Salt water pool and fencing options

Jump to latest Follow Reply
C

cudavic

0
Dec 2, 2013
46
I am about to have a fence installed around our newly finished pool and was wondering about steel vs aluminum.
The pool is an in-ground steel walled pool with vinyl liner with and a salt system chlorine generator.

I had three fencing companies come out, two offered either aluminum and powder coated steel ornamental fence.
Two of the three companies recommended the steel vs the aluminum because of its strength.
When I voiced my concern about premature rust because of the salt both said they would not be concerned as the powder coated steel fence was extremely durable.

The fence will need to be installed in the concrete deck, so it will involve core drilling and securing the posts with a non shrink grout.
I was wondering if anyone has had a powder coated fence around their salt pool and how it has held up over time.
The manufacturer of the fence I am considering is the Ameristar, Montage Plus steel residential fence 4' high with a flat top profile.

All feedback is welcome as I do not want to have regrets after spending approximately $6,000.00 on a fence.

Sincerely Vic
 
The coated steel is only as good as the coating. It might be perfect on Day 1....but what about a few years down the road? At my previous residence, I had a saltwater pool with a powder-coated steel fence to keep my toddlers out of the water. Over time, the coating would get nicked: weedwacker, rocks thrown by mower, general wear-n-tear (the fence is outside, after all!). My Polaris cleaner would occasionally squirt water outside my pool and the fence would get sprayed. After a few years, the "nicks" turned to rust. Meanwhile, my aluminum deck furniture was exposed to the saltwater nearly every day. It still looks brand new, even after several years.

Go with aluminum. It will be plenty strong for your needs, and it won't rust. I wish I had.
 
I have a wrought iron fence around my SWG pool which is painted (< $1000). I knew going into it, I would have an annual ritual of rust removal and repainting. Aluminum is not as easy to install since it can't be welded on site. Powder coated steel sounds great, but I'm guessing that's a pretty expensive option. As previous posters have said, once the powder coating cracks or chips it's basically not much better than my wrought iron. That's the reason why I went with wrought iron - yes there's annual maintenance with it, but it's nothing a few cans of Rustoleum can't fix or, if I get really fancy, roll out the sand blaster.

There's no such thing as maintenance-free and often, if you get too fancy, you can make it impossible to maintain yourself.
 
Why are you concerned about the pools water? Do you plan on fencing IN the water?

I would not be concerned about the pool water causing problems as much as your normal environment and weather. Powder coated steel is very good, aluminum is expensive, vinyl can look bad after heat sags it. Lots of things to think about.

And I agree with other posters, there is no such thing as maintenance free.
 
Griswald said:
Why are you concerned about the pools water? Do you plan on fencing IN the water?

I would not be concerned about the pool water causing problems as much as your normal environment and weather. Powder coated steel is very good, aluminum is expensive, vinyl can look bad after heat sags it. Lots of things to think about.

And I agree with other posters, there is no such thing as maintenance free.
Click to expand...

The biggest concern I have about the salt water is that when it is splashed outside of the pool onto the concrete deck it can settle in the cored holes and the steel fence may start rusting prematurely from this area.
Maybe I am a bit to concerned however I believe it is smart to ask the forum for advice and feedback. As far as the aluminum fence it is actually a bit cheaper than the steel and I do not want vinyl.
So it is either steel of aluminum. Thanks for the feedback. Vic
 
Aluminum doesn't do well with salt water corrosion. It tends to pit and can develop a chalky feel. I guess it can be painted but then you're no better off with that than my wrought iron fence. I would be worried about sinking aluminum into concrete directly because aluminum metal is corroded by caustics and cement has lime in it which is highly caustic. I think in order to do aluminum right, you'll need a sleeve for the concrete.

If you want to spend the big bucks, then powder coated steel is certainly the top shelf choice. Crevice corrosion at the point where the steel meets the concrete is always going to be an issue no matter what material you use and regardless of salt water or no salt water. Your pool water is going to have active chlorine in it, that is way more corrosive to metals than chloride from salt. Also with the steel, if the powder coating gets scratched or chip, there's no simple way to fix it. If you put paint over a scratch, the color won't match most likely.

Many factors to consider but you should be thinking long term because you have to live with it and fix it should it need repair.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply