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Best plating for swimming pool skimmer lids

I've got a high end job where I'd like to use skimmer lids (see www.skimmerlid.com) that are made out of metal rather than plastic. Ideally they would match the rest of the hardware such as handrails which are all stainless steel. The lids come standard in Bronze and Aluminum. The vendor is also willing to supply in 304L stainless but they are almost three times the price.

I'm considering a satin finish chrome plating over the aluminum but don't know if this will provide sufficient resistance to either the low level Chlorine in the pool water or the possibility of a more concentrated splash from someone spilling the liquid (essentially bleach) while dosing the pool.

It's not clear to me which of the plating systems might be best, zincate coating, or Atotech's Alstan followed by copper-nickel-chrome plate vs electroless nickel-nickel-chrome instead.

Besides chlorine the other issue to consider is abrasion as the lid is removed and replaced into the ring.

Any suggestions at to whether to go with plated Aluminum (or Bronze) vs springing for the stainless would be much appreciated.

Steven Edelman
Engineer - Portland, Oregon, USA
April 19, 2011

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Hi, Steven.

If you want to go with the aluminum based on price, I'd zincate and electroless nickel plate it. If the price is not prohibitive, and you want it plated, I'd go with the bronze followed by nickel-chrome plating; it will be easier to reliably electroplate than the aluminum, and will hold up better in the long run.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
April 20, 2011