its strength, flexibility, and its durability against cracking. It is being used in water storage and septic tanks because it
will not deteriorate or corrode. It is being used in the construction of airplanes, automobiles, appliances, insulators, transformers and dozens of other products, all because of its strength and durability.
per square inch. In other words it requires 1 1,300 pounds of pull to fracture one square inch of a San Juan pool. This flexural strength allows your San Juan pool to expand or contract with expansive soils, earthquakes and freezing
temperatures without damage.
seams there can be as many as ten layers of fiberglass and resin. We do not use
any fillers in our pools. Composite, ceramic or other fillers actually make the walls more brittle and inhibit the flexural strength of the fiberglass. In Independently Laboratory tests, San Juan pools out perform fiberglass pools, which
use a composite ceramic core. The San Juan pool has; 70 per cent more flexibility, almost twice the shear strength, over twice the tensile strength, and over twice the resistance to impacts.
with high water tables without taking proper precautions. Pools made of either concrete or fiberglass can be pushed up to three feet out of the ground due to expansive soil or a high
water table. Our advantage over concrete, if this should happen, is that ours can be lifted up in one piece and easily reset, whereas a concrete pool would have to be demolished and rebuilt because it would
crack into numerous pieces. A vinyl pool would have the liner torn and the walls probably pushed in.
San Juan Quality Fiberglass Pools cost more than concrete or vinyl pools. You will, however, save the
difference with the savings in operating and maintenance cost. Additionally, San Juan pools do not require re-plastering, painting or the replacement of vinyl liners.