How Is a Fiberglass Pool Removed?
A fiberglass pool is one molded shell, so it comes out by cutting it into sections and hauling the pieces away. There is no shotcrete shell to break into rubble and reuse as fill, so the fill comes in by truck. The demolition permit is the same one a concrete pool needs, and so are the inspections.
How a fiberglass pool is removed
- Site visit and permit. We measure the pool, the deck and the access route, prepare the site plan, file the demolition permit and pay the fee.
- Drain. The pool is pumped out before any demolition starts.
- Equipment and utilities. The pump, filter, heater and other equipment are removed and hauled off. Plumbing, gas and electrical are removed or capped at the source.
- Deck and coping. The concrete deck and coping around the pool are broken out.
- Cut the shell. The fiberglass shell is cut into sections small enough to lift out and load.
- Haul. The sections go off site with the deck concrete and the equipment.
- Backfill and compact. The open excavation is filled 6 to 9 inches at a time, each layer compacted before the next, and leveled with AB.
- Final inspection. We clean up and schedule the final inspection.
What is different from a concrete pool
A concrete pool built with shotcrete has a thick shell. On a partial removal, that shell gets broken up and much of it becomes the first layer of fill. A fiberglass shell is thin and molded, and it does not break into clean rubble that can go back in the hole. So it gets cut out and hauled away instead.
That changes the job in a few ways:
- The fiberglass leaves the site, so the hole is an open excavation once the shell is out
- More of the fill comes in by truck, because there is little or no rubble from the shell to place first
- The haul is lighter than a concrete shell, but cutting the shell into pieces takes its own time
- The concrete deck and coping around the pool still have to be broken out and dealt with like any other deck
Same permit, same inspections
A fiberglass pool is still a pool under the permit rules. The City of Tucson issues a Swimming Pool Demolition permit. Pima County issues a Demo permit for unincorporated areas. Oro Valley, Marana and Sahuarita each issue a demolition permit.
The inspector verifies that the equipment is removed and the utilities are capped. In Oro Valley, the inspection before fill covers the drainage holes or the shell removal, the open excavation and erosion control, and a final inspection confirms the backfill. The detail for each jurisdiction is in our article on pool demolition permits in Pima County.
Building on the spot afterward
Because the shell comes out, the hole left by a fiberglass pool is ready for engineered fill. If you plan to put a casita, a garage, an addition, a ramada, a driveway or a patio slab there, tell us before we start. The fill is then approved engineered fill placed in lifts, with compaction testing by an independent geotechnical firm and a stamped letter at the end. Oro Valley requires a geotechnical report from a licensed engineer whenever the area will support a structure.
What it costs
A fiberglass removal is quoted after a site visit. Pool size, deck area, access for equipment and haul distance move the price. Our pool removal page shows the typical ranges for concrete pools and what goes into every Omni quote.
Get a written quote
Call (520) 222-8503 or send us your address and a photo of the pool. To see what your pool costs you each year until it comes out, use the TerraSpec, the pool removal cost calculator.
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