There are three choices in pool construction: Concrete, Vinyl Liners, and Fiberglass. The choice will affect not only the original install price, but also more importantly the long-term maintenance. Fiberglass may be the only installation requiring no acid washing, no resurfacing, no new liners, and lower chemical levels for sanitation.

As with the marine boat industry, cosmetic issues plagued early fiberglass pools in the 60s and 70s, but these issues were resolved with advances in material technologies. Today, most manufacturers make their pools to the same standards used in the boat industry. Think of fiberglass pools as inside-out boat hulls that are placed in the ground.

Swimming in No Time

Do-it-yourself installation of one-piece fiberglass pools is on the rise. The advantage, of course, is that the pool arrives complete and ready to drop into the ground. The only special skills required are electrical, as well as pouring the pool deck and planning and installing the landscaping. The typical homeowner has to arrange for only four subcontractors: Backhoe operator, crane operator, electrician and concrete worker. Installs take about three to four days, but typically the ground is allowed to settle for 2 to 3 weeks before pouring the deck. During that wait, the pool is full of water and can be used.

Easy Installation: Dig, Set and Swim!

One of the hallmarks of a fiberglass pool is ease of installation. Trilogy Pools are constructed to make installation a breeze. Whether a dealer installs your pool, or you select one of their complete Do-It-Yourself installation packages, you'll get a fast, easy installation and years of hassle free enjoyment.

Every step of Trilogy's production is held to the highest standards in the industry. They document each step of the process, beginning with materials. All of their raw materials are supplied by certified vendors and come with a certificate of analysis. To ensure that every pool meets their stringent standards, they record over 60 measurements that are maintained in each pool's quality report. They monitor the pool's production from beginning to end, and even keep a piece of each pool on file with the quality report, should any question ever arise. Every pool can be traced back to the very day it was built, and has a Lifetime Structural Warranty.

Dig the Hole, Drop it in

One-piece fiberglass pools are manufactured in a controlled facility and transported to the jobsite complete. They consist of a cosmetic outer layer, which can be comprised of either standard gel coat or a solid surface finish of Safas Granicoat (the same product used in bath and kitchen solid surface applications). A 90- to 100-mil layer of glass and epoxy-based vinyl ester resin, a material common in the production of chemical storage tanks, follows this cosmetic layer. The bulk of the pool structure, approximately 100 to 200 mils, is built using a general-purpose marine-grade resin and chopped glass. Finally, the entire pool is encased in a 24-ounce woven glass cloth, which provides directional strength. This results in a laminate that is approximately 0.25 to 0.375 inch thick.

Installation requires digging the hole to the specifications provided by the manufacturer. Any good backhoe operator can easily accomplish this in less than 6 hours. The hole is then lined with string, to establish an exact grade match for the bottom of the pool, and the bottom is backfilled to this grade level with a non-expansive material, such as washed gravel or sand. When sand is used, it is washed into place using water to assist in packing. The pool is placed in the hole using an 8- to 10-ton boom truck and checked for level using a laser level or transit. Typically, the bottom of the hole needs to be adjusted in several places to get the top coping of the pool level to within 1/2 to 1 inch around the pool perimeter. This involves lifting the pool up and adding or removing material as necessary to achieve level grade. Rarely is it necessary to go over the 3-hour minimum required by most crane operators.

Plumbing of the entire pool is accomplished using 2-inch schedule 40 PVC and is even easier than most basic irrigation systems. A basic pool installation will have three lines: a skimmer and two return lines. A complex install will have five lines, adding an auto-cleaner line and conduit for a light. All of the lines are simply stubbed up and hooked to the equipment at a later time. Once plumbed, the area around the pool is backfilled with a non-expansive material (again gravel or sand) and rough graded for the landscape and deck.

Most of the tasks that require special skills, such as backhoe or crane operation, are ones you can subcontract. All of the PVC plumbing will be a breeze for anyone who has installed an irrigation system. It is much more straightforward and requires considerably less design work, because virtually all pool plumbing jobs are alike. Once the pool is operational and both backfill and grade are complete, you are now ready for landscaping and a deck.

Contact Information:
Trilogy Pools
(931) 732-5253
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