Resin Pools vs. The Sun

[brightdog]

Hi All,

Looking to purchase a 24' Round Above Ground Pool here in Massachusetts. Trying to decide whether it makes sense to go with a primarily Resin pool, or to stick with a conventional Steel model. The Two that I'm looking at are the Sharkline Matrix (Resin) and the Sharkline Oceanic (Steel). They're both the same price at my local dealer.

I found an article in your FAQ section that discussed Resin vs. Aluminum vs. Steel and there good points made both for and against Resin. Unfortunately the most recent post in that thread is from 2006 and I'm wondering if there have been any changes in the way that the Resin is made that would be important to consider. And since this is my first post, I'm not allowed to do any searching yet so can't tell if there have been other thread discussing these points already.

My two biggest concerns with Resin would be their Strength and Resistance to the Sun's UV rays.

For the Strength point, I read several posts in the FAQ suggesting that the Resin Top Rails are very strong, and possible even stronger than the Steel ones. So perhaps this really isn't something to be concerned with at all?

The issue that I'm more concerned about is how well the Resin material will handle the Sun's UV rays. I'm worried that Resin surface will start to get Flaky/Chalky after a few years.

I'm not sure when Resin Pools were first introduced so curious if anyone out there that's had a Resin pool for a long time (like at least 10 years) and how its fared against the Sun.

Appreciate any thoughts/feedback.

thanks,
-Brightdog

[Watermom]

Hi, Brightdog, and welcome to the forum! Use the Google search in my signature below instead of the search feature that is part of the forum software as it will do a much better job for you. Until your registration is complete you'll have to log out to be able to see the search results. Only a temporary nuisance, though. Once your a full-fledged member, you'll be able to see everything on the forum!

Hope you find something that will help you!

[PoolDoc]

"Resin" is just a marketing term for plastic. Plastics vary widely in composition, even within the same chemical family. That is, there are MANY 'flavors' of PVC, or polyethylene. Only your pool's maker knows the makeup of the "resin" in their top rails, especially since it might have changed from 2011 to 2012!

So, the only people who could actually answer your question are the people who mold the rails. But, even they would probably NOT consider getting

Flaky/Chalky after a few years.

a failure, so if that's a primary concern, you might want to look at other products.