We all hear horror stories about fiberglass pools popping out of the ground (especially from our vinyl pool guys), bulging and heaving… what we don’t hear is that for some reason the fiberglass pool was completely drained without a professional. We are attracted to Fiberglass pools because they are the warriors of pools, safest for our pets, easy to maintain, require minimal chemicals and have the lowest lifetime cost to maintain over any other style of pool. However, there is one way fiberglass pools can be weaken and fall short of its warrior status: by draining the pool without professional help. Every year we hear of pool owners (not from our customers) that intentionally drain their fiberglass pools for various reasons. Here are 5 common reasons people think they need to drain their fiberglass pools: Dirty, smelly, frog farm green pool water A novice or un-informed fiberglass pool owner may believe that draining and refilling the pool is the best solution, “cheapest” or the easiest way instead of cleaning the pool manually. It’s a very rare case that a fiberglass pool requires to be drained completely for cleaning. Maybe after a major storm with sewage flooding or other form of natural disaster. Turning your green frog farm pool into a crystal clear oasis can be achieved in a matter of few days with proper chemicals and lots of vacuuming. Someone purchases or moves into a home with a fiberglass pool – Realtors take note! At 3 Day Pools we take the time with proper equipment and pool maintenance orientation after our installs. Also we educate all or customers the importance of proper winterization and weekly pool water testing. After all you did just spend $40,000’s or more on your new fiberglass pool… you wouldn’t drive your car without proper maintenance and service. However, we have had times when someone purchased a home with a pool and drained it especially for the winter season. We now offer all our customers to include a new pool owner orientation in the event they are selling their home. We also have a Realtor referral program that helps educate Realtors on the importance of proper pool care and the do’s and don’ts. A power of sale home that’s been abandoned for years It’s all over social media and prime time TV. Let’s flip that flipper house, while it’s great entertainment but 30 mins is impossible to see what goes on behind the scenes. Renovating a flip house is a major task with a huge investment. Imagine a pool sitting for a few years and the condition of the water, side walls and equipment must be. Starting over is no brainer.. but it’s a huge NO-NO! Hire a professional to help with the process. Adding or changing the sanitization system You might have a chlorine, bromine or salt water system and after some research and the kids complaining of burning eyes or super dry skin after taking a dip. Decide to add or convert to a Ionization system – Great! But you do not need to drain the pool, every system can be converted with the proper water stabilization process without draining the pool. It’s best to do this in the spring before pool opening. Saving a few bucks by winterizing themselves We all dream of a white Christmas, but not too fast need to get that water out of the pool before it freezes. WRONG! Proper winterization includes chemical balancing and shocking the pool for a dormant winter season. Lowering the water below the jet lines and skimmer to prevent lines and equipment to freeze and burst. It’s ok that the water in the pool above the frost line freeze’s it will just expand upwards. So draining the pool completely is not needed, but however certain pool models will need water to be replaced once the winterization is completed for example pools with tanning ledges. Best to hire a pool professional to take care this task.