The other day I had a customer, with newly installed TMI equipment, call me. He was told by a representative of a pool service company that you do not want stainless steel anything in a saltwater pool. I was like, wow, there are still people out there that are misinformed. I explained to the customer that there are literally thousands, if not millions of salt water pools around the world, with stainless steel railings, gutters, light fixtures, etc. and they seem to have absolutely no issues in regards to corrosion. I pointed out that the reason high-performance boat propellers are made of stainless steel is because stainless steel is highly resistant to corrosion and the salinity of sea water is much much higher than that of a saltwater pool. The grade of the stainless steel and whether or not it is coated can also be a factor. I also explained that it’s not uncommon for a traditionally chlorinated pool to have a salinity that is high enough to run a chlorine generator, as all chlorine is made from salt.
Our customer’s response was I did not know that. I added that generally corrosion is caused by stray current, high chloramines and/or poor ventilation within the pump room and/or pool area. A good practice regardless of any of these issues and regardless of what method is utilized to sanitize a pool, is to wash off the stainless steel that is exposed within the pool area itself with fresh water once or twice a week. This practice helps in keeping those chemical elements that can cause corrosion from building up on a pools stainless steel railings and gutter systems.
For more information about stainless steel in an aquatic environment click here.