Preventing rust / monitoring for rust

[parkca01]

After seeing rust as a common way of pool collapse, how do you monitor for it or prevent it?

General answers are good, but if anyone has specific experience: I have a steel side pool. The installer told me to put topsoil up against the bottom rail to prevent washout, so I’ve done that, but I’m worried about rusting underneath the soil. He told me not to put a tarp between the topsoil and pool as it would actually trap moisture.

so, just wondering overall how to keep on top of this.

 

[kimkats]

I did not allow the dirt to touch my walls. I put white rocks all around the pool. I picked out and hand placed bigger rock around the edge of the pool so they kept the dirt and smaller rocks away from the walls for the very reason you are worried about. I had no rust there. My rust was on the inside of the pool walls where the liner was against the wall. It was in the areas I noticed "sweat" on the outside of the walls. I had NO idea there was any rust until we took the old liner out to replace it. I did try to sand off the rust and spray painted rust inhibitor on it. After about a year the rust got the better of the pool by where the sides of the walls meet and were bolted together and it let go there. My thinking is the paint was scrapped off when the bolts/nuts were tightened down. I think it might have helped to paint over that area right away.

 

[zea3]

You don't want dirt, sand, mulch or anything that absorbs moisture touching the pool walls and rails. I used bricks to surround the base of my pool. Like Kim my rust started higher up on the wall, from the inside. My rust started appearing as small, round "pings" for want of a better word. If you start seeing those, treat them right away.

 

[cj133]

You'll get all kinds of opinions on this and yet they say you can bury many of these pools up to half way or more.

I was told to put a tarp against the pool to protect it, I didn't because I felt it would trap moisture.

I decided there's no easy way to prevent the inevitable other than buying an aluminum pool etc.
The wall is going to rott eventually. Seems like with the cheaper pools if you get 5-10 years consider yourself lucky.

Keep your pool water pH 7.4-7.6 and that's about the best you can do.