Quick Answer: A Modpool is a factory-built modular container pool from Abbotsford, BC: six fixed sizes, a fixed 5’2″ depth, a Pentair equipment package, and a single-day crane install. A custom container pool is built locally in Ontario from a 40HC shipping container, with flexible depth, length, and finish. Pick by your top priority: warranty and speed, or depth and design freedom.
In This Guide
- What Is a Modpool, Exactly?
- What Is a Custom Container Pool?
- What Drives the Price of a Container Pool?
- How Big and How Deep Can a Container Pool Be?
- Do Container Pools Rust?
- How Long Does a Container Pool Take to Build?
- Who Fixes It When Something Breaks in Year Three?
- What Should Ontario Buyers Plan For: Fencing and Winter
- The Decision Matrix
- Where Does Van Blanc Fit In?
- FAQs
Reading Time: 13 minutes
What Is a Modpool, Exactly?
A Modpool is a brand-name modular container pool manufactured by Modpools, a company founded by Paul and Denise Rathnam in Abbotsford, British Columbia. A Modpool is a 40-foot or 20-foot high-cube shipping container converted at the factory into a swimming pool: an insulated steel shell, a Pentair pump and heater package, a UV sanitation system, color-changing LED lighting, and a hard cover that doubles as the lid. The pool ships fully assembled. The buyer’s job is site prep and a same-day crane lift, and the pool is filled and running within hours of landing on a properly prepared pad.
Modpool offers six fixed sizes: the 12×8 SwimSpa, the 16×8 Plunge, the 20×8 (their most popular), the 20×12 Wide Body, the 40×8 Lap, and the 40×12 Estate. Every unit is 5 feet 2 inches deep. Every unit ships with the same Pentair MasterTemp heater and IntelliFlo variable-speed pump platform. That is the product: branded, standardized, factory-finished, and delivered as a finished good. It is essentially the iPhone of container pools, with limited options, high consistency, and a fast, polished onboarding.
The honest framing
A Modpool is a vertically integrated factory product. A custom container pool is an Ontario construction project that starts with a container we sell. These are two legitimate paths that serve different buyer priorities, and anyone who tells you one is universally better than the other is selling you something. We sell the base container for the custom path, so we will be plain about where each one wins.
“People call us thinking it’s Modpool versus us, and it really isn’t. We’re the container guys at the front of the chain. We source the right one-trip 40HC and drop it at a pool fabricator’s yard. Whether you go with a factory Modpool or a custom Ontario build, the steel underneath is the same eight-foot box. The decision is about who finishes it and how much you want to customize, not about which company loves you more.”
Christian LeBlanc, second-generation operator, Van Blanc Ent. Inc.
What Is a Custom Container Pool?
A custom container pool is not a product, it is a project. The path runs like this: a buyer sources a shipping container (typically a 40HC, sometimes a 20HC, occasionally a 40 standard for a shallower build), then hires a local Ontario pool fabricator or steel-and-pool contractor to perform the conversion. The contractor cuts the top, welds reinforcing ribs, lines or coats the interior (epoxy, fibreglass, or vinyl liner), installs the pump and heater package, wires it to ESA-certified electrical, plumbs the skimmer and return lines, and finishes the deck or surround the way the buyer wants it. Most buyers start that homework on the grade question, and our breakdown of why a one-trip shell beats a cargo-worthy one for a pool conversion is the place we point them first.
Almost every element of a custom container pool is variable. Depth can run deeper than 5’2″ if the buyer wants a true swim depth; we have seen Ontario builds at 6’6″ and a few at 7′. Width is fixed at 8 feet by the container frame, but length can be 20 feet, 40 feet, or in rare cases two containers welded end-to-end for a longer lap pool. The interior finish is the buyer’s choice. The equipment is whatever the contractor specs (some use Pentair, some Hayward, some Jandy). The hard cover, the heating fuel (natural gas, propane, or an electric heat pump), the sanitation method (UV, salt, or chlorine), the viewing panels, and the deck integration are all flexible.
A custom container pool is the path most Ontario buyers take when they want something specific that the Modpool catalogue does not offer. It is more buyer-driven, more variable in outcome, and more dependent on choosing a good local fabricator. If you are weighing the whole approach against a traditional in-ground pool, our 2026 guide to container swimming pools in Ontario walks through the broader build picture, and the company’s full conversion and modification program at the Brantford yard shows what we finish in-house before a container ever leaves for a fabricator.
What Drives the Price of a Container Pool?
Price is where the conversation usually gets confused, because marketing pages quote starting numbers that hide the real total. Rather than post figures that go stale the week we publish them, here is the honest version: what actually moves the cost on each path, so you know what you are paying for before you ask anyone for a number.
On the Modpool path, the price is driven by the size you pick (the six models scale from the small SwimSpa up to the 40×12 Estate), plus the parts of the job that happen in your backyard rather than at the factory: freight from British Columbia to Ontario, the crane day, the pad (gravel base or engineered slab), the electrical hookup with an ESA connection, the water fill, and any fencing your yard needs. The factory price is only part of the installed total, and the BC-to-Ontario freight is a real line item that a same-province purchase does not carry.
What moves a Modpool’s installed cost
| Cost driver | Why it moves the number |
|---|---|
| Model size (12×8 to 40×12) | More steel, more water volume, larger equipment package. |
| Freight from British Columbia | Long flatbed haul out of BC; rises with distance into Ontario. |
| Crane day and pad prep | Gravel base versus engineered slab; site access for the crane. |
| Electrical and water | ESA-certified hookup plus the fill. |
| Fencing | Perimeter enclosure to meet Ontario pool-safety rules. |
On the custom path, the price is built from a stack of separate choices, which is exactly why it has both a lower floor and a higher ceiling than a Modpool. The base container is the starting point (a one-trip 40HC is the usual choice, and you can see what a new one-trip unit looks like in our yard before committing). After that, the conversion labour, the interior finish, the equipment tier, the ESA electrical, and the site work each add up according to how custom you go. A vinyl liner with a basic pump-and-heater package sits near the floor; a deep-water build with glass viewing panels and a two-container weld sits near the ceiling.
What moves a custom build’s cost
| Line item | What changes the cost |
|---|---|
| Base container (one-trip 20HC or 40HC) | Size and grade; one-trip costs more than used but needs less remediation. |
| Conversion labour | Cutting, reinforcing ribs, lining, and plumbing prep hours. |
| Interior finish | Vinyl liner is cheapest; fibreglass and epoxy cost more and last longer. |
| Equipment package | Pump, heater, sanitation, and filter tier. |
| Electrical with ESA permit | Run length and panel capacity. |
| Site prep, crane, deck | Access, pad type, and how integrated the deck is. |
| Fencing | Yard perimeter to meet Ontario pool-safety rules. |
Where the price gap actually lives
The Modpool premium pays for factory consistency, a single-supplier warranty, a polished install experience, and the cover-and-equipment integration that takes an Ontario custom fabricator longer to engineer. The custom build’s premium at the high end (deep water, two-container welds, glass viewing panels) pays for things Modpool does not sell at any price. The honest part most marketing copy skips: the gap at the mid-spec 20-foot size is smaller than it looks, and the warranty difference is larger than it looks. We will give you a real container number the same day you ask; the rest of the stack comes from your fabricator or from Modpool directly.
How Big and How Deep Can a Container Pool Be?
Container pool dimensions start from the same physical box on both paths, then diverge on depth. Width is identical: every shipping container is 2.44 metres (8 feet) on the exterior, so the finished pool interior is roughly 7’4″ wide once the steel walls and any liner are accounted for. Modpool and any custom Ontario fabricator are bound by that same limit.
Length is also broadly equivalent. Modpool’s 20-foot and 40-foot models map to a 20-foot or 40-foot container respectively. Custom builds can weld two containers end-to-end for an effective lap pool near 78 feet, though that is rare and adds real cost. Depth is where the two paths split meaningfully. A Modpool is fixed at 5 feet 2 inches across all six models, which suits cooling-off swimming, casual play, and aqua-aerobics, but falls short of a “real swim” depth for athletic training and is not built for diving.
A custom container pool can be built deeper, up toward the container’s external height. A 40HC is 9’6″ tall externally, which after structural deck and freeboard yields a practical interior depth around 8 feet 6 inches at maximum. Most custom Ontario builds settle between 5’6″ and 6’6″ for the balance of swim depth, water volume, heating cost, and structural rib spacing. The deepest builds we have seen in Ontario run about 7’2″. If a deeper pool is the whole reason you are reading this, that single fact is your answer: custom is the only path that gets you past 5’2″.
| Spec | Modpool | Custom container pool (Ontario) |
|---|---|---|
| Width (interior) | ~7’4″ | ~7’4″ (same physical limit) |
| Length | 12, 16, 20, 40 ft (fixed) | 20, 40 ft (occasionally 60-80 ft via welded twin) |
| Depth | 5’2″ (fixed) | 4′ to 8’6″ (buyer choice) |
| Wall finish | Factory powder coat + insulation | Buyer choice: epoxy, fibreglass, vinyl liner |
| Viewing window | Not offered | Possible (glass or acrylic panel) |
| Cover | Hard cover, factory-integrated | Variable: hard, mesh, auto-cover, none |
Do Container Pools Rust?
The shell is Corten weathering steel, the same alloy that crosses the Pacific on deck in salt spray, so exterior surface rust is a maintenance item, not a structural threat. The pool water never touches the steel: every serious build isolates it behind a welded liner or a spray-applied membrane, and the chemistry lives in the liner system, not the shell. What actually determines how a container pool ages in Ontario is three things:
- The shell you start from. A new (one-trip) container brings factory paint, tight seams, and zero corrosion history. Starting a pool from a rusty used shell saves money exactly once, then charges interest every season. This is why pool-bound buyers leave our yard with one-trip units.
- The cut edges. Every opening cut for windows, skimmers, and returns exposes raw steel. A fabricator who primes and seals the cuts the day they are made is buying the pool years of life; cuts left bare for later are where the rust photos on the forums come from.
- The waterline detail outside. Splash-out and backfill contact hold moisture against the exterior. A gravel splash strip and a proper exterior coating at grade keep the wet zone honest.
Handled that way, the steel outlasts the pumps, the heater, and usually the family’s interest in cannonballs. Paul’s short version: the shell is the most durable part of the whole system when you start with the right one, and the cheapest place to create a problem when you do not.
How Long Does a Container Pool Take to Build?
Lead time is one of Modpool’s strongest selling points. A Modpool’s factory build runs roughly 8 to 12 weeks from order confirmation, and the freight from Abbotsford to Ontario adds another 7 to 14 days depending on carrier. Once on site with prep complete, the pool is craned into position and filled in a single day. A buyer who orders in February can be swimming by mid-May, with no part of the build happening in their backyard except the pad and the crane.
A custom container pool’s lead time depends entirely on the fabricator. We have worked with Ontario shops that run container pool conversions as their primary business and can deliver a finished pool 3 to 4 weeks after we drop the container at their yard. We have also seen builds stretch to 8 to 12 weeks at fabricators who treat pools as a side project alongside other steel work, plus another 1 to 3 weeks for site prep and final install. Modpool is more predictable because the build happens at a dedicated factory rather than getting slotted into a contractor’s queue; the custom path can be faster if you pick a fabricator with open capacity, but it carries more variance. The container itself is the quick part: from our Brantford yard, the right insulated high-cube shell reaches most of Ontario in 1 to 3 days, with a real lead time, not a hopeful one.
Who Fixes It When Something Breaks in Year Three?
Warranty and service is the quietest factor in this decision and often the most important. A Modpool ships with the Pentair equipment platform, which carries Pentair’s three-year bundle warranty on heater, pump, and filter when installed by a qualified party and registered correctly. The steel pool shell itself carries Modpool’s own warranty (terms current at point of sale, so confirm directly with Modpool). When something fails in year two or three, the buyer makes one call, and Modpool coordinates the fix through their Pentair service network.
A custom container pool’s warranty is fragmented. The pump and heater carry their respective manufacturer warranties (Pentair, Hayward, or Jandy, typically one to three years). The interior liner or coating carries the applicator’s warranty, which varies widely: a quality fibreglass coating may run 10 years, a vinyl liner 5 to 7 years, an epoxy coating 2 to 3 years. The steel shell usually has no warranty beyond the fabricator’s labour guarantee on the conversion. Service responsibility splits across whoever installed what.
The Year-3 reality
The day a pump fails in year three, the Modpool buyer makes one phone call. The custom-pool buyer has to figure out whether the failure is the pump (manufacturer warranty), the wiring (electrician), or the install (original fabricator), then chase each party separately. This is the strongest argument for the Modpool premium that never shows up on a spec sheet.
What Should Ontario Buyers Plan For: Fencing and Winter
Two practical realities face every Ontario container pool buyer regardless of path: a safety enclosure and a Canadian winter. Neither one favours Modpool or custom; they apply equally, so plan for both up front.
The pool enclosure
Any backyard pool deep enough to swim in needs a proper safety enclosure with self-closing, self-latching gates around the deck or yard zone. A container pool is no different, and most Ontario installations add a perimeter fence regardless of how the container walls sit at grade, both for clarity and to keep children away from the deck stairs. Build the enclosure into your budget from day one rather than treating it as an afterthought, because it is one of the line items buyers most often forget to price.
Canadian winter
Both paths winterize the same way. Drain the pump, blow out the lines, lower the water below the skimmer, add pool antifreeze (propylene glycol, never automotive antifreeze) to any plumbing that holds standing water, and close the cover. The insulated container shell helps the water resist freezing through a typical Ontario winter, which is why some owners keep the pool running all winter at hot-tub temperature. That three-season and year-round use is one of the real operational advantages of an insulated steel shell over a fibreglass one. Permits are managed by your municipality, so check with your local building or planning department before you order.
Where Van Blanc has watched Ontario winter realities play out
We have sold one-trip 40HC containers to buyers in Niagara, the Kawarthas, and Muskoka who turned them into custom pools that have now run through four to seven Ontario winters. The shells hold up. The failures we have heard about are almost always equipment-related (a pump that wasn’t fully drained, a heater that froze a coil) or liner-related (a vinyl liner that lifted at a seam). The container itself, properly converted, outlasts most fibreglass shells in our experience.
The Decision Matrix
The decision matrix below is the fastest way to choose. Find your top priority in the left column and lean the way the table points.
| If your top priority is… | Lean toward | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Single-source warranty and easy service in year 3-5 | Modpool | Factory product, one phone number, integrated equipment. |
| Fastest predictable lead time | Modpool | Factory schedule beats Ontario contractor capacity on average. |
| Polished install-day experience | Modpool | Shows up on a flatbed, in the ground by sundown. |
| Deeper water (6 ft+) | Custom | Modpool is fixed at 5’2″. Custom can go to 8’6″. |
| Specific length other than 12, 16, 20, 40 | Custom | Modpool sizes are fixed. Custom can match the yard. |
| Lower floor on total cost | Custom (mid-spec) | A mid-spec 20ft can beat Modpool’s installed-cost floor. |
| Highest possible ceiling (lap, viewing windows, deep) | Custom | Modpool’s range is fixed; custom scales well past it. |
| Buying from a known brand | Modpool | A branded product with reviews and resale recognition. |
| Working with a local Ontario trades network | Custom | The fabricator, the electrician, the deck builder are all local. |
| Wanting a viewing window or glass panel | Custom | Modpool does not offer this feature. |
| Pool-as-spa, year-round hot-tub use | Either works | Both insulate; choose by other priorities. |
Where Does Van Blanc Fit In?
Van Blanc does not fabricate container pools. We sell shipping containers, mostly one-trip 20HC and 40HC units, to local Ontario pool fabricators who do the conversion in their own yards. We have done this with several Ontario pool contractors over the past five years, and if you want to start from the base unit yourself, our in-stock containers ready to leave the Brantford yard are the same shells those fabricators buy.
“People ask why we don’t build the pool ourselves. Honest answer: the conversion work needs a pool guy, not a container guy. A Modpool factory has a whole crew of pool specialists, pump experts, and finish guys in one shop. A good Ontario pool fabricator has the same focused expertise on the conversion side. We’re the container guys. We source the right one-trip 40HC, drop it at the fabricator’s yard, and let the pool people do what they’re good at. We tried being the whole supply chain on a few of these years ago, and we were not the best people for the conversion work. So we stopped pretending we were. We’re useful at the front of the chain, and that’s where we stay.”
Paul LeBlanc, owner, Van Blanc Ent. Inc.
When a buyer calls us about a container pool, our recommendation is honest and direct. If you want a Modpool, contact Modpools in Abbotsford directly, because they make a legitimate product. If you want a custom container pool built locally in Ontario, we will sell you the right base container (typically a one-trip 40HC) and refer you to one of the Ontario pool fabricators we have supplied before. Either way, the goal is that you end up with a pool that works. The 4.9 stars across our 124+ reviews are mostly people we delivered containers to, but a good chunk of them are referrals to fabricators that worked out the way we said they would.
Two Paths, One Honest Recommendation
Both Modpool and the custom container pool path can be the right answer. The Modpool case is strongest when the buyer prioritizes predictable lead time, single-source warranty, and a fast install. The custom case is strongest when the buyer prioritizes depth, dimensions, finish flexibility, viewing windows, or a relationship with local Ontario trades. The price gap is smaller than most marketing copy suggests, and the warranty gap is larger than most marketing copy admits.
What kills both paths is the same thing: a buyer who tries to shortcut the homework. People who skip site prep, choose a fabricator on Facebook because the quote was lower, or buy a Modpool without budgeting for the freight and crane day end up unhappy with whichever path they chose. Plan the fence, prep the pad, and choose your fabricator (or your Modpool size) with eyes open. Both paths work when the buyer does that homework, and both paths disappoint when they don’t.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Modpool actually include?
A Modpool includes the insulated steel container shell, a Pentair pump and heater package, a UV sanitation system, color-changing LED lighting, and a factory-integrated hard cover. It arrives fully assembled in one of six fixed sizes, from the 12×8 SwimSpa to the 40×12 Estate, every one of them 5’2″ deep. The buyer handles the pad, the crane day, the ESA electrical hookup, the water fill, and the yard fencing.
What drives the cost of a custom container pool in Ontario?
A custom container pool’s cost is built from the base container (a one-trip 40HC is the usual choice), the conversion labour, the interior finish (vinyl liner is cheapest, fibreglass and epoxy cost more and last longer), the equipment tier, the ESA electrical, and the site work including the crane and deck. The variance is real: a vinyl-lined 20-foot build with a basic pump sits near the floor, while a deep-water build with glass panels sits near the ceiling. Tell us the size and your postal code and we will quote the container the same day.
Is Modpool better than a custom container pool?
Neither is universally better. Modpool wins on predictable lead time, single-source warranty, and install-day polish. Custom container pools win on depth options, dimension flexibility, finish choice, and the ability to add features Modpool does not sell (deeper water, viewing windows, two-container welds). Choose by your top priority, not by marketing copy.
How deep can a custom container pool be?
A 40HC shipping container is 9’6″ tall externally. After structural deck and freeboard, a custom container pool can practically reach 8’6″ interior depth at maximum. Most Ontario builds settle at 5’6″ to 6’6″ for the balance of swim depth, heating cost, and structural rib spacing. The deepest builds we have seen in Ontario are around 7’2″. Modpool is fixed at 5’2″.
How long does a Modpool take to arrive?
The factory build is 8 to 12 weeks at Modpool’s Abbotsford, BC facility, and freight from BC to Ontario adds another 7 to 14 days. Once on site with pad prep complete, the pool is craned into position and filled in a single day. Order in February, swim by mid-May, is the typical Ontario timeline.
Can a container pool be used year-round in Ontario?
Yes, with proper winterization or with continuous heating. The insulated steel shell helps the water resist freezing when run at hot-tub temperature through winter. Buyers who close the pool for winter drain the pump, blow out the lines, lower the water below the skimmer, add propylene-glycol pool antifreeze to any plumbing that holds standing water, and close the cover. Never use automotive antifreeze; it is toxic.
Does Van Blanc build container pools?
No. We sell shipping containers, mostly one-trip 40HC units, to local Ontario pool fabricators who perform the conversion in their own yards. When a buyer calls us about a custom container pool, we will sell them the right base container and refer them to an Ontario pool fabricator we have supplied before. For a Modpool, contact Modpools in Abbotsford, BC directly.
What container does a custom pool start with?
One-trip 40HC is the most common base because the 9’6″ external height allows for a deeper pool than a standard 8’6″ container. One-trip grade matters here because the shell is essentially new (one ocean crossing, factory paint, no rust), which gives the conversion a clean starting point. Cargo-Worthy and Wind & Watertight grades work for some custom builds but carry cosmetic wear that costs more to remediate.
Is the cheaper container pool on Facebook a scam?
Many people call us saying they can get a bin or a pool conversion cheaper on Facebook Marketplace. Two weeks later they call back saying they got scammed. The pool conversion world has the same scam pattern as the container world: too-good-to-be-true pricing, a deposit required up front, and the supplier going dark after the deposit clears. Pay attention. Use a real fabricator with a real shop you can visit.
Sources
- Modpools. (2026). Shipping Container Pools Canada: Sizes, Equipment Specs. modpools.com/shipping-container-pools-canada
- Modpools. (2026). Specs: Equipment, Heater, Pump, Sanitation. modpools.com/specs
- Pentair. (2026). Pool Product Warranty: Three-Year Bundle on Heater, Pump, Filter. pentair.com warranty
- Electrical Safety Authority. (2026). Hiring a Licensed Electrical Contractor in Ontario. esasafe.com
- International Organization for Standardization. (2022). ISO 6346:2022 (Freight containers: coding, identification and marking). iso.org/standard/82754
Reach Van Blanc in Brantford
We have been supplying shipping containers across Ontario since 1995. Our warehouse is at 90 Morton Avenue East in Brantford, and we deliver right across the province on a cash-on-delivery basis. No surprise fees, no chase-the-paperwork.
Van Blanc Ent. Inc. · 90 Morton Ave E Unit 1B, Brantford, ON N3R 7J7 · 1-888-509-6658 · 519-754-6844
If you are thinking about a custom container pool, come walk the yard and see what a one-trip 40HC actually looks like before you make a decision. We will show you the difference between grades, talk through which Ontario pool fabricators we have worked with, and give you a real lead time on the container, not a hopeful one.
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