Michael Bowers
Nov 23, 20171 min
To get into the durability and longevity of fiberglass pools we have to get into the history of the fiberglass pool itself.
The fiberglass pool as we know it today was invented by George Sullivan founder of San Juan fiberglass Pools in 1957 in Washington State.
The first fiberglass pools where vary basic in design and over time had issues with osmotic blistering due to the use of polyester resins. After advances in resin technology and advent of vinyl ester resins, the fiberglass pool industry slowly began to gain a foothold in the pool industry.
Flash forward 60 years and fiberglass pools are exploding in popularity. The market share has grown from 7% to 18% alone in the last 10 years. This is due to the long standing quality and durability of a fiberglass pool that is manufacturered well and installed well.
In fact San Juan Fiberglass pools, the originator of the fiberglass pool still has pools in the ground that are over 30 years old. This pool in the picture is 37 years old. So when we talk about durability know that quality pools like San Juan Fiberglass Pools are built to last a lifetime.
Most fiberglass pools are built to withstand the pressures of being in the ground, where they may experience ground movement due to frost or expansive type soils like clay. Most fiberglass pools are manufactured to have more flexibility and strenght than that of a concrete pool.
Not all fiberglass pools are created equal however. See our blog comparing the leading brands of fiberglass pools and there ranking.