What's Wrong With A White Fiberglass Pool?
Posted by Kent Carpenter on Mon, Nov 14, 2011 @ 10:18
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!