I have some friends of mine who are going through the process of buying their first home. It’s a very exciting time. The wife recently told me that they found the home that they want and it’s the cutest little place, rustic but quaint, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a nice big garden, fantastic location and a swimming pool. As soon as she mentioned the swimming pool, her husband glanced over from another conversation and grimaced. Noticing, the wife told me he feels the swimming pool is a ‘death trap.’ They have no children as of yet but many of their friends do and he does not feel like he would be comfortable inviting them over with an open pool in the back yard. Well, luckily for the wife, there are things and businesses out there such as a swimming pool fence company that can be contacted and installed to make the pool safe and ease her husband’s mind so she can still get her dream cottage. Here are a few ways that a swimming pool can be made safer.
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Safety Cover
These are not only great for keeping the pool safe but during the months that the pool is not in use it helps to keep it clean and ice free during the winter. A hard cover is what we are talking about here. Something that someone can walk across like they are walking on the regular ground and not even realize they are on top of the pool. -
Pool Safety Fence
A swimming pool fence company will tell you that most towns actually require fences around home swimming pools. The recommended height of a fence, according to a swimming pool fence company, is 48 inches. Your pool gates should have a self closing and self latching front gate that is child proof. Pool fencing doesn’t have to look bad either, you can invest in some very nice gates that are pleasing to the eye and actually enhance your landscape. -
Alarms
A pool alarm comes in four types:
Perimeter alarm
This creates a sort of laser fence around the pool when set up correctly. When something crosses the laser, the alarm sounds.Pressure sensitive alarm
This type of alarm is usually fitted into a mat and when pressure releases from it, it sounds. For a pool, you could place mats under and around the front gate. When the gate opens, the pressure will release from the mats and the alarm will go off.Another type of pressure sensitive alarms is when the alarms are attached to the side of the pool with a tube that goes into the water. If something falls in to the water, the waves will cause the alarm to go off when it senses the pressure difference in the water.
Gate alarm
Fairly obvious: an alarm that sounds when the gate is opened without permission.Wearable alarm
This is almost like a tracking device that you wear. While it would not be very hospitable to fit your guests’ children with tracking device bracelets, this method does work with pets and even your own children. When the bracelet goes out of range (or within a certain number of feet away from the house) the alarm will alert you that they are to near to the pool. -
Pool Safety Equipment
You should always have safety equipmenet on hand near the pool. A lifesaver ring, rope and safety hook are the bare minimum. It is better to have them and not need them, than need them and not have them. -
Adult Supervision
Nothing replaces the beady eyes of a responsible adult. Keep a close eye on little ones while they are swimming or playing outside. Alarms and safety equipment are for when adult eyes fail to do their job. Do not take your eyes of the swimming pool for an instant, especially when someone is in it or near it. Drownings can still occur when people are nearby if they are not watching.
Remembering the advice from the swimming pool fence company and everything that we have heard about keeping people safe from drowning is extremely important. Never assume that someone is okay around a swimming pool and never leave someone unattended.
