Some of the worst calls we get are always right before championship meets. “The timing system is glitching…” And nine times out of ten, when we arrive, we find the same culprit: corroded deck plates. Years ago, a decision was made to find a better solution than constantly replacing stainless steel components that simply weren’t designed for life on a wet pool deck. Colorado’s titanium deck plates were that answer. They have revolutionized how timing systems perform in competitive pools. Why? While stainless steel puts up a decent fight against chlorine, titanium actually thrives in these harsh conditions. When exposed to pool chemicals, titanium forms a microscopic oxide layer that strengthens with each splash. It’s lighter than steel but just as strong, making installation easier while ensuring these connection points will likely outlast every other component in your timing system.</p>
But after we’ve installed the new titanium deck plates, a new popular question arose:
Why Do Banana Plugs Break Off in Titanium Deck Plates?
We’ve been getting this question a lot lately from swim coaches and facility managers. Let me break down what’s happening with those frustrating broken banana plugs.
Here’s the irony – your premium titanium deck plates are doing exactly what they should (resisting corrosion), but this creates an unexpected issue with your banana plugs. Since titanium and copper are more “electrically different” than traditional materials, your banana plugs can actually corrode faster when connected to titanium deck plates.
The science gets interesting when you add pool water to the mix. Even with the lower voltages in modern timing systems (4.0V in Gen7 Serial Timers and 3.6V in Legacy systems), some galvanic corrosion will occur. And yes, this happens even when the system is powered off – it just happens more slowly.
From what I’ve seen at dozens of facilities, the best practice is straightforward: disconnect those banana plugs from your titanium deck plates during extended periods of non-use. Before every meet or practice session, take a quick moment to inspect all connections. Look for green corrosion or weakening at the connection points.
For maintenance, I keep a bottle of isopropyl alcohol in my pool equipment bag. This works well for cleaning slightly corroded plugs. If you see heavy corrosion (that greenish crust that forms), don’t waste time trying to save it – just replace the plug. And please, as tempting as it might be, never use aggressive cleaners like Lime-a-way or CLR on these connections – you’ll just make things worse.
Remember, these titanium deck plates will outlast practically everything else in your pool area – we just need to manage how they interact with the connecting hardware.
