Most people assume that they need an aluminum pool fence because steel will rust and fall apart sooner or have to be painted every year. There was a time when this was true under most circumstances, but these days that doesn’t always have to be the case. There’s plenty of companies making steel fence panels that powder coat their fence panels or use other processes that make the panels easily withstand the elements for more than 20 years. This means you’re no longer stuck with only being able to use aluminum as your fencing material in areas where there’s a lot of moisture in the air.
Owners of saltwater pools are usually the most concerned when it comes to choosing the metal their fence is going to be made out of. There’s no reason for them to be concerned either. The coating on modern-day, steel, fence panels easily hold up when installed next to saltwater pools. They’re used on coastal properties all over the world without any problems. It’s important to keep in mind that I’m referring to steel fences that are made by reputable manufacturers and not panels that someone painted in their backyard with spray paint.
Even after being informed about the latest processes used for coating quality steel fence panels, many people don’t know how they would benefit from having steel rather than aluminum. The biggest advantage steel has over aluminum is strength. Aluminum fences are nowhere near as strong as steel fences of the same size. If an aluminum fence is exposed to much abuse, it’s going to bend and maybe even break. This is something that needs to be taken in to careful consideration before installing one in a location such as a park that’s going to have a lot of people around it. Things such as kids trying to climb it are inevitable.
Another drawback to using aluminum is it requires a special welding machine if you ever need to repair any damage or need any custom work done. Most people don’t know how to weld this type of metal either. This means that repairs and custom work will end up costing you more money. In most cases it’s cheaper to replace damaged sections of fence than it is to have it repaired. Unless it’s severely damaged, steel fencing can often be straightened out and welded where necessary to make minor repairs.
There are some minor drawbacks to using steel also. No matter how good the coating is, just like with an automobile, if you put a scratch in it that goes beyond the paint into the metal, that area will eventually rust. If you happen to get a deep scratch, you shouldn’t be alarmed. All you have to do is get a little paint and touch it up just like you would with a vehicle. You also need to keep in mind that all panels aren’t coated using very good techniques. For this reason, you want to make sure that your steel fencing panels come from a well-known manufacturer with a good reputation. This is very important because there’s a lot of companies that still make panels that rust easily. They all look good new, so you won’t know it until around a year down the road.