Before I talk about my new pool ladder, let me tell you about my old pool ladders.

They were all made of metal. After two years, they rusted sufficiently in my salt water pool, and they broke. They came apart at two opposite joints and, thank God, I was never hurt as the ladder fell apart under my weight, either upon entering or exiting the pool. You might imagine, with each ladder, as that two-year marker approached, one recurrent worry was whether this would be the day the ladder would fall apart.

Last week the ladder broke. That was enough! I had had it with metal ladders. There must be plastic pool ladders out there, I prayed. My prayers were answered as soon as I scanned the Internet. There it was, a sturdy-looking plastic pool ladder made by Confer Industries. The almost $200 price tag was, I calculated, worth the price. After all, those metal pool ladders were in the $100 range and, what’s more, the plastic ladder would not rust. Why pay $100 every two years when I can own a plastic ladder for, hopefully, a lifetime?

The new ladder arrived today. True to the favorable online reader comments, it was a cinch to assemble. My wife helped me lift it into the pool. I couldn’t climb the new ladder to enter the pool – I had to use my trusty homemade plastic chair and work ladder combo. Can you guess why? Yes, the hollow plastic side rails, being filled with air, float. Fortunately the ingenious design of the ladder called for filling the hollow side rails with water from a hose. Once they were weighed down, I practiced climbing in and out of the pool. Fun!

One immediate advantage of having the new ladder: The plastic steps are a lot more comfortable to step on with bare feet. For the first time in years, I happily entered the pool sans rubber Crocs. My feet actually felt naked.

The old broken ladder? Well, that will likely sit, in pieces, on the side of my house until I get motivated to phone for a bulk garbage pickup, or until my lovely wife gets on my case – in which case, I will please her and dial that number.

Did I think about trying to fix my metal pool ladder? Yes, for about fifteen seconds. Then I realized there are several joints similar to the ones that rusted enough to break. Enough was enough. I love plastic!

Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com