Pool Installation

Metal Wall Vinyl & Fibreglass Installations

Our pool installation crews are in-house and have over 10 years of experience installing Metal wall Vinyl liner and fibreglass pools.

 

A fibreglass pool install is quite different from when we install a metal liner pool. Fibreglass pools are allot more challenging to install level so traditional installers have to learn a whole different process from scratch! However, when a fibreglass pool is installed properly, it takes less time than a liner install.

We offer two options to remove soil;
Standard traditional: An excavator digs the soil and a skid steer removes the soil from the rear, down the side yard and into an awaiting truck.

Conveyor Belt Option: If we can’t use skid steers moving alongside your house due to limited space access, steep grade access or you have established landscaping, you should consider the conveyor belt option to remove the soil.  Also recommended if access to your neighbours’ property is required and they refuse permission. We set up a series of 3 ft wide conveyor belts that will remove the dirt and materials from the rear yard....down the side of the house and into a truck in the front for hauling. This comes with an approximate $5,000 premium cost, whereas the traditional skid steer is already included.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day1, soil is excavated with either process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 2, Fibreglass Pool; we prepare the bottom to receive the pool shell. Some contractors use sand but we recommend the use of a fine stone called high performance bedding (HPB). It doesn’t contain sand so there is no settling and packs better and holds the pool more securely.

 

Day 3, The shell is craned in and installed LEVEL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4 & 5, the shell is backfilled with HPB and filled with water along with the filter, heater and pump.  Thereafter, the decking of your choice is installed. Then your pool is cleaned and sanitized, ready for enjoyment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 2, Vinyl Liner Pool; We use X Frame, as opposed to A Frame wall construction for greater strength.

 

Day 3, Backfilled with concrete and gravel.
Day 4 & 5, Bottom is concreted....delays may hinder this timeline as dry weather is required.

 

Day 6 & thereafter, filter, heater and pump is hooked up and decking of your choice is installed. The liner is installed next. Then your pool is filled, cleaned and sanitized, ready for your enjoyment.

 

 

Let us explain....In order for a fibreglass pool to pop out of the ground, you would need two simultaneous events to occur.
First, you would need to have an extraordinary amount of water accumulating under the shell creating a hydrostatic pressure to force the shell to pop out while secondly, you lowering the water lever significantly. So the pressure and water accumulation under the pool exceeds the weight of the pool.
For this reason, you are not to reduce the water levels in a fibreglass pool without following some pre cautionary steps first.

Mandatory Sump Tubes installed on all pools.
We install a sump tube in the deepest end in both types of our pools to allow the automatic evacuation of accumulating water under your pool. The same way a sump pump works in your basement to remove water accumulating in the foundation. As long as you have this system installed with your fibreglass pool, you will not have a pooping out experience. There are 3 ways water can accumulate under your pool.

1. You have a high water table on your property.
2. Your neighbour’s pool is leaking water and you are down grade from them.
3. You have a very heavy rain fall, where the water is collecting deeper in the earth than normal rain falls.

In reality, every swimming pool should have a sump system and even more so for a metal liner pool. Without a sump system, the concrete bottom of a liner pool would crack much easier, allowing water to accumulate under causing the liner to float. Then you have the undesirable feel of walking on a waterbed. Fibreglass won’t crack if this occurred because it is so strong...but instead, the hydrostatic pressure could “pop” or lift the shell out of the ground, in absence of the preventative sump system.
Typically, there is no reason to drain or even lower the water in your fibreglass pool; even below the jets to winterise as is necessary with a metal liner pool. With a fibreglass pool, you want to keep as much water inside the pool as it neutralizes against the pressure of the backfill material, outside the pool.
So, when winterizing your fibreglass pool, you don’t need to drain more than a foot of water. This allows room for winter snow and precipitation to accumulate, without overflow. The plumbing lines can be blown out correctly without lowering the water below the jets. This saves you from having to drain and replace the water in the spring.

 

Pool Equipment:

We install Haywood heaters, filters and pumps as they are reliable and have a 5 year warranty. In addition, they are conveniently located in Oakville so any service/warranty issues are expedited locally and quickly. A filter, heater and pump only take up an area of 6ft x 2ft and can be installed on stable 2x2ft patio stones or on a concrete slab.

As a rule of thumb, to minimize your electrical and gas line installation costs; You should install your pool equipment closest to your gas metre, as a gas line install is more expensive than the electrical in most instances. If you were to install your gas heater within 5ft of the gas metre, you can budget from $600 to $800.
Pool equipment is designed to be installed in the open. If you are installing a heater, it needs to be at least 10 ft from an open window. If not, that window has to be screwed shut with labels on the window to pass code. A heater also has to be 4ft from an air conditioner. Your AC will make far more noise than your pump.

If you wanted to enclose your pool equipment...like in a shed or a cabana; it’s not a problem. However, if you are enclosing a heater, you will need a draft hood installed through the ceiling, so this will cost a little more.  Also, If the cabana or shed has wood around the heater; the heater will need to be placed 2 ft away from anything combustible...like wood!

 

Pool Lights:

We install Nexus 12v low voltage multi-colour lights that can be used in your pool or outside your pool to light up your backyard! There are 8 colour modes to select for that “wow” effect, at night!
What’s also nice about our lights is that they don’t need to be taken out to be winterized. So since you don’t have to handle them....the life of your lights will greatly increase. Our lights can also be easily replaced if they were to get damaged...somehow!  One light is installed as standard, but you can opt for more and with a hand-held remote as an upgrade.

 

Cartridge Filters:

We also recommend cartridge filter systems over older technology sand filter systems to manage your pool sanitizing. Sand filters require you to backwash to clean the sand every week, increasing maintenance for you to perform. As well, when you backwash, you drain about half inch of water from your pool that you have to replace, re-heat and re-treat. Cleaning a cartridge filter need only be done once a year and filters last from 5 to 7 years and are not costly to replace, down the road. Not to mention, they do a superior sanitizing job. Sand is passé!

 

 

Pool Decking:

We can install interlocking stones or concrete around your pool.
Interlock stone is more potentially forgiving if repairs need to be done to your pool. Repairs tend to be needed as a result of improper winterizing procedures where leaks can occur in your plumbing. Interlock can be lifted to access down to perform plumbing repairs then the stones can be re-layed. A concrete deck would have to be broken and is much less forgiving if you have to match older concrete.
Three feet is included as standard around your pool in either brushed white concrete or interlocking stone. We can use any interlocking stone brand you desire but our standard is Techo Bloc Blu 60mm. It has 3 interwoven stone sizes and comes in 10 colour options.
A pool finish always looks better with a cantilevered bull nose coping around the edge. So there are several options you can choose. A pool with curves will cost slightly more with this coping over a straight edge pool simply because there are significantly more cuts to be made to each coping stone curving along and with the stones that butt up against the back of the coping stone.

Retainer Walls:

We also install retainer walls. Retainer walls are needed if the finish grade is higher or lower than the decking grade. Either way, there are 4 options to retain a deck, around your pool.

 

Burm Option:

If you have the room or real estate, we can use the soil from the excavation to burm away from the deck while not affecting or altering the grade near the fence or property line. If you have the room, this is the least expensive option to sod over the fill.

Pressure Treated Wood Option:

We can use 6x6 inch pressure treated wood lengths, stacked and pinned, with strappingsupports spaced under the deck. This is the 2nd lease expensive retaining option but the down side is that being wood: it has a life span less than the other options due to the fact that wood rots.

Block wall Option:

We have a variety of shapes, textures and colors of block wall stones that can be installed one on top of each other to erect a wall as high as 9 ft. The average retainer height ranges from 5 inches to 24 inches.

Armorstone  Rock Option:

We can also install large armorstone rocks as a retainer. The average rock size is between 14 to 18 inches in height, about 3 to 4 feet long and 2 to 3 ft wide. These rocks can weigh from 500 to 800 lbs each so require heavy machinery like a skid steer to place. The rocks can be stacked to retain  higher grades. The rocks have a very natural look and can be exposed from the top, for a fossil finish look or where the side and top are exposed. This is the most expensive option and is double the cost of the block stone wall option.

Water Features:

If you would like to incorporate water features: We install, deck jets, water cascades in the pool coping, and waterfalls.
Waterfalls can be made custom from using armorstone rocks to block walls with water cascades. All waterfall features are controlled using a diverter valve to vary the water flow velocity. Our consultants can show you ideas from popular features that we have installed or we can build your dream water feature(s) together.

Winter Covers:

We recommend the “Loop Loc style” winter cover as it prevents anyone or animal from slipping through and submerging into your pool. They can be placed or removed within 10 minutes. This is a great option if you are leaving your pool un-attended for a period of time, during pool season. We offer standard rectangle covers, for all pool shapes: extra at a half price, just because you purchased a pool from us!

Skating on a fibreglass Pool??
Yes. Fibreglass is so strong that you can actually skate on them.

Note: This cannot be done with a Metal wall Vinyl liner pool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You don’t need to drain a fibreglass pool because the walls are so strong and flexible to contract with the expansion of freezing ice. So many clients place 2x6s or sand bags, around the perimeter, to protect skate blades from scratching the pool finish. Simply, remove your pool cover after fall and wait for a solid cold spell. Caution has to be taken to test for ice thickness.