Rust behind liner question

[ColdBeers]

Hi

New to the forum, looking for some advice how how much (if any) rust is acceptable behind a liner. Have a 12x24, approx 9-10 years old, not sure of the brand. Was planning on changing the liner this spring (as well as re-level 4-5 posts) and decided to inspect behind the liner. Found quite a bit of rust, i'm suspecting from a leak the previous home owners had patched.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

View attachment 75924
View attachment 75925

 

[Casey]

That is a lot of rust. If the whole pool looks like that, it may be a good idea to think about replacing.

 

[ColdBeers]

Yeah starting to think that a new pool might be the answer. Not sure if a wall replacement is an option? Gonna inspect the wall all the way around.

 

[Casey]

If the wall is that bad, the track may be even worse.

 

[PoolguyinCT]

Inground?? If so & the “meat” of panels is still there, that looks like the zinc coating is rusting..

If that’s the case - I’d place a 1/4” or FW wallboard to decouple liner from panel & proceed with liner.

 

[ColdBeers]

It’s above ground. Not sure of brand as the previous home owners had it installed 8-10 years ago.

What would the wall material be aluminum?

 

[PoolguyinCT]

I don’t know much about above ground kits, I don’t want to steer ya wrong buddy..

 

[CJadamec]

The wall in your photo is a steel wall. The only thing that makes that rust color is iron oxide. It was probably galvanized to start out life but the zinc coating has corroded away and you are left with rusting steel.

Corroded zinc/galvanization is a powdery white color not a orange rusty color. When you see orange rust that means the zinc is completely gone from that spot.

Aluminum also oxidizes to a white powdery color you definitely don't have an aluminum wall.

You could try replacing the liner but I wouldn't expect more than 5 years before your wall rusts thru. When you pull the liner you can try painting the wall with a "cold galvanizing paint" which is a paint with a ton of zinc in it to slow down and stop the steel from rusting for a while. That would probably only buy you and year or 3.

If you want your pool to be around for a long time replacing it might be the safer bet.

 

[ColdBeers]

Ok thanks for the info. With young kids we were hoping to get another 10-12 yrs out of this pool so replacement sounds like the better option.

The news pools that say they are resin construction - are the walls of those pools resin also or are all agp’s either steel or aluminum walls?

Thanks again

 

[CJadamec]

The walls of most above ground pools are going to be steel. The more expensive the pool generally the better the corrosion resistant coating will be on the walls. Some will go so far as to have a stainless steel insert where the skimmer and return go thru the wall. That tends to be the area most prone to corrosion.

Pools built completely from aluminum are out there too. Aluminum is generally much less likely to corrode like steel does but it will corrode over time. Sometimes Aluminum can corrode significantly faster than steel when exposed to the right conditions.

I believe radiant metric pools have composite panels but I can't say if they have removed all metal from the wall/frame of their pools.

Most "resin" pools still have a large amount of steel in them. Read carefully about the pool description about what parts of the pool are actually resin.

In general all things being equal the more expensive above ground pools are built with better corrosion resistant features.

 

[PoolguyinCT]

That’s good info.. I should have said the rust means the zinc is gone..

Apparently, you are trained in corrosion.

I have a ? For you..

If rust is just starting on a wall with zinc plate,
Is it true that scraping the area shortens the zinc coatings usefulness?

How best to slow the process? Gently rub & zinc spray? Or???

 

[CJadamec]

I was an engineer on large commercial ships for a number of years, operated a power plant, and now oversee maintenance and testing of a large fleet of cranes. There have been some corrosion issues thru the years.

If you see rust poking thru a galvanized coating the best thing to do is remove any loose rust or scale and apply a cold galvanizing paint. This will help seal the zinc coating on the surface of the steel and replace the zinc that has been lost to corrosion. Galvanizing works by allowing the zinc to corrode before the steel does.

The best way to slow the corrosion is to keep putting zinc back onto the steel much like you change the zinc anodes out on an outboard motor or boat.

Yes if you scrape the zinc or even scratch it you are reducing its effectiveness and the steel underneath will corrode faster.

 

[ColdBeers]

Lots of good info, thanks for the answers