Umbrella sleeves in pool vs on decking

[JamieP]

Is it advisable to use a specific kind of umbrella sleeve for inside the pool, i.e., brass vs plastic? I'm planning on using the colored plastic ones for the decking, but wondered if it would be worth upgrading for inside the pool?

Thanks!

 

[gwegan]

I'd stick with plastic in the pool and leave the brass for the deck. The pool is a much harsher environment and may cause the bras to corrode and release metals into your pool like copper and zinc.

 

[JamieP]

Interesting... Thank you. I had assumed I'd want the strength of the brass to protect the plaster, but I didn't think about the affect of the water chemistry on the metal.

 

[flipr]

Our PB used a plastic sleeve. When shopping for umbrellas, we made sure to buy a wooden shaft umbrella to avoid water chemistry conflicts.
Good luck

 

[JamieP]

Have you had any trouble with the wood swelling in the water and getting stuck in the sleeve?

 

[ping]

Our PB used a plastic sleeve. When shopping for umbrellas, we made sure to buy a wooden shaft umbrella to avoid water chemistry conflicts.
Good luck

Watch out using wood in the pool, the wood will swell from absorbing the water and if the fit is close the umbrella shaft will get stuck inside the sleeve.

I use umbrellas that have aluminum poles.

Go with the plastic sleeves.

 

[ummgood]

I think my sleeve is PVC like the return pipes.

 

[JamieP]

These are the cheapest I've found. They come in different colors, I think: AQUA STAR DRAINS | 7" UMBRELLA SLEEVE | TAN | US108

Or these: WATERWAY VOLLEYBALL / UMBRELLA POLE BEIGE (TAN) Part number 540-6709BEIOPT 7270-14


I looked again at the links I'd saved for the metal sleeves and they are actually bronze and not brass, but that probably doesn't make a difference for chemistry concerns. I will probably go with the plastic ones everywhere to save money, except maybe for the volleyball sleeves where the manufacturer may call for a specific metal type. Those will be on the decking though, so not an issue in the water.

 

[QingGuy]

I have 14 of these in my pool/decking (the PVC units) and they're great. We use the metal umbrellas and didn't have any issues this season. One word of warning, after they put the sleeves in be sure to place the insert and cap on immediately, I didn't and next spring I'm going to have quite the mess to clean-up inside each of these.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

It is possible to use brass/bronze sleeves under water (depends on proper alloy selection) but probably not the front-up choice for a pool. Plastic sleeves, even though they probably would not last as long as metal, are more inert and thus a better choice.

As for pole material choice - will this be a salt water pool? If so, then you should not use bare metal poles. If the pole is made out of aluminum, you'll want to ensure it either has an anodized coating on it (nano-scale, porous aluminum oxide coating that is electrochemically formed and can be colored) OR that the aluminum has a high quality powder coating (thermally sprayed oxide coating). Bare aluminum in salt water will corrode over time at the waterline around the pole. Anodizing or powder coating creates a barrier to corrosion. Cheap painted pole coatings will not last more than a season or two.

 

[flipr]

Watch out using wood in the pool, the wood will swell from absorbing the water and if the fit is close the umbrella shaft will get stuck inside the sleeve.

I use umbrellas that have aluminum poles.

Go with the plastic sleeves.

We've not had any issues except that finding a compatible size was rough. We remove the umbrella when done in pool, so it hasn't swelled up enough to matter. Found our umbrella on Lowes website. Our sleeve is PVC and measure a little under 1.75".
Just our scenario, works for us.