Esther Williams wall decay?

[Opus4]

I joined here when we had our 15x30 Esther Williams above ground pool put in back in 2009 and learned how to manage the pool from reading a lot of articles around here. Haven't really had any issues until now.

After removing the liner to have it replaced, the 4 central support straps were found to be completely corroded and in need or replacement. That sounds doable (by someone I'll be hiring, not by me), but then the wall condition has me more concerned.

The walls are vertical aluminum slats and most, if not all, have some degree of corrosion towards the bottom. There are holes all the way through in places; I've seen a couple dime sized or larger.

The repair guy says he can put in new straps, line the interior with foam & cover above hole-height with sand, replace the liner, and it should be good enough for several more years. But, if there are already holes near the bottom of some of the slats, is this even worth bothering with, or is it pretty much ready for metal recycling?

 

[Mdragger88]

Some of those pools have a lifetime warranty- I think perhaps Wilbar took over some of the lines, not sure if they offer warranty support for them though. Worth looking into. What you’re describing (holes in the walls) sounds unsafe & I wouldn’t proceed with your “repair guy’s” plan. The panels need to be replaced.

 

[Opus4]

I wasn't comfortable with any of those holes either - will check on warranty, but I doubt there will be any with the company changes, etc. I'll continue inspecting the slats and the metal rail that sits under them. If that is all corroded too, I doubt it would be worth even changing slats.

 

[Casey]

Pictures are worth a 1000 words.

 

[Opus4]

Since I don't want to write that much, I took some photos. Is there something about our dirt? I didn't think the liner was leaking, but maybe there were lots of micro holes seeping chlorinated water onto the aluminum?

The pic with the strap shows it completely corroded. All the straps are like that.

Most of the larger holes are below the dirt, but there are lots of smaller ones above ground level, close to the ground where you can see the corrosion spots. The guy looking at it the other day didn't want to pick at it and make the holes larger, but that makes no sense to me. If the metal falls apart with a little pressure, it ain't going to hold very well under a new liner.

The good part is, not all the slats have holes, but I haven't counted them to see if it is feasible to replace only those with holes. I'm also not sure how corroded the bottom channel is.

 

[Opus4]

One of the inside pics (middle one?) shows the pool looking a little sad-faced.

 

[Opus4]

I talked to the place where we bought it & they commented that they don't usually see damage like this until after 20-25 years, not 14.

 

[hwy17]

That's unfortunate. I would risk it and put that back together if it was my pool. But that's acknowledging that there's a risk there.

I would guess that the liner would be more likely to bulge through the corrode part and pop a major leak, rather than tear the whole wall open.

Edit: Actually if it was my pool I would see if I could flip every corroded panel upside down, so the corrosion's at the top. The bottom of the wall bears the most force.

 

[Mdragger88]

That's unfortunate. I would risk it and put that back together if it was my pool. But that's acknowledging that there's a risk there.

I would guess that the liner would be more likely to bulge through the corrode part and pop a major leak, rather than tear the whole wall open.

Edit: Actually if it was my pool I would see if I could flip every corroded panel upside down, so the corrosion's at the top. The bottom of the wall bears the most force.

Once full, The water in that pool weighs over 100,000 pounds- it’s definitely enough force to tear the wall open & cause damage to people & property very quickly. Ignoring the holes is a disaster waiting to happen. Not to sure if flipping the panels over is possible or not but it may compromise the way the liner goes on. The ones with corrosion should be replaced. Those esther williams pools often use a special kind of liner along with a proprietary bead receiver. What $$ is saved in parts/replacement will likely be spent in labor trying to save this pool.

 

[Mdragger88]

I talked to the place where we bought it & they commented that they don't usually see damage like this until after 20-25 years, not 14.

What did they say about your lifetime warranty?

 

[Opus4]

The company that bought the rest of the Esther Williams business only bought the production side, and there is no warranty on older products.

The panels cannot be inverted. Even if they could be, then the liner bead rail would be sitting on top of non-existent slat tops.

I'm looking into whether additional slats are available, cost, etc. I really don't want to put a new liner on top of these holes, so depending on cost to replace slats, we may just consider getting rid of it. The kids are grown and out of the house, so it isn't getting as much use as it once did anyway.

 

[Mdragger88]

I understand, hopefully you can find the parts & they’re not crazy expensive. If not & you decide you want to replace the whole thing replacement isn’t too complicated since the ground is basically prepped for you. If you decide to go that route many here have had good experiences with the pool factory, they have reasonable prices.

 

[hwy17]

Once full, The water in that pool weighs over 100,000 pounds- it’s definitely enough force to tear the wall open & cause damage to people & property very quickly.

Water is heavy but a 4ft water column only exerts .14 psi at the bottom. That's only in the range of a couple hundred PSI of tension on the wall and that's why even rusted out pools don't usually tear the wall open.

But that is the ultimate risk of course and should be considered.

 

[Mdragger88]

Water is heavy but a 4ft water column only exerts .14 psi at the bottom. That's only in the range of a couple hundred PSI of tension on the wall and that's why even rusted out pools don't usually tear the wall open.

But that is the ultimate risk of course and should be considered.

RIP Rusty Vogue Pool

I'm writing this post to document the demise of my AGP in August 2017. I noticed the rust when the pool was 6 years old, and it failed 5 years later. My Vogue pool was installed in 2006. This photo is a couple of years later, but notice how straight the fence on the side is at this time. The...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Opus4]

I think the aluminum slats on this pool are less likely to fail that way, but I still don't want to take the chance. For one, I would be afraid it would break where the pics are and go directly towards a basement window.

Edit: well, unless someone knows more about this type of pool and can say that I'm worried about almost nothing.

 

[Opus4]

Well, the amount of money it would cost to buy all the needed new slats, plus replace the straps across the middle, plus the fact that whatever is in the dirt means it will all corrode again within several years means we're done with the pool and will probably try to find a new home for the decking around it, plus any other parts we might have. The company that bought the parts-making equipment from the now-defunct Esther Williams pool company does not make the decking & walkway around the pool, but all the rest is the same, so maybe someone near us will want it. Who knows. I bought this one because it was supposed to last a long time, but something in our location does not like aluminum.

We may replace the pool area with a flower garden, large pergola, seating, etc. Or, I hear Intex pools are so cheap, we could buy a new one every year, throw it away at the end of the summer, and still come out ahead vs trying to repair this one.

I haven't posted a huge amount here over the years, but would like to say: Thanks for the information I found here, which helped manage the pool while it lasted!

Also: I'm not sure, but it might have been this place where I heard about a Big Steel Keg grill, a metal kamado style grill instead of a Big Green Egg. We still have that and enjoy grilling on it from time to time.

 

[Mdragger88]

Sorry about your pool
There’s people on here who keep their intex pools up year round for several years. I did before I got a bigger permanent above ground.
Someone just the other day had a 10yr old one!

 

[atrus5]

Well, the amount of money it would cost to buy all the needed new slats, plus replace the straps across the middle, plus the fact that whatever is in the dirt means it will all corrode again within several years means we're done with the pool and will probably try to find a new home for the decking around it, plus any other parts we might have. The company that bought the parts-making equipment from the now-defunct Esther Williams pool company does not make the decking & walkway around the pool, but all the rest is the same, so maybe someone near us will want it. Who knows. I bought this one because it was supposed to last a long time, but something in our location does not like aluminum.

We may replace the pool area with a flower garden, large pergola, seating, etc. Or, I hear Intex pools are so cheap, we could buy a new one every year, throw it away at the end of the summer, and still come out ahead vs trying to repair this one.

I haven't posted a huge amount here over the years, but would like to say: Thanks for the information I found here, which helped manage the pool while it lasted!

Also: I'm not sure, but it might have been this place where I heard about a Big Steel Keg grill, a metal kamado style grill instead of a Big Green Egg. We still have that and enjoy grilling on it from time to time.

Sorry to hear about your pool. I'm about to renovate a 15x30 Esther WIlliams pool. I hope I don't have any surprises awaiting me under the liner.

Have you decided what you are doing with your deck and walkway? My wife and I might enjoy a trip to the east coast.

 

[Opus4]

Sorry to hear about your pool. I'm about to renovate a 15x30 Esther WIlliams pool. I hope I don't have any surprises awaiting me under the liner.

Have you decided what you are doing with your deck and walkway? My wife and I might enjoy a trip to the east coast.

From talking to local places still selling this type of pool, it sounds like my situation is fairly unusual, so no real idea why the aluminum decayed so much. Hopefully, you don't have the same problem.

If you do need parts, try googling "teddy Bear Pools" - they are in MA and sell parts for Esther Williams pools, since the new company still makes them exactly the same. Their prioces were at least lower than the local stores, including after adding shipping. I don't think anyone has the straps, though, so if those are bad, I was told you'll need to find a local metal fabricator to make them.

I'm probably going to try to sell the surrounding decking. I doubt you're serious about coming to NJ for that -- it's a bit of disassembly and a LOT of metal to move. I keep meaning to send pics to the pool installer because they said they sometimes get asked about it.

 

[atrus5]

From talking to local places still selling this type of pool, it sounds like my situation is fairly unusual, so no real idea why the aluminum decayed so much. Hopefully, you don't have the same problem.

If you do need parts, try googling "teddy Bear Pools" - they are in MA and sell parts for Esther Williams pools, since the new company still makes them exactly the same. Their prioces were at least lower than the local stores, including after adding shipping. I don't think anyone has the straps, though, so if those are bad, I was told you'll need to find a local metal fabricator to make them.

I'm probably going to try to sell the surrounding decking. I doubt you're serious about coming to NJ for that -- it's a bit of disassembly and a LOT of metal to move. I keep meaning to send pics to the pool installer because they said they sometimes get asked about it.

Actually I would seriously consider it depending on how much you want and what shape it is in. I am planning a wood deck but considering the price of materials and the time to build I'm wondering if the drive might be the better value for time and money.

Thanks for the Teddy Bear info. I was aware of them and have a shopping cart with some parts in it right now. I'm waiting for an email from them on a few clarifications - you cannot reach the above ground parts department by phone unfortunately. I am in pool mode right now and that is why I came across your post.

I'll start a direct conversation with you to provide my contact information in case you are interested in discussing further. Please let me know if you do not receive it since I am new to this forum.