The house I purchased came with an above ground pool and what appear to be a nice set of portable plastic steps for entering and exiting the pool. I found out that that the steps had holes in the side rails and the rails were full of sand and algae. I'm not sure if these steps are suppose to have holes or if the previous owner drilled the holes in. Having holes in the sides seems like poor design since it would let the water sit in the rails and grow algae. This is my first summer with a pool and I'm wondering if it is normal to have holes in the side rails of portable steps or if I should use some silicone and plug the holes... or perhaps replace the steps which I'd prefer not to.