Rusted Pool Parts

by Amy Meiers
(Beloit, WI 53511)

My husband and I purchased a nice 18' x 52" Jacuzzi pool from some people about an hour and a half away. Upon initial inspection, the pool looked awesome. So we bought it. While we were tearing it down it became obvious that at least 1/2 the pool had been back filled by the company that installed it.

After washing all the mud off everything we found that almost every bottom plate is rusted, and about 6" of each upright is rusted from the bottom up sporadically, and some are rusted all the way thru. A few areas of the wall were rusted as well.

Now spring is coming and I am getting anxious because I am not sure what to do. I realize the wall we can put metal on it to strengthen it, and we planned on using the pool coving.

Is there anything we can do to make it possible to use this pool? Could we flip the uprights over so the bad part is at the top? Could we use the top plates on the bottom and construct something else for use as the top plates?

I already have purchased naval jelly and some spray paint to fix the rusted areas. Is there any way of reconstructing the uprights? My husband will not allow the purchase of another used pool, as we really cannot afford it, and he is upset and feels we got taken on this one.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am willing to try anything, even if it would mean backfilling it again after construction to allow for additional support.

Thank you very much.

Hi Amy.

Hopefully all is not lost. When repairing a wall be sure to reinforce it from the inside. Flat aluminum flashing works best for this and duct tape holds it in place just fine.

If the top and bottom plates are the same, some pools are and some aren't, they could be switched. The uprights could also be reversed, but you probably would not want to do that. Most metal fabricating shops can bend a piece of metal to work for the top plates. I have seen this done and it worked fine. The uprights can also be reinforced with pieces of flat metal, held in place with screws or rivets.

Keep in mind that if your pool is round and level you could fill it up without any top rails or uprights. They add very little value structurally so modifying them is not a big deal.

Repairing a rusty pool can be somewhat of a pain, but it's probably well worth your time. Back filling dirt around the pool is a very good way to give it some more added strength.