Posted by Kent Carpenter on Wed, Feb 01, 2012 @ 07:42 PM
The world has changed dramatically since the "great recession" struck in the fall of 2008. In 2006 credit was flowing and selling a fiberglass swimming pool was not hard at all. The most frequent sales questions at the time were how many of and how much was going to be spent on available options such as lighting, waterfalls, seperate spa, laminar fountains, automatic safety covers, automated controls and so on.
Most homeowners paid for their pools with home equity lines of credit and fiberglass pool sales were brisk but that has all changed........
Since that time we have had just as many possibly even more consumer inquiries indicating that the demand to purchase a fiberglass pool has not receeded but the financing vehicle has. Families still have a strong desire to own their own private backyard oasis but financing for pools as with houses and many other consumer products is harder to get.
At the Fiberglass Pool Depot our sales are increasing due to the fact that we offer unbelievably low pricing on fiberglass swimming pools. Our customers tell us that they want a swimming pool but they have decided to forego many of the expensive options entirely or to purchase them later. The basic need and desire is for families and homeowners to own their own pool and we get that. We have all had to rebalance needs and desires. It might be nice to have a "resort" style pool in the backyard but it is more important to get the family swimming in their own private pool. The kids are grown and gone before you know it!
We are offering complete fiberglass swimming pool kits including a 14' x 37' 3' to 6' in depth fiberglass pool with a lifetime warranty for under $15,000 adequately equipped! Or how about a smaller pool? 11' x 23', 3' to 5' 6" deep for under $ 11,000 adequately equipped?
If you want to be able to purchase an affordable fiberglass inground swimming pool and get your family swimming this before we are cooking in the summer heat give us a shout or come for a visit! We carry multiple lines of high quality fiberglass swimming pools!
We are here to sell high quality fiberglass swimming pools at the LOWEST prices possible! Rather than looking for ways to charge you more we look for ways for it to cost you less!
Let us earn YOUR business! 
Posted by Kent Carpenter on Tue, Jan 03, 2012 @ 07:31 PM
With having 30 years as a dealer and distributor in the fiberglass pool business I have witnessed many improvements in the overall quality of fiberglass swimming pools. Most all current day fiberglass swimming pool manufacturers do an adequate job of producing fiberglass swimming pools at relatively high production levels while maintaining relatively good quality. The technology used in the production off fiberglass resins and gel coats has advanced greatly providing the end user with an end product that promises lengthly service with little to no maintenance. Fiberglass is used in the manufacture of the Chevrolet Corvette, Hatteras Yachts, even Disney theme parks use fiberglass characters and seats on many of their rides even the Magic Castle Fiberglass is an extremely tough and durable product that provides excellent resistance to water exposure.
Fiberglass pool manufacturers seldom use exactly the same manufacturing process however to survive in today's marketplace they must produce a reasonably good and functional pool that will last decades if properly installed and failing that will quickly determine their future.
What about today's builer-installer? Have they kept pace with the quality of today's fiberglass swimming pool? Some have, some not so much. Who installs your swimming pool is critical to the long term success of the pool installation project as well as your enjoyment of the swimming pool. I would much prefer to purchase a fiberglass swimming pool of lesser quality yet have it installed by a seasoned knowledgeable builder than to purchase the highest quality fiberglass pool and have it installed by an inexperienced "jack of all trades" type. The quality of the installation process and the materials used by your installer are crucial to the success of any swimming pool project, your sanity and your family's happiness! The backfill material choice, elevation, grade and drainage, location, plumbing materials, pressure testing and many more details are far more important factors than the exact resin or color of your pool believe me.
Look for builder-dealers that are licensed general contractors, members of the better business bureau, the chamber of commerce, trade organizations and are active in the community. They care about the work that they put their name on and they care about you as well (you won't find them ducking you in the local mall, they are not built that way) They will gladly tell you about their worst problem installation and how they resolved it just as quickly as they will tell you and show you some of their best. Are they perfect? of course not but they will always be aiming towards that goal.
Most people install one swimming pool in their lifetime why not do it right?
Posted by Kent Carpenter on Mon, Jan 02, 2012 @ 07:24 PM
This is the year to go ahead and pull the trigger on putting in that backyard swimming pool. Why? The economy finally seems to be moving in the right direction, but stocks are scary, vacations are expensive, short, and soon forgotten. We are seeing an uptick in consumers that are tired of waiting for the "right time". I have always had a difficult time trying to figure out when the "right time" was for any endeavor, getting married, having a child, buying a home quickly are some particular life choices that quickly come to mind. As time goes by it becomes clear to me that there is often there is no "right time" but there is always the passing of time. Home values are not what they were, the interest on CD's or savings is so low that it you wonder if it is even worth the paperwork. Mortgages are easy to get if you dont really need one.
Sometimes you just gotta forget all the peripheral noise and go with your gut. None of us are getting any younger and before you turn around the kids are grown and gone. The opportunity to spend time some precious time with them is already challenging enough. A backyard swimming pool offers a secure place for the entire family to spend time together without going anywhere at all. No airport delays, traffic jams, rental hassles, high fuel prices and best of all no bedbugs! How can it be fun when you have all of the stress of modern day "vacations" to deal with? What is wrong with just staying home? Dorothy wisely told us in the Wizard of Oz that "there is no place like home" and she is right. What place is better suited for you than your own home? your own bed? your own swimming pool? What swimming pool? Yep your own pool!
More frugal? Of course you are we all are. Prior to the economy bomb in October of 2008 most pool sales included "all of the above" for options. Nowadays we are selling fewer options. Many pool customers are opting to "hold off" are some options that they might like and can add later so that they can get swimming. Many pool options can be added later just like the landscaping, outdoor kitchens and waterfalls can be but they are putting in that pool anyway.
How about you? Are you tired of holding off because of the political soundbites? Please don't. Simply take a quick look at your family and follow your gut!
Spring is coming!
Posted by Kent Carpenter on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 @ 03:05 PM
Remember Clark W. Griswold in the movie "Christmas Vacation"?
Clark had it all planned out. This years Christmas bonus was going towards Clark's dream of putting in a backyard swimming pool. This was his dream. To put in a backyard pool for him and his family would make this Christmas the best ever. Well it did not all work out quite like Clark had planned but in the end I beleive that he got the pool thanks to Cousin Eddie who delivers the goods when it matters the most.
Clark is not alone in wanting a backyard pool for his family. In fact every year during the month of December the number of "hits" on our website increase dramatically building all month long towards the peak on New Years day.
I have often wondered what is driving this off seasonal peak? Are these pool shoppers who secretly hope to be surprised at Christmas with the best gift ever a new pool? or are these "hits" coming from legitimate swimming pool shoppers that are considering purchasing a swimming pool, are tired of the cooler weather and want to learn more about what they are buying?
Regardless of the motivation fiberglass swimming pools are increasingly in demand as the most durable lowest maintenance material to construct a swimming pool with.
A fiberglass swimming pool may be a bit big to put under the tree but it seems logical that there are increasing numbers of people looking for one there!
Posted by Kent Carpenter on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 @ 12:19 PM
Do Dogs Like Swimming Pools?
Good question! 
Our dog Chloe like many dogs can swim but only do so for their survival if they are in the water over their heads. And most importantly rarely other than a flash flood, a tsunami or similar rare event occuring, dogs that do not particularly care for the water will not end up in the water unless "encouraged" (forced) usually by one of the kids. Once in the water they "doggy paddle" quickly to the closest exit point without delay. There are many breeds of dogs that prefer to remain high and dry out outside of the pool. For whatever reason these dogs seem to consider swimming to be useful only for self preservation. No matter the lively encouragement from the family they are not going to go for it,although they love the attention they are getting from everyone doing the coaxing. The breed or size makes little difference in the decision as the most ferocious german shepherd, doberman or rottweiler are equal to the smallest chihuahua in their dislike of being immersed in the swimming pool. I personally believe that the dogs that prefer land are quite similar to those of us that cannot grasp the concept of sky diving and jumping out of a perfectly good airplane for fun. They just don't see any point in it.
Now there is another group of dogs that absolutely love the water regardless of where they can find it. No fear whatsoever this is the whole point of their existence for them. Much of this group of dogs consists of different retrievers such as Labadors, Goldens etc. however there are other breeds and certainly mixed breeds that love the water as well.
We have customers that purchased a fiberglass swimming pool for their dog or dogs. Seriously folks I am not kidding. To name a few, there is Jerry Clayton who wanted a place for his huge white Labador retriever named "Wu" (Jerry says his labs are named from the Ming dynasties of China) to "cool off". Another customer Jane Ballard purchased and installed a swim spa for her German Shepherd that had hip dysplasia. I will never forget Jim and Anne Delpappa's Labador (sorry I cannot recall the dogs name) literally flying into their pool in the dead of winter breaking the ice as it landed and then looking around at us as if to say are you coming in? These dogs so love the water the water that there owners purchased fiberglass swimming pools for them, well mostly anyway. Fiberglass pools were selected because of their duability and extremely low maintenance and because a vinyl liner had literally no odds of making it six months with one of these dogs around.
Bonnie and Brian (my daughter and son in law) have an awesome pair of horses sorry I mean dogs that are definite members of the second group the Water Dogs. 
Jefferson and Maxwell were created to swim period, no reason or encouragement needed. Where they swim is doesnt matter whether ocean, lake, pond, river, stream or swimming pool (ownership is immaterial). If these mastifs escape the yard you can only hope and pray that the neighbors are understanding and they don't have a vinyl lined pool.
Not all dogs care to swim but if you want to experience some real fun forget swimming with the dolphins take a swim with a Water Dog!
Check out this Diving Dog video posted on CNN.com! Simply Amazing!
Posted by Kent Carpenter on Mon, Nov 14, 2011 @ 10:18 AM
Having sold a large number of both white and colored fiberglass swimming pools I can honestly say without reservation that white fiberglass pools can offer the pool owner some advantages over colored fiberglass pools.
Check out this white San Juan "Barcelona" model ( pool spa combination)
White fiberglass pools reflect the sun and sky and cause the water to turn a beautiful hue of blue. White pools can be stunning if tiled with a beautiful waterline ceramic pool tile. We rarely tile a colored pool however waterline tile will reduce any UV breakdown of the gel coat pigment above the water line and it adds so much to the appearance of the fiberglass pool that personally I prefer to have tile regardless of whether the pool is white or colored. Here at the Fiberglass Pool Depot we tile almost every white pool that we sell and almost no color pools is tile ordered as the customer is often told by well meaning staff that " on colored pools you don't need to buy tile " however the reality is that tile looks absolutely stunning on both white and colored pools.Typically the cost for waterline ceramic tile throughout the perimeter of the pool is offset by the added purchasing cost of a pool that is colored as the colored gel coat is typically more expensive than white gel coat.
Fiberglass swimming pools are very large parts that must be shipped over long highway distances. Due to the size of the parts and how they are handled by cranes to be loaded and/or unloaded on or off of trucks, it is not uncommon to experience some damage typically limited to chips and scratches. Most damage to a fiberglass swimming pool is quite simple to repair to an experienced fiberglass repairman regardless of color however white pool repairs can be faster, simpler and less expensive.
White fiberglass pools can be quickly and easily repaired due to the ease of matching the gel coat where the repair has been made to the existing pool wall. White gel coat repairs are typically not visible in a white pool. Although the newly repaired area may appear somewhat brighter than the older UV and Chlorine exposed finish surrounding it once the pool is filled with water it is very difficult to discern the outline of the repaired area. Repair areas are more apparent on a colored fiberglass pool regardless of the skill level of the repairman. It is very difficult to match a pigmented color such as shades of blue then a simple white.
Colored fiberglass pools can also have hazing or blemish areas that appear as a white haze which can be experienced particularly where the manufacturer's quality control inspector may have been lax. Hazing is not a problem commonly experienced with white fiberglass pools.
Depending on your perspective a white fiberglass pool does show everything....every speck of dirt and all. For some that is preferable as they want to know the pool is clean and they want to be able to see anything that is in the pool easily. The white swimming pool must be kept clean to show well. Particularly in areas where the pool makeup water contains lots of iron or copper staining may be more visible in a white pool than a colored pool although it will be present in both particularly if the water has not been treated appropriately.
Most concrete pools have an interior finish of white plaster although there are variations of colors avaiable white is by far the most prevalent choice.
Quality colored and white fiberglass pool manufacturers offer huge advantages over other types of pool construction and offer the lowest maintenance of any type of pool construction. Maintenance and upkeep is also extremely low.
However white fiberglass pools should never be considered inferior to colored pools.responsible manufacturer's offer both colored and white fiberglass pools to their customers.
Remember no matter white or dark blue the water is just as wet and your family's fun will be what matters!
Posted by Kent Carpenter on Mon, Oct 24, 2011 @ 08:33 PM
Swimming pools are not complete without the installation of an impervious surface commonly called a "pool deck". Over the years that I have been in the swimming pool business I have personally witnessed the "good, bad and the ugly" of many residential and commercial decking choices. Appearance, Durability, Maintenance, Safety and Cost are all important factors in selecting a suitable deck material to meet your needs and of those factors safety should always be the most important.
Personally I prefer pavers to poured concrete in any finish. Concrete choices today include plain, acid etched and stained, stamped, overlayed with Kool Deck or another decorative polymer based type coating system such as Stardek. Most people prefer any finish to plain concrete however they may decide to go ahead with the plain concrete to remain within a tight budget which is certainly completely understandable. Typically premium finishes such as stamping or acid etching can double the deck project cost although they truly produce stunning results if done by a well experienced concrete contractor.
Why I prefer pavers to poured concrete:
- Pavers are more natural looking.
- Pavers are as permanent a decking as you can have. There are only two types of concrete, concrete that is cracked and concrete that is going to crack. Pavers do not crack!
- If your concrete cracks and you want to fix it your options are very limited. Cracks cannot be repaired attractively (if at all) and if the concrete is to look decent again you will have to break it up and haul it away which is expensive and a real negative and then pour new concrete with the premium finish and hope your contractor can come close to matching the old and the new.
- If you ever have an underground water line leak in your swimming pool or any underground utility problem for any reason you will have to cut and break up the concrete to repair the leak. With pavers all you will have to do is pick them up repair the leak and reset the pavers.
- Pavers can be added, removed, changed whatever you would like without specialized equipment or tradesmen. Pavers can be broken down into wheel barrow capable loads and installed by homeowners small areas at a time if they are on a budget. Concrete requires heavy trucks and gaining access to the pool to pour the concrete can be a real problem with sprinklers, landscaping and such. I have personally a homeowner's concrete driveway be cracked by the concrete truck delivering the concrete to pour the pool deck!
- Pavers require no maintainence and look the same as the day you install them even decades later unlike concrete.
Pavers do cost more per sq. ft. initially if you hire a paver contractor to install them however they will be there year after year looking beautiful. Of course you can install them yourself. You may find a few muscles that you have not used in a while but you will save money and can work at your own pace physically & financially. You control how the project progress on your timetable.
Pavers can settle over the years and they sometimes require spraying with a grass killer due to grass or weeds however they can easily be reset if need be as they will settle without cracking unlike concrete. Yet with a little effort you can restore the paver deck to look like new as the pavers themselves will not crack or break!
Paver decks and wallstones make the perfect base and backdrop for that outdoor pizza oven, fireplace, firepit or outdoor kitchen!
Posted by Kent Carpenter on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 @ 04:21 PM
Think about it, the installed cost for an inground fiberglass swimming pool can surpass the the average cost of purchasing an automobile. Thousands many times even millions of vehicles are recalled each year due to a defective condition or fault. Given that a good well built fiberglass swimming pool will easily outlast the family wagon it seems logical that a defective or substandard fiberglass pool could potentially be recalled much like an automobile.
Of course motor vehicle safety is really important, brake failures or uncontrolled acceleration are very dangerous conditions. It is possible that a poorly constucted fiberglass pool might have or develop some safety issues however let's focus on your "economic safety". If you purchase a lemon car you have consumer statues such as the "lemon law" but what can you do about a recalling a lemon pool?
In fairness frequently fiberglass pool problems are often caused by an untrained/unskilled installers not by the manufacturer. An improperly backfilled pool using dirt or clay instead of pea gravel or washed sand can leave the pool floor unsupported and it can develop a crack once the fiberglass swimming pool is filled with water and the inadequately supported fiberglass pool is left to support the tons of water that have been placed within it. But.....
Fiberglass swimming pools as with most consumer products are not all created equal. There are manufacturer's that pride themselves on doing the right thing all the time and every time and there are those that do not. All the fiberglass pool manufacturers have lots of pretty pictures, fancy websites and plenty of verbage about why their pool is the best, and a few of them are.
There is NO better swimming pool for ease of operation, low maintenance, beauty and long term hassle free use than a well built properly installed fiberglass swimming pool.
Fiberglass swimming pool dealers frequently end up sort of "the meat in the sandwich" if you will. Picture the scenario as the new pool has been hauled to the job site and there are costs involved before the fiberglass pool shell is even unloaded. The freight cost for hauling the pool from the manufacturer to the job site is now due. A rented crane that is onsite to unload the pool has a minimum fee of at least $600 or more. The hourly crew is onsite to assist in the unloading and placement of the pool. A water tanker truck may have been arranged to bring a 6000 gallon load of fill water once the pool has been set and backfilling has begun. Typically the pool dealer at this point only has been given a 10% or 20% deposit and sometimes before but always after the manufacturer wants to pick up a check for the new fiberglass swimming pool. It is apparent that there is a great deal of pressure upon the dealer to "accept" the pool rather than reject it. If it is rejected who pays for the labor, the crane, the water, the freight? These are very big expenses to a dealer. The dealer typically ends up explaining to the homeowner that the pool had unacceptable gel coat issues, discoloration or other obvious issues if he does reject it. This is not a good position for a dealer to be in unless he is well supported by the manufacturer who stands behind their product and their dealers.
What about issues that are unseen by an inexperienced dealer or have not yet developed until three months later when the pool has been fully installed? That is why it is so important that you do your homework in checking out the dealer as well as the manufacturer. Ask the dealer about warranty issues such as response attitudes and timing that the manufacturer offers. Ask him if he has had any unsatisfactorily resolved warranty issues with the manufacturers that he represents? If so what was the outcome? Can you speak directly with a pool owner that experienced a problem? How does the pool manufacturer respond to a warranty claim from a homeowner when the dealer that sold the pool no longer represents that manufacturer?
The dealer has to live among most of his customers and he or she will certainly want to make certain that you receive a well built fiberglass pool from a quality driven manufacturer as good responsible dealers value your positive referral for a job well done.
Unlike automobiles there are no consumer reports available on fiberglass swimming pools which is why it is so important to get the facts.
Ask the tough questions early on and do your homework in learning all that you can about fiberglass pools, fiberglass pool manufacturers and the dealers that represent them, and youll get a great fiberglass pool properly installed without any "after the fact" lemon law protections.
It's that simple....
Posted by Kent Carpenter on Wed, Oct 12, 2011 @ 11:29 AM
Women are amazing creatures that make the world a better place. Whether grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters, women bring so much that I could not imagine the world without them if that were even possible! Women bring brightness and color to what in my opinion would otherwise be a dark gray world. You may have heard " if things were left up to men we would all still be living in caves". Women birth us, nuture us, connect us and they love us.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For over twenty five years the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been making a positive difference in the fight against breast cancer. Following skin cancer breast cancer is the most common cancer found in women in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society there will be approximately 192,370 new case of breast cancer diagnosed this year. Over 40,170 women died from the disease in 2009. Now the good news there are over 2.5 million breast cancer survivors with us today!
I cannot imagine the world without women so for our part here at The Fiberglass Pool Depot we are donating 2% of every pool sold in October to the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month organization in addition to a $1,000 off discount on each fiberglass pool sale.
Water therapy has been found effective in the recovery and rehabilitation of breast cancer surviors. Check out this breast cancer water therapy You Tube Video!
Here are some useful links to sites that offer information about water therapy for breast cancer.
www.maryessert.com
http://www.healthsearches.org/Categories_of_Q&A/Integrative_&_Alternative_Medicine/1318_2.php
http://www.massagetherapy.com/articles/index.php/article_id/88/Water-Fitness-for-Breast-Cancer-Survivors
Women are just too important to the quality of our lives. We must do everything that we can to keep them around!
Posted by Kent Carpenter on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 @ 03:32 PM
Is the gel coat quality on a fiberglass swimming pool an important factor? Does it really matter?
You bet it does!
The gelcoat is the coating that you see on the interior surface of the fiberglass pool. The gel coat determines the color, finish of the pool and protects the underlying fiberglass mat and resin.
Gelcoat is a hard polyester resin coating that is applied over structural fiberglass to provide a smooth, glossy protective surface that eliminates friction, creates an attractive aesthetic appearance and is commonly used on fiberglass swimming pools, boat hulls, spas, and on bathroom fixtures such as sinks, tubs, shower stalls and whirlpool tubs.
The quality of the gelcoat can greatly effect a pool owner's fiberglass pool experience. When shopping for a fiberglass swimming pool be sure to inquire about the warranty on the pool.
It is very important that the warranty be more than a structural warranty by offering a specific warranty on the interior pool surface (the surface you will see everyday).
Is the warranty simple and clear or does it read like a Harvard law journal? and if you take the time to actually read it offers you no or little protection but looks official and sounds good.
Be sure to ask your swimming pool manufacturer, dealer or installer if they have experienced any gelcoat failures and if so what was the outcome?
How fast did the manufacturer respond? Was the repair satisfactory?
Is it okay for you to contact and/or visit a pool owner that has had a repair?
The gelcoat is only one component of the layers of materials that make up a fiberglass pool. Many new fiberglass swimming pools fresh off the mold will look shiny and new regardless of the quality of the gelcoat.
Where the difference in the quality comes in is the durability of the gelcoat finish and what does it look like a year from now? 5 or 10 years from now?
Is the gelcoat made in the USA and readily available?
Do you know who the manufacturer of your gelcoat is?
How about the color and formula?
What do you do if your pool manufacturer goes out of business and you cannot find a matching gelcoat?
These are all fair questions to ask.
The truth is that when you actually dig in and begin investigating gelcoats used in the fiberglass swimming pool industry yourself as I have you can learn a great deal of information about them.
One fact that I discovered was that an American owned and operated company by the name of HK Research, located in Hickory, NC. manufactures what I consider to be the most durable and highest quality gelcoat available for fiberglass swimming pools.
The video below by Ashley Gill, CEO of Leisure Pools USA and Marcus Sheridan of River Pools and Spas provides some insight into some gelcoat testing methods and gelcoat comparisons.
Our experience with the FGI Aquaguard gelcoat while distributing Leisure Pools throughout the southeast has not been nearly as positive or problem free as one might believe after watching this video.
Wise consumers trust but verify! Note the photographs below showing Aquaguard gelcoat failures on Leisure Pools Australian Blue Color.
Leisure Pools USA has recently changed the scope of their warranty dropping warranty covererage on the pool coping.
Smart consumers should ask for a copy of the structural and surface warranty provided by the manufacturer of your fiberglass swimming pool and ask for the names and contact information of pool owners that have had a repair.