We have an umbrella that is aluminum and works just fine. We got it from Overstock.com, it has held up really well for several years. You are right about wood; we made that mistake with our first umbrella!

Aluminum will corrode in a salt solution. In fact, you can put a few pieces of salt on a piece of aluminum foil with moisture and it usually will eat a hole through it in less than a week. But there are different alloys and the react differently.

If wood can swell and get stuck in the sleeve and Aluminum can carrode in the salt water solution, what material do you reccomend for the umbrella pole and where can I find it.

Our local pool store has a pole made of a resin, which will not corrode. I imagine that there are fiberglass poles out there too. The resin is a very dense type of plastic.

ncrealestateguy,

Do you know the brand of the umbrella with a resin pole?

I did find one company that makes some umbrellas with fiberglass poles. The company is called Tuuci. Their DuraTeak model has a fiberglass pole: www.tuuci.com/collection_durateak.html. From what I can find on the web, it's extremly expensive.

Their Pagota Model also can come with a fiberglass pole. http://www.tuuci.com/collection_dtpagoda.html.

Only $1850! http://www.conranusa.com/ProductDetails.aspx?cid=OLUmbrellasParasols&language=en-US&pid=22531

You might also be able to just clear coat epoxy your wooden pole....thus making it water proof.

My wood umbrella has worked fine for 7 years but it just broke and the base is stuck in the hole. And recommendations on how to get it out? Drain the pool down and drill it?

Just drill the wood out. Use a slightly smaller drill bit than the hole. You can use extensions, or drain the pool a little. After you drill it you can use chisel to break it up and pull it out in pieces.