Will a salt system for above ground pools rust the top rails?

Answer 1

You answer in short is YES! I have been in the pool business for almost 5 years now. Salt systems became popular in the in ground pool scene because chlorine is very time consuming. Salt systems actually work great on in ground pools because most in grounds do not have any metal framing. When I get a customer looking at our above ground pools I love to use this analogy: Would you ever buy a car from Montana, New York, Michigan, etc? The answer is no. The reason is the salt they use to melt the extreme amounts of snow rust out vehicles. I actually sold a 1992 Toyota pickup once on EBay. I live in Texas and a guy from New York came down to buy it for just the frame. His was so rusted out, he needed a replacement frame. So with a 24ft round pool you will have to start by adding about 400lbs of salt to your pool. Well what happens when all that salty water is splashed out and runs down your pool wall? Your answer is rust.... and rust at a much faster rate plain water its self. Just google "Salt Metal Rust" and you will get something like this: The corrosion of metal indicates a chemical change in the metal. Rust (hydrous oxide) is an example of this change that results when metal is exposed to water or damp air. A thin film of oxide forms on the metal; this actually protects the metal from further corrosion by slowing the rate of oxidation. Where salt is present, electrochemical corrosion occurs, and the protective oxide film does not form, thus the corrosion (buildup of rust) continues unchecked. Your metal will indeed rust more quickly and severely in salt water.