Pool Safety & Telescopic Pool Enclosure Options
Swimming Pool Enclosures are extremely effective in providing safety and security for your pool .
Having your own pool in the back garden is a real pleasure. However it there’s also a great deal of responsibility, particularly when children are around.
There are not the legal regulations in the UK forcing swimming pool owners to take precautions, however it’s clear that you should make sure your pool is secure when not in use. This is not just for your family, but also for friends and guests. And this also includes adult parties, particularly where there is alcohol around.
Unfortunately accidents do happen. Every year in the US, more than three hundred children under five years old, drown in swimming pools at homes. Usually these are owned by their family. Additionally two thousand children in that same age group are treated for submersion injures.
That said, there are quite a number of options on the market to prevent these incidents. They all provide different levels of safety for your pool .
Unfortunately there is no single solution that is right for all pool , but it is more a case of looking at your individual needs, and also the size and shape of your pool.
Here’s a sample of the wide range of options and budgets.
At the entry level, is the ‘in pool’ pool safety device. This type of alarm is law in France, and you must provide an effective safety alarm/barrier for your pool, or face a hefty fine. These laws have now extended to Spain and other parts of Europe, but the UK for some reason are not enforcing it, despite a number of recent cases of accidents.
pool alarms are available in many different shapes and sizes, but basically this is a safety device that is fixed on your pool edge or coping stones, and is activated if someone falls in the pool. These alarms work by sensing pressure changes within the pool. A simple pool alarm starts at around £150 and goes up to around £350.
An alternative to the ‘in Pool’ is the electronic perimeter system. This is basically 4 posts positioned at the corners of your pool, which can be fixed approximately 1 metre away from your pool . Each of the posts can send and receive an infrared signal, which creates an invisible perimeter around your pool .
The added benefit of these is that they can prevent the accident even happening. Once someone crosses the invisible barrier, the alarm sounds. This electronic type system generally costs around £400-£600. One possible negative point to this alarm is that you can’t actually see the barrier, and therefore cannot be confident it is actually working or not.
An alternative to this is an actual fence, or physical barrier, which should be at least 1 metre high (AFNOR stated minimum height) all around your pool . This should also have an alarmed gate for additional safety .
Depending on your actual pool size, shape, and location, and the fencing material, this solution is more likely to cost in excess of £1,000. But, the benefits are that it is a physical barrier, and very obvious. However the down side is that they can spoil the pool environment and surround. And, if the gate should happen to be left open at any time, then the fence becomes an ineffective barrier.
Telescopic Pool Enclosure Options
A finally option, would be a pool enclosure. These meet the tough AFNOR safety standards, in terms of providing an effective safety barrier for your pool.
However, as purely a safety solution, a Pool Enclosure would be a very expensive. But, they do offer many other benefits, such as providing free heating, low maintenance, allowing you to use ad enjoy your pool, for more of the year.
Whatever your choice, your pool should always be secure .
