I guess I didn't realize that rocks and dirt have been covering 2 sections of my wall about 2-3 inches up. The track is resin thankfully but after I dug it out there is 'bubbling' at the bottom of the wall. It's probably been like this for maybe 2-3 seasons. I guess I didn't realize it would cause potential rust issues. Does anyone think the wall is in danger of rusting and or collapsing? How bad is this. My pool is about 7 feet from my house and basement so very concerned about a potential pool wall failure. Any thoughts and opinions would be welcome.....
Oops, rocks and dirt covered part of my wall bottom and I have bubbling
- Thread starter richierich
- Start date
Is that a plastic coating on the wall? What’s the wall made of? It can only be rust if it’s a steel wall.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 13,783
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
You can choose to watch & wait or sand it down & paint it now.
If you’re certain that you don’t have a leak & that the water wasn’t coming from within removing the dirt & taking care of it now should slow the progression. It doesn’t look terrible. Be sure to mitigate any drainage that is going to that area as well incase that is part of the cause.
The steel walls & coatings of today are simply not the steel walls & coatings of yesteryear. That has become very obvious over the years. People used to bury their steel walled pool & have no issue for 15-20 years. The newer ones last maybe 1/2 that long if buried in any way.
If you’re certain that you don’t have a leak & that the water wasn’t coming from within removing the dirt & taking care of it now should slow the progression. It doesn’t look terrible. Be sure to mitigate any drainage that is going to that area as well incase that is part of the cause.
The steel walls & coatings of today are simply not the steel walls & coatings of yesteryear. That has become very obvious over the years. People used to bury their steel walled pool & have no issue for 15-20 years. The newer ones last maybe 1/2 that long if buried in any way.
If I sand down the bubbles then what do I paint it with? In your best guess would you think this wall would fail anytime soon?
This is the pool 15'x52" Saltwater 5000 Round Above Ground Pool
This is what it says about the wall below
- 52" High Wall finished with Duratex 2000 anticorrosion paint protects against humidity and chemicals
VinnyinNJ
Bronze Supporter
- Jul 20, 2022
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- 13500
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- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
Our last pool had rocks all around the perimeter since we were told by the pool store that rocks are ok but not dirt. It lasted 20 years and the reason we got rid of it was the liner ripped, we took the liner out and saw all the rust around the bottom and it was missing the bottom track.
I would think with it being only 2 or 3 years you may be OK. I probably would clean up the area, if any rust, clean that up, if there's rust that can't be removed hit that with rust converter and then paint the area. But you need to keep an eye on it going forward.
Our new pool is similar where we have a resin bottom track and we were happily doing the same as we did in the past, putting down rocks around the bottom and New Dude said get that away from the pool wall so I'm doing so! I had no clue that rocks would do that...
I would think with it being only 2 or 3 years you may be OK. I probably would clean up the area, if any rust, clean that up, if there's rust that can't be removed hit that with rust converter and then paint the area. But you need to keep an eye on it going forward.
Our new pool is similar where we have a resin bottom track and we were happily doing the same as we did in the past, putting down rocks around the bottom and New Dude said get that away from the pool wall so I'm doing so! I had no clue that rocks would do that...
Thanks - yeah I moved everything away. Can you detail how to 'clean up' and 'paint' that area? It's not rusting yet? Just bubbling, which I don't know what that means if thats better or worse than rust?
- Jun 1, 2018
- 13,783
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Its bubbling because there’s rust under the coating.
Sand it down, use rust converter, then paint with rustoleum.
Sand it down, use rust converter, then paint with rustoleum.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 13,783
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
VinnyinNJ
Bronze Supporter
- Jul 20, 2022
- 815
- Pool Size
- 13500
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
I saw YouTube videos of people working on their cars and they applied rust converter to the rust, it turned it black and then they painted the area to cover it up. I'm not a car guy but thought it was interesting.
I would use something to flake off the bubbling, if there's rust, get rid of it, if there are areas that will gouge out the area (I don't think there will be) use the rust converter then paint with metal outdoor paint. I would not paint with spray paint if it's really windy and I would cover everywhere you don't want overspray. More light coats are better than one heavy coat. Just be aware that that area may not take too well because of the plastic pool wall coating around the repaired area.
I would use something to flake off the bubbling, if there's rust, get rid of it, if there are areas that will gouge out the area (I don't think there will be) use the rust converter then paint with metal outdoor paint. I would not paint with spray paint if it's really windy and I would cover everywhere you don't want overspray. More light coats are better than one heavy coat. Just be aware that that area may not take too well because of the plastic pool wall coating around the repaired area.
I was reading an article about pool wall blistering and maybe it has to do with the painting on the wall getting wet?
How bad do you think that is, is it in danger of bursting?
6 years old. So take like a sanding bar and sand out all the blisters....... then spray it with rustoleum rust converter spray...... then paint it with rustoleum protective enamel paint? Are those the correct products.?
How bad do you think that is, is it in danger of bursting?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,964
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Brush the rusting areas with a stiff metal brush. Don't sand off all the rust to get shiny metal. You need rust on the surface for rust converter to work and create a chemical barrier with the rust to stop it. You just want to get the loose rust and dirt off.
The instructions proabaly say to wait 4 hours between coats and put two coats on. Then wait at laset 4 hours and paint the black surface any color with Rustoleum.
The instructions proabaly say to wait 4 hours between coats and put two coats on. Then wait at laset 4 hours and paint the black surface any color with Rustoleum.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,964
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Depends how deep the rusting is and how thin the pool wall now is.
Poke at it and see how it springs back versus another area.
VinnyinNJ
Bronze Supporter
- Jul 20, 2022
- 815
- Pool Size
- 13500
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- Vinyl
- Chlorine
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- SWG Type
- Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
I would probably use a plastic scraping blade first to get the bubbling off, then sand paper for the rust.
I don't know if rustoleum has a rust converter, the stuff I saw was kind of paint on with a brush. But basically you have the idea.
I would say there's a good chance it will be surface rust if any. If it is just surface rust then it shouldn't burst.
I don't know if rustoleum has a rust converter, the stuff I saw was kind of paint on with a brush. But basically you have the idea.
I would say there's a good chance it will be surface rust if any. If it is just surface rust then it shouldn't burst.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,964
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I have used this...
www.loctiteproducts.com
www.loctiteproducts.com
www.popularmechanics.com
Rust Converter Spray, Extend Rust Neutralizer from Loctite Adhesives
Converting light rust to a paintable surface. Use on railings, mailboxes posts & more.
www.loctiteproducts.com
Rust neutralizer renews rusted metal
Rust neutralizer is the solution for renewing metal surfaces. It’s easy to use and less messy than you might imagine. Get the facts here.
www.loctiteproducts.com
Use These Products to Keep Rust at Bay Throughout Your Home
Stop this stubborn nuisance in its tracks before it’s too late.
www.popularmechanics.com
VinnyinNJ
Bronze Supporter
- Jul 20, 2022
- 815
- Pool Size
- 13500
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
What ajw22 said is correct, the rust converter doesn't work without rust so if there's shiny metal under the bubbles no need to use it.
You should be able to tell the difference between surface vs bad rust. Poking it should give you a good idea, just remember there's vinyl on the other side of that metal.
You should be able to tell the difference between surface vs bad rust. Poking it should give you a good idea, just remember there's vinyl on the other side of that metal.
I have off from work tomorrow and will take a look at the bubbling and scrape it to see the extent, if any of the rust. I will report back
Hi All - So pic #1 is me scraping off the bubbling. I guess it was just the paint because as you can see there's no rust behind it just metal. So that's a good thing I guess. Still nervous though. Pic# 2 has rust but this is where there wasn't any bubbling. Would you guys consider this a small amount of rust and that the pool is safe to swim in? Should I use the rust converter spray then paint with rustoleum? This rust won't come off when sanding, not sure what that means...
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VinnyinNJ
Bronze Supporter
- Jul 20, 2022
- 815
- Pool Size
- 13500
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
It appears to be just surface rust. Did you try picking at it with a screwdriver just to see it's integrity?
Although I am not recommending using a pool with structural integrity issues, my last pool had a lot of rust on the walls and the bottom track was gone from rusting out completely and we had no issues. We also had no clue but once found we took the pool down.
As far as painting I would think if that is just surface rust then roughing up the plastic coating a little will help the paint adhere to the pool wall. Again, use more light coats than 1 heavy coat.
Although I am not recommending using a pool with structural integrity issues, my last pool had a lot of rust on the walls and the bottom track was gone from rusting out completely and we had no issues. We also had no clue but once found we took the pool down.
As far as painting I would think if that is just surface rust then roughing up the plastic coating a little will help the paint adhere to the pool wall. Again, use more light coats than 1 heavy coat.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 13,783
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
It looks very safe & sound to me - that’s my unprofessional opinion of course.
You’re doing the right thing by taking steps now to prevent it from getting worse. Do as @VinnyinNJ suggested.
You’re doing the right thing by taking steps now to prevent it from getting worse. Do as @VinnyinNJ suggested.
hwy17
Well-known member
Sanding and painting etc. seems a bit futile to me I would assume if the problem is on the outside it's on the inside too.
I wouldn't think it's close to a strucutural concern if it was my pool. Keep it uncovered so it's got ventilation and it's probably ok for 5-10 years.
I wouldn't think it's close to a strucutural concern if it was my pool. Keep it uncovered so it's got ventilation and it's probably ok for 5-10 years.