Commercial pools work overtime to keep crowds happy, and eventually, time and use take their toll on even the best-maintained facilities. Here’s how long you can expect a pool to last and what to do when it’s removal time.
Commercial pools are built to be tough, but eventually, they all need to be removed or replaced. Long-term wear and tear will break down the shell and other components until your building’s pool is more of a hazard than a hot spot.
A pool’s lifespan depends on how well it’s maintained, but things like cracks, loose tiles, torn liners, and necessary landscaping all increase maintenance costs as the amenity ages. A commercial pool with a concrete shell and an attentive owner could see up to 25 years of use, or even longer if it’s made of fiberglass. (Some optimists say a well-tended fiberglass pool could last an owner’s lifetime.)
Concrete designs typically need resurfacing halfway through their lifespan, but they still don’t usually make it past a quarter-century. Concrete also requires more chemical treatment over the years because the porous surface can trap and grow bacteria, and that contributes to its shorter lifespan. Fiberglass is more flexible, which makes it tougher and able to withstand more internal impact as well as hydrostatic pressure.
How hydrostatic pressure affects a pool’s lifespan
Hydrostatic pressure is an environmental factor that contributes to the wear and tear on a pool in a couple of ways.
First, the everyday weight of the water pushes down on the floor of the pool, adding pressure and strain to its shell. Then, after a heavy rainfall or several accumulative showers, the surrounding earth can absorb that liquid and become denser. This adds mass to the soil, which pushes against the pool shell from the outside with that extra weight.
External hydrostatic pressure adds stress when the pool is full, but even more so when it’s empty and there is no water weight within the shell to push back against that force.
It can seem like the odds are against you. A pool full of water is under stress from the pressure on the inside, but an empty or partially empty pool is being crushed by the fluctuating weight of the soil around it. With the amount of rain we get in New Jersey, the ground can absorb a lot of moisture and lean heavily on your pool walls.
Pool removal won’t leave a hole in your grounds
Pools are an attractive addition to a property, and some property owners may worry that removing one will leave an ugly hole in their landscape. But the space is legally required to be filled in safely, and that usually includes some landscaping that will leave an attractive space where the pool used to be. Your grounds can look even better after removing a pool than they did with one.
Removing and disposing of all the water and waste material from the old pool site must be done to NJ state guidelines to avoid pollution and other risks. Complying with these regulations, as well as ensuring that the hole is safely filled in, is a very important part of the commercial pool removal process.
Is your pool past its best? Costs could start to mount for replacing multiple parts and other repairs. It’s better to commit to professional pool removal before you start to sink in repair expenses or, even worse, litigation from injured swimmers.
Weighing removal costs against legal fees and damages
Commercial property owners may ignore or delay a pool removal because they’re afraid it’s too expensive. Take a moment to consider how much more expensive lawsuits can be if the property owner is deemed legally negligent when the pool causes an injury.
Another thing to consider is just how much of a mess, financial and otherwise, could be made if you attempt to remove the pool yourself or hire someone with less than ideal experience. Severed power lines, gas lines, and fines for working without a permit are all dangerous and draining expenses you want to avoid.
Mikula can provide an estimate for your project with just a little information about your pool. The size of the pool and materials used in it will factor into the cost of any removal job, so it’s a good idea to get an estimate before committing to any plan of action.
Ready for a removal? Let Mikula do it right
We handle pool removal for apartments, senior living communities, and hotels throughout Essex, Hudson, Bergen, Passaic, Morris, and Union Counties. Mikula is a family-run business that puts safety first by training all our team members to be OSHA-compliant. We’re fully licensed throughout the state of New Jersey and take care of all inspections and permits to give our client’s peace of mind.
Mikula Contracting, Inc. provides commercial and residential customers with a wide range of excavation, demolition, environmental, trucking, and soil materials services. For more information, call 973-772-1684 or email or email info@mikulainc.com
