What a great question. Hopefully after reading this there will be no doubt in your mind which is the least expensive to have in your backyard!
There are many reasons why a Fiberglass Pool cost is far less overtime than a gunite pool so I will break them down into sections.
1. Chemical Usage- A Fiberglass Pool’s smooth surface does not allow algae to attach itself to it like the rough surface of a gunite pool. So in a fiberglass pool you can maintain a lower chlorine residual than a gunite pool. This being the case, a gunite pool owner has to run their pump longer, maintain a higher chlorine residual and shock the pool more often to keep algae from growing.
Subsequently, the more chlorine you add to your pool the more you affect the PH of the pool and the more you affect the PH the more chemicals it takes to adjust the PH. The additional chemical costs and time to maintain could add up to as much as $100-$150 per month.
2. If for some reason your pool develops an algae bloom, to a fiberglass pool owner it’s not that big of a deal. Usually one bag of shock and a quick broom of the walls and floor and the next day the algae is dead and can be vacuumed out.
If this happens to a gunite pool the results can be drastic. The plaster surface of a gunite pool is porous and rough so algae can get deep into it. Once the algae is imbedded into the plaster it can be extremely hard or impossible to get out. Hopefully several shock treatments and vigorous brushing of the walls will get rid of it. If not the last option is acid washing.
Acid washing a pool is no small task. It requires draining all of the water out of the pool and manually brushing a toxic mixture of muratic acid and water. Gunite pools usually require an acid washing every two to four years to maintain that new look and remove all of the imbedded algae. Acid washings can cost anywhere from $1,500-$4,000 or more depending on the square footage of your swimming pool.
3. The gel coat surface on Fiberglass Pools are designed to last many years and never need to be acid washed as does a gunite pool.
The plaster on a gunite pool has to be refinished overtime. Several factors dictate how long a plaster finish will last such as acid washing, water chemistry, etc. Every time you acid wash a gunite pool you etch away some of the plaster to remove the algae and grime. This is basically taking the finish off of the pool. At some point the finish needs to be re plastered. Typically re-plastering needs to be done somewhere between 7-10 years or sooner. Re plastering a pool is not cheap and can cost anywhere from $3,000-$7,000 dollars or more.
So using the figures from above let’s take a look at the cost of ownership over a 10 year period between a Fiberglass Pool and a gunite pool.
Wow! That’s almost a $22,000 difference in just the first 10 years alone! So the question of can I afford the cost of a new Fiberglass Pool should be as clear as your new swimmg pool’s water.
Please feel free to contact us at your earliest convenience for a no obligation in home estimate, (586) 871-2586
