Fastener systems for aluminum pool cages

A. Aluminum screws sound best, with galvanized parts insulated from the pool cage and the screws.

A. The use of aluminum screws or proper strength in an aluminum pool cage frame is superior to all other materials if you wish to prevent corrosion. While stainless itself will not corrode, it will cause the aluminum to corrode. Any form of carbon steel screw will deteriorate in the salt air Florida environment and should not even be considered. Dissimilar metals in contact with each other cause a galvanic reaction (like a battery) and corrosion of the less noble metal. If you must use dissimilar materials then isolate them with nylon washers or other electrical barriers and where the screw thread contacts the metal use a product like Tef Gel Tef-Gel [affil links] to minimize conductivity. Again, the corrosion problem is eliminated if the metals are the same so using aluminum screws of the proper strength in an aluminum pool cage is superior to other metals.

A. On your question about the proper fasteners to use on attaching to a pool cage, use the screws in the Aluminum or Soffit/Gutter section that are color coated bronze or white already. They are the original screws used on all cages and weather as well as can be expected in the Florida sun. These screws are called "weatherized" or "ceramic" and are a lot better then the screws used 10 years ago. Keep in mind that nothing is perfect and on average 4 out of 100 of the screws may still show signs of rusting in the next 5 years. There are other places you can get these screws in larger quantities (specialty screw companies). Hardware stores and big box hardware stores sell them in small packages for small jobs. Good Luck.

A. Check out "Blue-Tap" insulated, plastic capped screws.

A. Hi Brian. Screws are cheap, whereas rust-proofing them even temporarily & questionably is a bit labor intensive. And you won't be able to prep them good enough and paint them good enough to offer any substantial corrosion resistance. So, unless there's something really special about the screws, I would suggest replacing them.

But yes, rust converter ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] will work on them and they can be painted white with any paint made for metal. Good luck.

Regards,