The Rio by Sun Pools is a medium fiberglass pool that Sun Pools calls a “popular design,” one that “features a roomy interior, built-in swim out seat, and a large seating area.” It is 14′ x 28′ with a depth of 3′ to 6′. Sun Pools also writes that “The Rio is used with elevation changes, spillover spa and water features with the center shapes,” which tells you how the company sees this model: as the centerpiece of a designed backyard, not just a hole filled with water. This is the pool for the Northeast Ohio homeowner with a sloping lot, a picture of falling water, or a crowd that would rather sit and talk than swim laps.
Rio Sun Pool
A Roomy Interior With Seating Built In
What Is the Rio Pool?
The Rio is a fiberglass pool offered in one size: 14′ x 28′ with a depth of 3′ to 6′. Sun Pools lists these as approximate maximum available dimensions and groups the Rio with its Medium Pools.
Two ideas shape it. The first is seating. Sun Pools lists a built-in swim out seat and a large seating area alongside a roomy interior, so the Rio is set up for people who like to be in the water without swimming the whole time. The second is design. Sun Pools presents the Rio as a model used with elevation changes, spillover spas, and water features, which makes it a natural candidate for a yard that is not flat or a plan that includes more than the pool. Underfoot is Sun Pools’ comfortable non-skid bottom, and the shell is fabricated with the company’s critical point lamination system, which Sun Pools says delivers “the toughest pools on the market.”
What the Rio Pool Is Not
The Rio is not a pool that comes with a spa. Sun Pools lists a roomy interior, a built-in swim out seat, and a large seating area as its features, and describes spillover spas and water features as things the Rio is used with. A spillover spa is a design element we plan with you, not something the model page lists as included.
It is also not the only Sun Pools shell at 14′ x 28′. The Jamaica matches it in size and in its 3′ to 6′ depth, and Sun Pools describes the Jamaica as a traditional kidney-shaped pool with side steps. What sets the Rio apart is the seating Sun lists for it and its design role. And it is not a long or deep pool. The Costa Rica adds 3 feet of length at 14′ x 31′, and the Havana, at 16′ x 40′ with a depth of 3′ to 8′, offers deeper water.
Why Sun Pools?
Sun Pools is an American manufacturer that has produced hand crafted pools from American made composite materials since 1995. The company builds its shells in Albany, Kentucky, at a plant it describes as an EPA approved Title V facility, and it serves Ohio among other states. Sun Pools says the experience of its staff makes for one of the toughest composite pools on the market today.
For a pool that may sit among grade changes and water features, a few details of the build matter:
- Critical point lamination: Sun Pools fabricates the Rio with hand cut sheet fabric placed across the shell from side to side, a process it compares to high end yacht construction, rather than bulk glass run end to end or sprayed chop glass.
- Structure built into the shell: A modified epoxy skin-coat resin finishes the Rio, backed by structural ribs and a reinforced coping, and Sun Pools says the shell supports itself without a spreader bar or belly band.
- Marine-grade materials: Sun Pools uses high grade marine FRP resin products with no resin fillers and offers 4 solid marine color finishes instead of a clear coat that can yellow or fog.
The floor and steps of Sun Pools shells carry a non-skid textured bottom, which counts on a pool where people are always moving between the swimming water and the seats.
Why Fiberglass, and Why the Rio?
Sun Pools makes the fiberglass case plainly. Its shells are built in the factory and arrive finished, saving weeks of construction time. The surface will not need replacement like a vinyl liner or acid washing and re-coating like concrete. And the smooth interior won’t snag your swimsuit or skin and requires minimum chemical treatment.
The Rio’s own argument is that it is built to be designed around. Plenty of Northeast Ohio yards slope toward a ravine, a creek, or the neighbor’s lot, and a flat-yard pool plan does not suit them. Sun Pools names elevation changes, spillover spas, and water features as the settings the Rio is used with, and that gives you and your designer a starting point for terraces, raised walls, or the sound of water spilling back into the pool. Inside, the built-in swim out seat and large seating area keep the social side of the pool front and center. We help you decide which of those design elements belong in your backyard and plan them together from the start.
Ready to Design Your Backyard Around the Rio?
A Rio project usually involves more than a pool, which is exactly why working with one team matters. Ohio Paradise Pools is a family-owned, full-service pool company with over 32 years of Northeast Ohio projects behind it. We carry the whole job from design through excavation, shell installation, plumbing, electrical, and decking, and we coordinate the pieces that make a designed backyard work. Along the way, FaceTime check-ins let you watch the build take shape.
At the end, pool school brings us back for two hands-on visits to teach filtration, water chemistry, and your seasonal routine, so you can enjoy the Rio instead of worrying about it.
Call us today at (440) 610-5484 or schedule a free consultation to start planning your Rio pool installation in Edison Park and the surrounding Ohio communities.
Available Sizes
Size: 14′ x 28′ | Depth: 3′ to 6′
Sun Pools lists these as approximate maximum available dimensions.
Rio Pool FAQs
What seating does the Rio include?
Sun Pools lists two seating features on the Rio: a built-in swim out seat and a large seating area. The swim out seat is a place to sit down in the water, and the large seating area gives a group room to gather. Together they make the Rio a pool for conversation as much as for swimming, and a comfortable place for parents to sit close while keeping an eye on the kids. The step and seating layout is confirmed from Sun Pools’ drawings during your consultation.
What does “used with elevation changes, spillover spa and water features” mean?
The full sentence on Sun Pools’ model page reads, “The Rio is used with elevation changes, spillover spa and water features with the center shapes.” In other words, Sun Pools presents the Rio as a shell that works in designs with a change in grade, a spillover spa, or water features, each planned around your yard. Ohio Paradise Pools reviews your yard and your goals, then confirms with Sun Pools which of these elements fit your Rio before anything is drawn up.
Is the Rio a good fit for a sloped yard?
It is a strong Sun Pools model to start with if your lot has grade to it, since Sun Pools specifically describes the Rio as used with elevation changes. Whether a particular slope works depends on your site, your soil, and your permits, so we evaluate the yard in person. From there, we can talk through terraces, retaining walls, and where a spillover spa or water feature might sit.
How does the Rio compare with the Jamaica?
They share the same listed size and depth: 14′ x 28′ with a depth of 3′ to 6′, and both appear among Sun Pools’ Medium Pools. The difference is in the descriptions. Sun Pools calls the Jamaica a traditional kidney-shaped pool with side steps and a roomy interior with a bunch of play space. It describes the Rio as having a roomy interior, a built-in swim out seat, and a large seating area, used with elevation changes, spillover spas, and water features. Pick the Jamaica for a classic kidney shape. Pick the Rio for seating and a design-driven backyard.
How deep is the Rio, and can I get an automatic cover?
Sun Pools lists the Rio at 3′ to 6′ and invites you to “play all day” on its non-skid bottom. How the floor transitions between those depths is shown on Sun Pools’ drawings, which we go over with you. Sun Pools does not list automatic cover compatibility on the Rio model page, so Ohio Paradise Pools confirms cover options during design. As with any pool, adult supervision is the rule whenever children are in the water.
How long does it take to install a Rio pool?
For the pool itself, most installations take approximately 2 to 3 weeks from excavation through shell placement, plumbing, electrical, and initial finishing, because the Rio arrives as a single finished shell. Permitting, site access, weather, and your decking scope all shape the schedule, and design elements such as grade changes or a spa add planning of their own. Ohio Paradise Pools manages the project from start to finish with regular updates and FaceTime walk-throughs, then closes with two pool school visits.
What warranty does the Rio pool carry?
Sun Pools stands behind the Rio shell with a Lifetime Structural Pool Shell Warranty, and the interior surface is warranted for 3 years. Within the first 36 months, the warranty is transferable. The Sun Pools Inc. Shell Warranty Certificate delivered with each pool sets the limits, and the warranty requires registration with Sun Pools’ corporate office. For local support, Ohio Paradise Pools brings over 32 years in business, a BBB A+ rating, and three straight years, 2022, 2023, and 2024, as Cleveland’s swimming pool contractor of the year.
What does day-to-day maintenance look like for a Rio pool?
The fiberglass does a lot of the work. Sun Pools says the smooth interior requires minimum chemical treatment, with no liner to wear out and no concrete surface to acid wash. Your routine is testing the water, running the filter, and skimming what blows in. Water features and lighting add a little to that list, and Sun Pools offers brand-wide options such as built in waterfalls, color underwater lighting, and waterline tile trim. We confirm which of those suit your Rio and show you how to care for them at pool school.
Call Ohio Paradise Pools at (440) 610-5484 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation. Serving Edison Park and communities throughout Northeast Ohio.