Fiberglass Swimming Pool Maintenance Tips

Fiberglass has particular requirements for maintenance, and though they are not too onerous, you must be sure to adhere to them to avoid permanent damage to your pool. Fiberglass pools must remain full of water at all times to avoid causing the structure to buckle or crack due to hydrostatic or ground pressure caused by improper drainage. If you believe you need to drain your fiberglass pool for any reason, you should contact your swimming pool contractor, pool manufacturer or a qualified professional for advice. Keep in mind that damage caused by improper drainage will not be covered by your warrantee program.

In addition to never fully emptying your pool, you should also be sure to maintain the water level at the center of the rectangular skimmer plate on the pool's wall. This will provide the pool's pump with the correct amount of water to work at maximum efficiency. If the water level dips too low, it may cause pump damage, if the water level is too high it will reduce the effectiveness of the skimmer.

Particular care should also be taken in regards to the chemicals used to clean fiberglass. Do not let “bathtub ring” grime accumulate around the waterline of your pool as it not only looks unhygienic, but also weakens some gel coatings. This build up is easily cleaned with swimming pool tile cleaner or other non-abrasive tile or vinyl cleaners. Keep in mind that you should not use abrasive cleaners, steel wool, metal scrapers brushes or other hard tools to clean fiberglass. Such cleaning tools they will permanently damage the gel coating on the exterior of the fiberglass swimming pool.

Although this gel coating is about seven times thicker than normal paint, it is still prone to scratches and dulling, like other glossy surfaces. If you find that the gel coating has dulled the luster can be restored using a heavy cut automotive polishing compound applied by hand or power tool, followed by a coating of wax.

Your fiberglass pool may also develop hairline cracks in time. This is not a grave concern as the cracks only appear on the surface of the gel coating and are not indicative of structural damage or leakage. If you find these cracks to be an eyesore, you may contact your fiberglass pool dealer or manufacturer to arrange for restoration and repairs of the finish.

Any dirt and debris that enters the pool should be brushed toward and into the main drain where it will be trapped in the pool's filter. Heavy amounts of dirt and debris should be vacuumed out.

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