Best Pool for Cold Climates: Fiberglass vs Vinyl vs Concrete in Harsh Winters

If you live in a region where winter temperatures regularly drop below freezing, choosing the right type of swimming pool is more complicated than it might seem.

In northern climates like Wisconsin, frost can reach several feet into the ground, and freeze–thaw cycles can create pressure on pool structures both from the surrounding soil and from the water inside the pool itself.

In this episode of The Pool Guides Podcast, Cristian Shirilla sits down with Michael Bowers of Pool Pros Wisconsin, a builder with nearly 30 years of experience installing pools in one of the coldest parts of the United States.

Together they explore how the three primary pool types — vinyl liner pools, fiberglass pools, and concrete pools — perform when exposed to harsh winter conditions.

Michael shares firsthand insights about frost depth, groundwater pressure, installation best practices, and the winter maintenance steps that can prevent costly damage.

If you're planning a pool in a colder region, this conversation will help you understand what really matters when selecting a pool that can stand up to harsh winters and deep freezes.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• How harsh winters affect swimming pool structures
•  Why frost depth and freeze–thaw cycles matter when installing a pool
•  The pros and cons of vinyl liner pools in colder climates
•  Why fiberglass pools are often well suited for freeze–thaw environments
•  How concrete pools can be engineered to withstand cold climates
•  The role groundwater pressure plays in pool stability
•  The importance of proper installation and drainage
•  Why winter water level management can prevent structural damage

Guest

Michael Bowers
Owner, Pool Pros Wisconsin

Michael Bowers has nearly three decades of experience installing swimming pools in Wisconsin, where deep frost lines and harsh winters create unique challenges for pool construction. His expertise in cold-climate pool installations provides homeowners with practical guidance for choosing the right pool and ensuring long-term durability.

About The Pool Guides Podcast

The Pool Guides Podcast helps homeowners make confident decisions about choosing and installing a swimming pool.

Hosted by Cristian Shirilla of River Pools, each episode features experienced builders and industry professionals sharing real-world knowledge about pool types, costs, installation practices, and backyard planning.

The goal is simple: give homeowners the information they need to make smart decisions before construction ever begins.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Um the biggest thing is water chemistry and then winter. Winter wreaks havoc on on pool liners up here. On average, we get four to six feet of frost in the winter, and then you've got the frozen water on the inside of the pool. So there's a lot of stress on any type of pool, regardless of what it is. So or it's not a matter of if it's gonna leak, it's a matter of when it's gonna leak.

SPEAKER_02 0:26

Hello friends, welcome back to the Pool Guides Podcast. I'm Christian with River Pools, a show that helps you gather all the information to make the best decisions long before you break ground on a swimming pool in your backyard. You might be listening from someplace warm today or watching from someplace warm, and if that's the case, the topic might throw you off because we're actually going to the Midwest for this episode, the North Midwest, where it's pretty dang cold in the wintertime, and the area is known for harsh winters, at least by my standards down here in Virginia. We're talking about frost going four to six feet into the soil, we're talking about heavy freestall cycles, and we're talking about what happens to a swimming pool when there's a lot of ice outside and inside of it during those winter months. Today's guide is Michael Bowers. He's the owner and operator of Pool Pros Wisconsin, and he's got 30 years of industry experience. Today's topic is going to help you make the right decision for the best pool if you live in an area known for having harsh winters. All right, Michael Bowers. Thanks for coming on the show, man. We appreciate you taking some time to uh drop some knowledge on us to be serve as a guide for those who are thinking about having a pool installed in their backyard. How are you?

SPEAKER_01 1:47

I am great. Uh thank you for having me. It's uh it's pretty nice day today. It's actually gonna get up into the upper thirties, so it's warming up. Upper thirties.

SPEAKER_02 1:56

We are reaching the 50s today here in Virginia. Uh and you uh tell tell everybody where you're located because it's relevant to this episode.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

Good old Green Bay, Wisconsin, Tidal Town.

SPEAKER_02 2:07

Yeah, it's cold up there, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 2:09

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 2:10

Typically. Yep. Uh although if if 30 is a heat wave, um, what's your typical temperature up there during the winter?

SPEAKER_01 2:19

Usually probably low this time of year, probably low twenties. Okay. Somewhere right around there. That's cold.

SPEAKER_02 2:27

That's really cold. Big time. Uh well, the reason this is relevant is because we are talking specifically about um pools, the right type of pool uh for for backyards in cold weather climates. And I think I'm gonna just I'm gonna break the ice and and say that um all three types of pools, concrete, vinyl, fiberglass, can function in cold weather climates. But talk us through generally uh considerations, things that people need to know about when choosing a pool in cold climates.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

Uh probably durability is is the biggest um key for up here because it gets so cold. On average we get four to six feet of frost in the winter, and then you've got the frozen water on the inside of the pool. So there's a lot of stress on any type of pool, regardless of what it is. So ideally when you're picking a pool, you're gonna want to find something that is you know more suitable for this climate.

SPEAKER_02 3:22

And and would you say you get four to six feet of frost? Um, are you talking like four to six feet down in the soil? Yeah, four to six feet in the ground. That's unbelievable. We get nothing like that here in Virginia. But what does that do? What does that do to the pool shell itself? Or what what does the pool need to be able to withstand uh specifically around that that kind of frost? I mean, just talk me through that, because again, that's that's different than the soil we have down here in Virginia.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Yeah, it's uh you definitely need a more robust pool when when you're talking up here, you need you need a pool that's built to withstand the frost. Obviously, there's a lot of pressure from outside the pool, and then you have the pressure from inside the pool with the ice freezing and expanding the water freezing and expanding. So you need something that's really going to hold up well, and and but I would say the two pools that hold up the best in this climate, from what I've seen doing this for 29 years, is is concrete and then fiberglass, with fiberglass, in my opinion, being the best.

SPEAKER_02 4:22

Deep freezing can certainly test the durability of any type of swimming pool. But let's gain an understanding of what damage can actually happen if the water level is not right in your pool when the deep freeze happens. And so what what's happening, everybody knows that water freezes, it expands. So you've got outward pressure being applied to the shell. I I assume that's that's part of the issue. Um, and then the same thing, you know, as you're talking about the water freezing on the inside.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

With the freezing water, as it as it freezes, it expands. And if you get that water level too high in the pool, it can actually expand up into like your track channel for an auto cover. If you have coping on the pool, your cantilever concrete, and there's always a potential that that ice, the pressure from the ice building can, if it's the water level is high enough, it can get into that, cause damage to your coping, your cantilever concrete, track channels for your auto cover. So um when we winterize the pool, especially with the fiberglass pool, we don't want to go lower than the bottom of the skimmer, it's just typically recommended by the manufacturer. So the drawback is we usually close pools probably October, November, somewhere right around there, early part of November at the latest. And we lower the water level where we need it to, but it can rain after we're gone, and you can get snow and then it can melt and all that. Usually, if it's like a mesh cover, it trickles back into the pool. It can raise your water level before the pool actually freezes. So by the time your pool is getting ready to freeze, that water level, if it's above your skimmer, it could potentially expand up into you know the the coping or cantilever concrete of your pool and do some damage. So that's a big thing that we always try to hit home with our customers and just remind them that hey, it's things are about to start freezing. Let's peel back your cover and just check that water level and drop a submersible pump in there and get it where you need it, and then maybe check on it again real quick before you know that frost sets in and starts freezing and that water expands.

SPEAKER_02 6:23

So I I want to go into each type of pool here in a second and and talk about pros and cons for each each one in cold climates. But um it sounds like the you know the water level, um, if it goes too high, and regardless of pool type up there, you know, it that you're saying the ice could expand and actually begin to pop up the coping and you have problems um in in a variety of ways. So it's it's important, uh, I would imagine you guys have these conversations with homeowners all the time. Uh as you're choosing the right type of pool for your backyard, you also need to understand how to care for it going into and during the winter months. Um and how often do you see you know damage as a result of winter? Um, and do you see it do you see damage during the winter or do you see it as things begin to thaw in the spring?

SPEAKER_01 7:13

Usually we don't see it until we start opening pools and taking covers off. That's when you start noticing uh any of the damage that's happened. But um as far as what we're seeing as far as damage throughout winter, it's uh it it it really doesn't seem to matter based on the type of pool except for the vinyl pools. Um the big thing with the vinyl pool is the vinyl liner, it's it's pretty soft. If it's a newer one, it can get torn very easily. And when the pool is uh basically thawing, that ice might not thaw out perfectly smooth, perfectly straight. You might get some jagged edges on there, and that ice that's inside the pool can move around and potentially cut that liner. May not be a major cut, it could poke a small pinhole that you might not notice is leaking for a while, but then that pinhole could eventually turn into something else. Water could seep behind the liner, slowly start to rust out the panel. So up here and in the cold, vinyl just don't seem to hold up or are they not really designed to withstand the the climate that we have up here.

SPEAKER_02 8:16

It's just it's it's so melting ice can lead to damages that are unique to vinyl liner pools. But the big thaw in the spring can lead to issues that need to be understood long before construction begins. Before you go into that though, yeah, I w I I do want to sort of add a little more context to your to your bias, right? Yeah. You only install fiberglass, but yeah, just real quickly walk us through you know your experience personally with uh with vinyl and and now and then go into the installation issues that you know typically lead to problems.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

Yeah, well, we've built probably thousands of vinyl pools over the years. Um we started doing it. Well, I started building pools in 97. I started the company in 2003, and even when we were doing above-ground pools, they still have vinyl liners. So we were still seeing the same issues with vinyl lined above-ground pools as you do with the vinyl in-ground pools. The ice can can move around as it's as it's thawing, it can move around inside the pool and do damage to it over the winter. Um, so that's typically the big the big drawback to vinyl in this area. While it usually comes in at a good price point compared to concrete or fiberglass, you know, you you're it always boils down to the liner. It's it's not a matter of when it's gonna leak, it's a matter of, or it's not a matter of if it's gonna leak, it's a matter of when it's gonna leak. So um in this climate, if I weren't a pool builder and I were shopping for a pool, I would probably stay away from a vinyl pool. Um unless you know you're fully aware going into it that there's at risk that you know that vinyl liner could get damaged any year, whether it's the first year or the 20th year that it's installed. There's a lot of different things that can affect the the life of the liner, but um I mean not to get dive too deep. There's gauges and mills and thickness, different thicknesses in certain areas. So there's a lot of little things that go into the the long term or longevity of a of a pool liner, but um the biggest thing is water chemistry and then winter. Winter wreaks havoc on on pool liners up here.

SPEAKER_02 10:25

And that that ice, um uh you you described it earlier when we were chatting, is that as it begins to melt, well, ice doesn't melt perfectly smooth. Um, or at least it it it sometimes it doesn't. Even if you look in like your you know your your glass, your ice water, um, the ice is not melting smoothly. It's got tiny little uh ridges on it, and you're saying it's the movement of that ice within the pool shell that can cause little holes in the in the liner, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:52

Yeah, absolutely. It could be a small pinhole that you might not even see, it could be a large tear. Um and if it's if this time of year, like right now we're getting a bit of a heat wave, it's supposed to be like 40 degrees this weekend, so pools might start thawing out, and what can happen is if that pinhole is is kind of frozen or plugged right now, as it thaws, water can start draining out of it, and then um your liner as as the water empties out of the pool, your liner can start to shrink, and there could be other other issues that may lead to it not being repairable. Whereas if it would have happened, if you would have got like a pinhole in summer, you could maybe put a patch on it or seal it in some manner. But right now is kind of the worst part of the year when everything is just starting to thaw out for the season.

SPEAKER_02 11:36

The problem is uh a little slow rolling um with bigger consequences uh on the back end. So talk about um the installation of a vinyl liner pool. So let's say I'm a homeowner um and um I've got to stick to the lower end of a budget. I just I want something simple in the ground. I'm gonna pick a standard shape. Um I'm going with a vinyl pool. What should I expect my builder to do for um installation best practices so that my pool has the most structural integrity possible?

SPEAKER_01 12:09

Well, the biggest thing is to make sure that there's some way to get groundwater out from under and around the pool. Uh regardless of what pool type it is, concrete, you I mean, no matter what pool is in the ground, you still need some way to get that groundwater out. And with vinyl pools, it's kind of an afterthought with with most bit with most builders. So um, but when we used to build them, we would use an eight-inch standpipe just like on our fiberglass pools, and we'd get that as deep as we can. We'd put stone underneath the bottom of the pool, then we'd put our pool crete over it. So we've got a way to get that groundwater out from underneath the pool and and pump it out come spring. Like right now, we're we're gonna have a thaw probably this weekend, so people really need to get out and start checking their uh standpipes, and and if they need to stick a submersible pump in there, start pumping some of this groundwater out because all this we've got like two feet of snow out here, and it's gonna start melting really quick, and that could fill up that void in the clean stone around a pool, in the ground pool pretty quick. So that's something that you really have to monitor regardless of the pool type in in spring, too. Um but that's something that usually gets overlooked with the vinyl pool. Most most builders just kind of backfill with whatever material they have laying around. They might not use clean stone, they might use sand or whatever dirt that they have left over from the pool dig to fill that in, maybe save a few bucks. Um but that's it's a big oversight.

SPEAKER_02 13:28

I was gonna ask why you think that is. Like, is it and is that a more common oversight with vinyl or fiberglass, or is it just a common oversight for you know builders in general?

SPEAKER_01 13:38

I'd say from what I've seen, it's a bigger oversight with vinyl pools than it is with fiberglass. It's it's pretty common knowledge that you do need some clean stone around that pool. And if a fiberglass builder is not doing that, I mean they probably shouldn't be in business, to be honest. But um, yeah, it's definitely something that's more commonly overlooked with uh a vinyl pool than any other type of pool.

SPEAKER_02 14:00

Okay. And um the the stone backfill versus versus dirt or sand or something else, it's just allowing for that groundwater to move around. But you're saying the most critical piece, um, as with all pool types, is is the the stand pipe or the sump pipe, depending on where you are in the country. It might have a different name, but uh the ability to put a submersible pump um below the bottom of the pool uh in order to you know pump the water out. And what you're doing there is just to tell folks what you're what you're accomplishing by removing that groundwater.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

You're basically removing what's called hydrostatic pressure, and and what that is, it's it's the pressure underneath and around the sides of the pool that really want to push the pool up out of the ground. Um and if you can alleviate that, you know, uh with fiberglass, it's it's pretty simple. Um concrete is a little trickier, vinyl pools it's a little bit trickier too, but overall, basically what you need to do is just get that groundwater away from the pool to prevent that hydrostatic pressure from building up. Um if you don't, you know, we tend to see a lot of people say that fiberglass pools float. Well, yeah, that's possible, but every single type of pool can float. A vinyl liner can float, fiberglass pool can float, and and even uh a concrete pool. We've seen several instances up here where a full you know 18 by 36 concrete pool comes three, four feet out of the ground. So it doesn't matter. Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off.

SPEAKER_02 15:28

No, you're good. I was gonna say, specific to vinyl pools, like what happens if you get too much hydrostatic pressure? Um a fiberglass can pop up and float, a concrete pool can pop up and float. What happens with a vinyl pool if there's too much hydrostatic pressure?

SPEAKER_01 15:41

Um the whole liner can float, it can even come out of the pool. Um sometimes it'll be just as small as like what looks like a blister or like a ball, a bulge on the bottom of the pool floor. Sometimes it's so bad that the whole liner can actually come right up to the surface of the pool. Um in that case, it's usually there's there's a hole in the liner that's allowing the water that was above the liner to kind of seep down and then push everything up. But I mean it's it's it can get pretty bad. Um the good thing is if it's a newer liner and it's still relatively soft, you can possibly pump that groundwater out and reset it without having to be replaced. But oftentimes when it's bad enough, it it can rip out around your skimmer, it can rip out around return fittings. There's there's just so much pressure underneath there that can it can do a lot of damage pretty quick to a vinyl pool.

SPEAKER_02 16:29

Jeez. Um well that's good knowledge. Um, one, backfill with stone, give the water a place to go and the ability to move uh around around the pool. Uh, and then two, uh, you should expect a standpipe or uh a sump pipe to be used so that groundwater uh can be used or removed rather and managed. So by now, no doubt you've picked up on the prevailing preferences for pool types that can better withstand harsh winters. But let's take a look at how fiberglass specifically weathers the cold temperatures. Look, let's talk about fiberglass now. This is your specialty. And um what you know, how how does uh ground frost, uh frozen water, you know, affect the the pool shell itself because it's a one piece that's popped off of a mold uh for those who are listening, and then it's flipped over, and then that becomes the pool. That's what's placed in the ground. So talk about how frost and ice impact the pool shell, and then talk about best practices um you know for for the installation. What should people expect if they're getting a fiberglass pool?

SPEAKER_01 17:40

Well, if it's installed properly, I think fiberglass is the ideal pool for this climate. It's one piece, it's designed to be flexible. You're gonna get a decent amount of movement in it, but if it's installed correctly, you really shouldn't get much movement at all in the pool, regardless of of the climate. Um but like I said, with with the vinyl pools and any type of pool, you need to have some type of clean stone as far as backfill, as far as your base, you need the sunpipe or stand pipe, whatever you want to call it, just to be able to get the groundwater out. And if you have those two key elements, that's 96% of the problem right there. And as long as long as you can uh keep an eye on the groundwater when it comes like spring, like right now, and we're starting to get a thaw, as long as you keep an eye on that and make sure that you pump that groundwater out and the water outside of the pool never exceeds the water that's in the pool, you should be in good shape regardless. Um but to me, fiberglass just makes so much sense. That's why we decided to just strictly build fiberglass pools. It's it's the ideal pool for this climate.

SPEAKER_02 18:41

Okay. And how long have you guys been installing fiberglass exclusively?

SPEAKER_01 18:45

Uh exclusively, probably since 2000. Probably at least seven years. But before that, we were doing vinyl, we were doing basically a little bit of everything. But once we um started selling the river pools uh brand, you guys showed us how you know it makes much more sense to just focus on on one thing and be the very best at that. And and that's the route that we took because we felt that fiberglass pool is just the best option for just about everybody, unless you want something customer, extremely unique that or a shape that is not just not available in fiberglass.

SPEAKER_02 19:21

Yeah. Um, of course, I love fiberglass. Um you know, River is a fiberglass exclusive brand. Um, and many companies find success at uh at finding the one thing to uh to perfect and excel at. So um, yeah, and and just to note, fiberglass pools uh I often hear uh fiberglass is not suited for cold climates. I hear that specifically. Um when in fact they're they're manufactured and they're installed uh much farther north than you, like well into Canada, um fiberglass pools are installed and you know are obviously a viable uh viable product um you know that that far north on the uh North American continent. So let's um so let's let's talk about uh yes, despite the many rumors online about how fiberglass pools perform in cold weather, they can indeed handle cold, harsh environments quite well. But what about concrete? They also can do well in these environments, provided your builder takes a few extra steps. Let's switch gears one more time and let's talk about concrete pools and again how um frost on the ground, uh the water itself freezing, how do those impact the shell? And you know, again, for uh those listening or watching, what uh should they expect their builder to do in terms of best practices during installation so that that pool has structural integrity for as long as possible?

SPEAKER_01 20:56

Well, the first and probably the most important thing with the concrete pool is to have some type of um soil testing done to make sure that the soil in the given area can bear the load of the concrete pool, because concrete pools are much, much heavier than any other type of pool. You've got the weight of the water, and then you've also got a ton of weight in just the concrete of the pool and the steel and everything else that goes into it. So um with a concrete pool, you have to be much more diligent and make sure that the soil can bear the load of the pool itself. Um, when you don't, that's when we tend to see some of the issues of pools kind of moving, you know, because of the frost or settling or something like that, because there is some ground movement, a little bit of ground movement up here in the clay when the frost sets in and stuff like that. If you don't make sure that you have soil testing done so it can bear the load, you might get some movement. And that's typically when we see winter damage from pools where you know a couple steps might have been skipped or missed, you know, missed during the installation process. Um and then also the this the way that the concrete pools are manufactured, you you need a more robust pool shell up here. You need more steel or thicker steel in certain areas than than you might in like say Arizona where you get no frost. It's nice dry soil. Um so everything has to be much more I guess beefed up. I mean it's just gotta be a much more solid pool, thicker bond beam, thicker walls, thicker floor. Everything's just gotta be built, you know, a little bit better to withstand the frost up here with the concrete pool.

SPEAKER_02 22:23

So you should expect uh your your contractor to get um uh do some soil testing. Uh how do you so that that would be one thing. They they're either gonna do that or not, and if they're not, that that could be a red flag. Um but how do you know that they're um you know the average homeowner is not gonna understand you know the size of the rebar or the steel? They're not gonna know how thick the pool should be. But just some tips there. What should people be looking for? Um information from their builder to indicate that they are indeed using the right steel in the right spot, that the pool is being um shot at the correct thickness, or you know, can you can you share anything there? And and and for the sake of uh homeowners who aren't in this day-to-day, we'll we'll keep the terminology pretty simple if you can.

SPEAKER_01 23:10

Yeah, basically each concrete pool should be designed by an engineer um based for the soil conditions, the weather conditions up here. So um when you're looking at different models that are available from a concrete pool builder, ask to see the engineering um diagram with the stamp on it to certify that it's it's designed to structurally with withstand the climate up here. So um that's a big one. A lot of guys don't do it. A lot of guys will just dig a hole and and you know, put your rebar in and rent a concrete pumper and just you know shoot the gun out in there and plaster the pool and be done with it. Those guys are the ones that are gonna run into some issues. And and generally speaking, I would say out of our competitors that do concrete pool, they're all very good at at what they do up here. And and um we rarely see any damage from you know pools moving or stuff like that, uh, it especially the established companies that have been around for a long time. So um but seeing engineer stamps, uh designs from an engineer, and then soil testing is is the other big one too, is if you can get two of those, uh you know, I think you're you're in pretty decent hands for the most part.

SPEAKER_02 24:18

Yeah, it it you know if if your builder is leaning on um you know third-party professionals to verify uh soil type uh and the load the soil can bear, and then also you know, designing the right pool specs for the soil that you have. Um that's really good. That's really good to uh to lean on if if concrete is indeed what you're thinking about in a in a colder climate. With soil testing and an engineered plan, concrete pools are indeed a viable option for an area that experiences harsh winters, especially if your top priority is choosing the pool type that offers the most flexibility when it comes to customizing the shape and size. Before parting, I wanted to offer Michael one last opportunity to share any parting words of wisdom. Are we missing anything? What else would you like to share?

SPEAKER_01 25:14

Um uh definitely visit the River Pools website, watch your videos on YouTube. Uh two minutes in the pool is is priceless. Um, you're pretty fair to all three types of pools across the board. So um I think it's it's something that just about anybody could could get uh some use out of. And it's it's definitely worth spending you know an afternoon watching a bunch of your videos to learn about the differences of the pools and and the different costs and basically anything you can about pools, it's all there. So I would definitely recommend checking that out first. I think as far as durability goes, um with the three different pool types, um, I think we pretty cover pretty much cover everything pretty good. But um just I just want to hit home on vinyl. It's it's I don't want to bash it, but at the same time, people need realistic expectations that um uh vinyl, it's it's probably not the ideal pool for this climate up here. If you're in a southern state or maybe even the southern part of Wisconsin where we don't get as much cold, it may be a better option for you down there. But as far as my experience, they just don't hold up as well as uh fiberglass or or other concrete pools. And part of that could be maintenance, you know, make maintaining the proper water level in the pool, but uh it could also just be a freak, freak thing where the the pool thaws out wrong and you know you get a little bit of damage to the liner, and and there you go. Now you need a whole you know seven to ten thousand dollar liner and and nobody wants that. So um I guess the big thing is just trying to manage people's expectations and making sure that they stay up on their their maintenance and and don't forget about the pool after it's winterized. That's a big thing.

SPEAKER_02 26:51

Yeah. Well, I appreciate the kind words. Um and thank you again for your time. Uh, I know the those listening or those watching will appreciate this, particularly if you're up in a in a colder part of the country, um, as this um this will certainly explain um a lot of things as you're as you're considering a pool for your backyard. If you're beginning to plant a pool for your backyard, head on over to riverpoolsandspas.com, where you can find decision-making tools, including a pricing estimator, and have immediate access to hundreds of articles, everything designed to help you make the right decisions, the best decisions, long before you break ground in your backyard. I'm Christian with River Pools. You've been watching or listening to the Pool Guides Podcast.