Rust on Ultra Frame after 2 months :(

[twiser]

It was a great summer and kids enjoyed our 12'x36" intex ultra frame pool. This weekend I drained and took it down to find this:

We are talking about pool that went up in the middle of June, and used during this hot Jersey summer and not too much rain. That doesn't sound/look right, t-joints are the worst but all other tubing has rust inside as well. Should I call and complain to Intex? Obviously, Target (where I purchased it) will not take it back. Is this something to expect, even with "ultra frame"? What do you think?

 

[1380ken]

I think that it just luck. I just took down my pool this weekend and there is no rust at all. Yours does not look so bad. Some naval jelly and paint should do the trick.

 

[PAGirl]

Making me nervous about taking mine down and what I'll find! Is it the whole way thru or just surface?

 

[twiser]

Just surface, but still this ain't right. From the other thread reply, sounds like Intex doesn't really give a cr@p about this, but will see. I will continue pinging them... At the same time, the price we pay for these pools is dirt cheap - so you get what you paid for. I just saw Target discounted all of their online stock at half off ($199 for 16'x48" ultra frame - insane price!).

 

[linen]

Did you intentionally put salt in your water (as you would if you had a Saltwater Chlorine Generator)?

 

[twiser]

Sorry, not quite sure about salt comment. This is a very small 2k gallon pool, and I'm just using whatever tiny filter pump it came with, running it 4hr a day and cleaning filter every week. Nothing more or less. Saltwater Chlorine generator would probably cost me 2x as much as I paid for the entire pool new BTW, been checking water every day with strips (and drop test occasionally) and once a week took water samples to a local pool store (Central Jersey Pools - one of the largest suppliers in the area) for a computerized readouts of water to get it treated exactly. The only chemicals I used were to balance alkalinity, ph, and chlorine according to the amount they told me from readout. Everything was done by the book…

 

[UltraIntex]

There is another thread on here somewhere with similar pictures of some Intex poles.
It seems that some people get a bad batch (poor quality steel or poor powder coating) and they rust like crazy and others (most people), don't.
The frame has a warranty and you should claim on it without hesitation. Don't put up with any nonsense excuses.
Check to see if the retailer has responsibility for products being fit for the purpose
under your local consumer laws, or if you will have to deal with Intex directly under their warranty. Either way you should be covered.
Good luck

PS: Intex supply some of their Ultra pools with salt water chlorinators so these poles are expected by Intex, to stand up to salt water.
PPS: That isnt just "surface rust" as the surface should be covered in powder coated paint. If these poles have corroded in the way that they have in just a few months
then next season they may corrode even more rapidly and deeply and so causing a potential pool collapse. You really dont want to risk them getting like this:
rusted-intex-frame-t31542.html?hilit=intex%20rust
which could happen next season by the looks of the way yours are heading.

 

[weaselman]

Took down my 15x42 ultra frame pool down this weekend. My rust wasn't has bad as your pictures. I had a few vertical supports where the hard black plastic (foot support) begin to rust inside the pools. Probably caused from water sitting in the plastic foot support. My plan of action is to treat any rust with POR15 and then top coat with rust oleum white paint.