Rusting screw

shaggss · Oct 25, 2015

There is a rusting screw on top of the gate valve of my skimmer. It is out of the water. I contacted the skimmer maker and he likened it to GFO which makes sense to me?!

Is it ok to leave or should I remove it?

Thanks to all in advance.

Oscaror · Oct 25, 2015

Well if it's out of the water it should be fine, but I'm no expert on rust

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 25, 2015

If it gets wet and water runs back into the skimmer, that's not necessarily OK.

I would not equate it to GFO. Screws are never made from pure iron as GFO is. Often they are zinc plated (bad), or are brass (very bad).

What does the screw look like and is it apparently corroding?

shaggss · Oct 25, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
If it gets wet and water runs back into the skimmer, that's not necessarily OK.

I would not equate it to GFO. Screws are never made from pure iron as GFO is. Often they are zinc plated (bad), or are brass (very bad).

What does the screw look like and is it apparently corroding?

Thanks for the replies. It is a brown colour and has rust on it. Ill take a photo tomorrow.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 25, 2015

Do you know if it was brown when you first got it?

shaggss · Oct 25, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Do you know if it was brown when you first got it?

Yes it was

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 25, 2015

A screw that is brown before corrosion sounds like it may be brass.

If it is possible to replace it with a nylon or other plastic screw or part (or 316 stainless steel), I'd do that unless it is always high and dry.

shaggss · Oct 25, 2015

Here is some pictures.

Thank you!

Lenny_S · Oct 25, 2015

The black corrosion looks like a galvanic corrosion. That can only happen from 2 different metals. My money would be on that being a zinc coated steel screw. Especially since zinc is one of the most common coating for screws.

AllSignsPointToFish · Oct 25, 2015

Just replace it with a quality stainless steel screw from the local hardware store. Take the screw in with you, and they should be able to help you properly size it since the bottom threads still look to be in good shape.