Liner Replacement, Rusty Walls and Rip Out SWG???

[bcobb]

24,000 gallon in-ground pool, 11 years old. Just had the liner replaced. My liner guy (who frequents TFP and will probably see this, hey Mike!) has replaced 100's of liners and is very, very adamant that I rip the SWG out of my pool and use something, anything else. He says that salt-water pool wall damage during liner replacements are usually way worse that non-salt. I really don't want to rip out my SWG as we love it! From what I've read on TFP, it appears that the salinity levels in a SWG pool are extremely low and won't corrode metal if you keep your pool balanced, which I do. I try to keep my PH between 7.4 and 7.8. It's never lower, but sometimes I've caught it up over 8.

So I guess my question is....is there any truth to a SWG corroding pool walls? I'd love to hear from people with a lot of personal experience and/or the science behind it. Would also love to see some wall pics from non-SWG pools during liner replacements (kinda like pool porn). Attached are pics of my pool walls. Thanks in advance TFP'ers!
-Bryan

 

[johnnydot]

24,000 gallon in-ground pool, 11 years old. Just had the liner replaced. My liner guy (who frequents TFP and will probably see this, hey Mike!) has replaced 100's of liners and is very, very adamant that I rip the SWG out of my pool and use something, anything else. He says that salt-water pool wall damage during liner replacements are usually way worse that non-salt. I really don't want to rip out my SWG as we love it! From what I've read on TFP, it appears that the salinity levels in a SWG pool are extremely low and won't corrode metal if you keep your pool balanced, which I do. I try to keep my PH between 7.4 and 7.8. It's never lower, but sometimes I've caught it up over 8.

So I guess my question is....is there any truth to a SWG corroding pool walls? I'd love to hear from people with a lot of personal experience and/or the science behind it. Would also love to see some wall pics from non-SWG pools during liner replacements (kinda like pool porn). Attached are pics of my pool walls. Thanks in advance TFP'ers!
-Bryan

I'm no expert but in order for steel to rust , it has to be exposed to water whether it be saltwater or plain water and apparently with no anti-rust coating. Either your liner walls were porous or the water was coming from the earth outside the walls. The ppm salt level in a salt pool is roughly about 3200ppm or so. The ocean is around 40,000ppm.

 

[bcobb]

I'm no expert but in order for steel to rust , it has to be exposed to water whether it be saltwater or plain water and apparently with no anti-rust coating. Either your liner walls were porous or the water was coming from the earth outside the walls. The ppm salt level in a salt pool is roughly about 3200ppm or so. The ocean is around 40,000ppm.

Correct, 3,000ppm for an SWG pool, 35,000ppm for ocean, 100ppm for tap water. So definitely *some* salinity. I also somewhat agree with you on it being run-off vs. pool water. Maybe someone can enlighten me on how my pool water can get behind my liner and in contact with all of my steel walls?

 

[johnnydot]

Original liner defective and porous?

 

[bcobb]

Original liner defective and porous?

Not to the extent of the rust on every single wall panel. There was definitely a leak somewhere because we were losing about an inch per day, but I searched all over my pool for the leak(s) and never found any. It was also only leaking water for a very short period of time. So possible? Yes, but I wouldn't have thought it would cause the wide-spread rust that we found. Do liners get porous? If mine was, you couldn't tell.

 

[Newdude]

The rust would typically be somewhat localized with a leak, say, to the whole area around a skimmer.

You're rusted all the way around. It could just be age on a 30 year old pool, or it could be drainage / ground water table issues. Or you had several leaks, like the exposed part of the liner above water was brittle and cracked in many spots.

However it happened, it wasn't overnight, and it had zero to do with the SWG.

This is likely your last liner, FYI. I'll hope and root and send well wishes, but be mentally prepared for that.

 

[bcobb]

The rust would typically be somewhat localized with a leak, say, to the whole area around a skimmer.

You're rusted all the way around. It could just be age on a 30 year old pool, or it could be drainage / ground water table issues. Or you had several leaks, like the exposed part of the liner above water was brittle and cracked in many spots.

However it happened, it wasn't overnight, and it had zero to do with the SWG.

This is likely your last liner, FYI. I'll hope and root and send well wishes, but be mentally prepared for that.

Thanks Newdude, my pool is only 11 years old, but I am hoping this will be MY last liner, but not the next owner of our home!