Stainless Steel Profiles in Swimming Pool Environments
Stainless steel is the name given to a group of corrosion resistant and high temperature steels. Their resistance to corrosion is due to a chromium-rich oxide film which forms on the surface. When ordinary carbon steel is exposed to rain water, for example, it corrodes forming a brown iron oxide on the surface, commonly called rust. But when enough chromium (more than about 10%) is added to ordinary steel, the oxide on the surface is transformed - it is very thin, virtually invisible and protective in a wide range of corrosive media. This is what we call stainless steel. There is a common misconception that stainless steel is corrosion proof. It is in fact very corrosion resistant. It needs to be cleaned periodically to avoid the buildup of dirt and deposits that can interrupt the chromium-oxide film and make the material much more susceptible to corrosion, particularly in harsh environments. We recommend the installation of stainless steel 316L (1.4404= V4A) in pool environments, h