Glassfibre pools - costs?

[Crossy]

I'm considering a GRP pool as a mid-price option, supposedly cheaper than concrete, definitely more durable than PVC.

Before inviting spam from all and sundry I thought a quick enquiry here.

Looking at around 8 x 4 x 1.5m, something like this http://www.bellagio-thailand.com/en/bellagio-fiberglass-pools/bellagio.html

All-in ballpark cost, installed in northern BKK?

Any thoughts on GRP pools in general would be welcome (longevity etc).

[NeverSure]

The only cost difference in the pool is the lining. The excavation or frame building, plumbing, filters, pump, deck of tile or concrete etc. are about the same. I can't see how the fiberglass would lower the overall cost all that much as a total percentage.

The last time I built a pool the Gunite (concrete) in the actual pool was the cheap part. It went in fast, too.

Cheers.

[IMHO]

There are apparently two manufacturers making this design, but several pool vendors selling it (as you have probably already found).

There are some variables on cost:

1) Salt water chlorinator or hand fed chlorine?

2) Jacuzzi jets in the middle seat or not?

3) Custom coping on top of the fibreglass edge, or exposed fibre?

4) Equipment room supplied by the pool builder or yourself?

The basic shell (with skimmer, main drain, hydrsotatic valve, return jets, basic plumbing and delivery) is around 400K Baht. On top of that you'll need a 3/4 HP pump, a filter, an electrical control box (timers/contactors etc) and excavation + installation as a bare minimum - so around 500-600K Baht in the ground.

The jacuzzi option needs another main drain, the jacuzzi jets, 2 HP pump and all the additional plumbing work and control box work.

You'll probably also want some underwater lights so those afraid of the sun can swim at night, which means more control box work as well.

Add those two and you're probably in the 550-650K range.

If you want a salt water chlorinator, that also means some more changes to the control box too - add 50-75K.

[IMHO]

As for fibreglass vs vinyl liner or concrete & tile, it's simple: If your design can fit on a truck, buy fiberglass... don't even consider vinyl liner or concrete unless your design can't fit into a 10M x 6M 'box'.

[IMHO]

Here's a few more insights I can share from my experiences...

Adding a coping to the top edge of a fibreglass pool is definitely worth while - fibreglass edges are slippery, get full sunlight all day long (unlike the sides), and exposed edges just look cheap

Really, really think about shade. Around Songkran (when pool usage hits it's peak for me), your water is going to get uncomfortably warm without it. You won't want it during the rainy and cool seasons though, otherwise your water will get too cold - so don't use anything permanent. Put some thought into late afternoon shade in any case - in my house, I added a waterfall right next to the pool, and another 2.4M high wall about 2.5M behind the pool, both on the West side. These give me a half-shaded pool from about 3:30PM and a fully shaded pool around 5PM - which is a nice half-way point between full shade and full sun for an afternoon swim.

Related, think about color - lighter color gel coats will result in cooler water, darker shades in warmer water. If you're not going to be able to add shade, consider a lighter color, but understand your pool will get too cold in cooler seasons. If you want something useful for 10 months of the year, get a darker color and some umbrellas... Bear in mind that the range of acceptable water temperatures is actually quite small... <28c is starting to get too chilly to use on anything but the hottest day, > 33c is getting way too warm. 29-31c is the perfect range, based on my experience with a fairly large list of 'test volunteers'.

Have a really good think about your drainage system's capabilities! When you backwash a filter, you're going to dump anywhere from 500L to 1000L of water from the pool - in just 2-4 minutes. That's a lot of water to get rid of very quickly. My 10" stormwater pipes (which are right next to the filter) only just cope. On top of that, you're dumping useless water - it's laced with chemicals and maybe also salt, if you go that route. All in all, it's a terrible waste of water. When my sand filter needs new sand, it's actually going to be replaced with a cartridge filter - at least then I can choose where the waste water goes, and the waste water isn't loaded with chems, so good to dump on gardens, lawn etc.

Make sure your pool guy uses a laser level and a proper compactor machine when preparing the bed. Water levels just aren't accurate enough, and *will* leave you with an uneven bed. I made my installers compact and level the bed for 2 days straight, just to be sure.

Backfill the hole with gravel, not sand. Sand gets waterlogged and settles, gravel doesn't. Also, if you ever need to empty the pool (say for a gel coat repair), sand will buckle the sides of your pool, gravel maybe won't

Don't chose a 1.2M deep pool thinking you're helping people who want to play but can't swim! Thai people form about 10 years old and up can find a way to stand up in 1.45M water.

If you don't have kids, expect a few to befriend you. If you do have kids, expect a LOT of kids to befriend you On this, you will need to set limits and rules from day one - otherwise you'll have kids wanting to use your pool from sunrise to sunset. Also, never, ever believe a kid when they say "I can swim" (Wai nam ben). They are imagining they can, reality is nearly always different.

[IMHO]

One more thing.... I'm yet to see a single pool install in Thailand where the plumbing has been setup using screw threaded unions like this:

It adds very little time, or expense (these are only about 300 Baht/each), but makes a huge difference to the serviceability of your plumbing. The same goes for check valves and ball valves - you want ones with threaded unions at each end, so that they are cleanable/serviceable, and these types also keep a constant ID, unlike the typical blue PVC glued ones.

Push your installer to use them.

[Crossy]

If you don't have kids, expect a few to befriend you. If you do have kids, expect a LOT of kids to befriend you On this, you will need to set limits and rules from day one - otherwise you'll have kids wanting to use your pool from sunrise to sunset. Also, never, ever believe a kid when they say "I can swim" (Wai nam ben). They are imagining they can, reality is nearly always different.

+++ lots ^^^

We don't have nippers, but we do have plenty of grandkids who already enjoy the 3.5m inflatable (in which I cleaned and changed the water today in preparation for Mothers Day).

I expect a lot more 'relatives' will arrive if we go ahead with a 'real' pool.

A slide will be an absolute requirement (no, not for me).

[IMHO]

A slide will be an absolute requirement (no, not for me).

This is the only Thai slide manufacturer I've been able to find:

http://www.lomafiberglass.com/category.asp?select1=1&list=yes

The rest all just seem to be importers ($$$).