Because of its durability, stiffness, strength and fire-resistant nature, Fiberglass is a suitable material for pools. However, no matter how good a pooling material is, if the plumber does a lousy job, both the owner and plumber will be at lost. As a plumber, it doesn't pay to be associated with unsatisfactory work. The feeling worsens when you discover what led to the bad job is an avoidable error.
Here are things to note when thinking about your fiberglass pool plumbing:
Choose Rigid PVC Pipes Over the Flexible Ones
The first step in setting up a perfect fiberglass pool is choosing the right pipe. For some people, they go for flexible PVC pipes. Their reasons include:
- Faster and easier to install
- It is better at withstanding external pressure
- It is also better at resisting freezing
However, these reasons are not good enough to ditch rigid PVCs for the flexible ones. These are because the flexible ones have the following disadvantages:
- It is susceptible to termite attack
- It is less resistant to chemical damage
- It's more vulnerable to leakage compared to the rigid pipes.
The rigid PVCs have gone through tests and are trusted solutions. They are the standard before the flexible ones surfaced. They are so durable that they can be in use for over 75 years especially if properly installed.
Get the Rigid PVC pipe bent
If you have decided to use the rigid PVC pipes, then know that you need to heat-bend it to transform it into a temporary, flexible PVC. It becomes less stiff and can bend into any form – this does away with glued fitting (the fewer, the better).
Doing this gives you one of the critical advantages of the flexible pipes over the rigid ones, making you achieve something like a hybrid for the short run.
Use Proper back-fill
If you want to prevent leakage, then you need to choose the best back fill material. While you might think most problems arise majorly from your plumbing works, it is not usually so. In fact, not using and doing proper backfilling could lead to leaking.
Some plumbers make use of sand as back fill material… and it works! However, it is advisable to use gravel as opposed to sand as it does away with over 75% of problems related to back filling. Aside back fill, you should secure the plumbing by tying it up to prevent settlements.
Test the Work for Pressure Issues
It's the little things that matter – everyone is familiar with this saying. However, people usually forget the smaller details and get engulfed by the bigger pictures. One of the testing you must do to make sure your work is devoid of leaking is pressure-testing your work.
Contact a professional pool company to help you with any pool installation, repair or replacement that you may need.
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