Can You Drain a Fiberglass Pool?
If you own a fiberglass swimming pool and are dealing with high calcium hardness, cyanuric acid (CYA), total dissolved solids (TDS), or other water-quality problems, draining and refilling the pool might seem like the obvious solution.
But draining a fiberglass pool requires special consideration.
Unlike simply replacing old water with new water, removing thousands of gallons of water from a fiberglass pool can raise concerns about groundwater, hydrostatic pressure, soil conditions, and the pool shell itself. For fiberglass pool owners in San Antonio, Boerne, and the surrounding Texas Hill Country, there may be a better way to improve the water without completely draining the pool.
Waterman’s Pool Water Purification uses mobile reverse osmosis to treat the water already in your fiberglass pool while keeping the pool filled.
Why Can Draining a Fiberglass Pool Be Risky?
The thousands of gallons of water inside a swimming pool create significant weight. When that water is removed, conditions surrounding the pool become increasingly important.
Groundwater can create hydrostatic pressure beneath and around the pool shell. Expansive soils can add another concern as ground conditions change.
Fiberglass pools require particular care because the water’s weight can cause the shell to shift, move, or develop other problems under certain ground conditions.
This doesn’t mean a fiberglass pool can never be drained. Structural repairs, renovations, or other circumstances may require it. However, draining should be evaluated and performed by qualified pool professionals who understand the pool and local ground conditions.
If the reason you’re considering draining is simply poor water quality, you may have another option.
How to Clean a Fiberglass Pool in San Antonio
If you’re researching how to clean a fiberglass pool in San Antonio, the first step is determining what actually needs to be cleaned.
Routine fiberglass pool cleaning typically includes brushing surfaces, vacuuming, removing debris, cleaning filters, and maintaining proper water chemistry.
But what happens when the water itself is the problem?
Brushing and vacuuming can’t remove excessive calcium hardness, CYA, TDS, phosphates, and other dissolved substances from pool water.
That’s where pool water purification becomes an option.
Cleaning Your Pool vs. Cleaning Your Pool Water
There is an important difference between cleaning a swimming pool and purifying its water.
Traditional pool cleaning addresses dirt, leaves, debris, algae, and surfaces.
Pool water purification addresses what’s dissolved in the water, including elevated:
- Calcium hardness
- Cyanuric acid (CYA)
- Total dissolved solids (TDS)
- Phosphates
- Other dissolved contaminants
If your fiberglass pool is dirty, it needs to be cleaned.
If the water is the problem, the water needs to be treated.
Reverse Osmosis for Fiberglass Pool Water
Waterman’s mobile reverse osmosis process allows us to treat fiberglass pool water without completely draining the pool.
Pool water is circulated through specialized filtration equipment that removes unwanted dissolved material before purified water is returned to the swimming pool.
The process can significantly reduce calcium hardness, CYA, TDS, phosphates, and other contaminants while typically allowing approximately 80% of the existing pool water to be retained.
This can be especially beneficial in the San Antonio area, where source water is naturally hard. Rather than draining a fiberglass pool and replacing all of the water with more hard municipal, well, or trucked water, reverse osmosis improves the quality of the water already in the pool.
Learn more about our Pool Water Purification process.
When Does a Fiberglass Pool Need to Be Drained?
Reverse osmosis isn’t a replacement for draining in every situation.
A fiberglass pool may need to be drained when structural repairs, renovations, or other work requires access to the pool shell. A qualified pool professional should determine when draining is necessary and how it can be done safely based on the specific pool and surrounding conditions.
But if you’re considering draining because of high calcium, CYA, TDS, phosphates, or difficult-to-manage water chemistry, it’s worth exploring water purification first.
Treat Your Fiberglass Pool Water Without Draining It
If your fiberglass pool has water-quality problems, don’t assume that completely draining and refilling it is your only option.
Waterman’s Pool Water Purification helps fiberglass pool owners throughout Boerne, San Antonio, and the surrounding Texas Hill Country improve their pool water using mobile reverse osmosis.
We can evaluate your water chemistry and help determine whether reverse osmosis can restore your pool water while avoiding a complete drain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you completely drain a fiberglass swimming pool?
Fiberglass pools can be drained when necessary, but doing so requires careful consideration of groundwater, hydrostatic pressure, soil conditions, and the pool shell. A qualified pool professional should evaluate the pool before it is completely drained.
Can I lower calcium hardness in a fiberglass pool without draining it?
Yes. Reverse osmosis pool water purification can significantly reduce calcium hardness while allowing the fiberglass pool to remain filled.
How do you clean fiberglass pool water with high CYA?
Traditional brushing and cleaning won’t remove excessive cyanuric acid dissolved in the water. Reverse osmosis can reduce CYA along with calcium hardness, TDS, phosphates, and other dissolved contaminants.
Is reverse osmosis safe for fiberglass pools?
Reverse osmosis treats the pool water while the swimming pool remains filled. This avoids the need to completely empty the fiberglass pool solely to address many common water-quality problems.
Why is reverse osmosis useful for fiberglass pools in San Antonio?
San Antonio-area source water is naturally hard. Reverse osmosis can reduce calcium and other dissolved substances in the existing pool water rather than completely draining the fiberglass pool and replacing it with another source of hard water.
Before You Drain Your Fiberglass Pool, Talk to Waterman’s
High calcium, CYA, TDS, or other water-quality problems don’t automatically mean you need to empty your fiberglass pool. Waterman’s can evaluate your water and determine whether reverse osmosis can restore it while your pool remains filled.
Protect your pool, conserve your water, and find out if purification is the better option before you drain.