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A fiberglass pool lasts up to 30 to 50 years with proper maintenance. For the longest possible lifespan, keep your pool water pH as close to seven as possible. Test your water levels regularly, run your pool filter daily, and avoid draining the pool. Once your pool is 20 to 30 years old, you can prolong the lifespan by refinishing the shell.

No, shock and chlorine are not the same thing, though they are related and both are used for pool maintenance. Regular chlorine, often in the form of tablets, is a sanitizer used for routine, day-to-day maintenance to keep a steady chlorine level. Pool shock, however, is a highly concentrated dose of chlorine used periodically for a more intense cleaning. It rapidly raises chlorine levels to fix issues like cloudy water or algae growth and also eliminates chloramines, which are byproducts of regular chlorination. Because their purposes and concentrations differ, they are not interchangeable, and proper pool care typically requires using both.

The generator in your saltwater pool conversion kit transforms sodium chloride—the same salt as table salt—into chlorine. A process called electrolysis sends electricity through the water to interact with the chlorine ion. This ultimately creates the chlorine that keeps your pool safe and clean. The cell in your saltwater chlorine generator is the part that converts the salt into chlorine.

It depends. Your pool might need chlorine every day if the water is exposed to direct sunlight and you use your pool frequently. UV light and constant use will deplete chlorine levels more rapidly. Test your water regularly to see where your levels sit and adjust accordingly. Generally speaking, most homeowners need to add chlorine following a water chemical test about one to three times per week.