Talk to your Virginia swimming pool builder about pool fencing and gates

This blog post is part of the Town & Country Pools Blog Archive. The information found in this blog post is more than three years old. Information found in this post may not be correct or an accurate representation of Town & Country Pools.

swimming pool fencesA swimming pool offers your family hours of  fun and enjoyment, but they can be dangerous to young children (and your pets) if safety compliance issues are not properly addressed. A swimming pool gate is not merely an accessory the swimming pool contractors at Town & Country Pools explain;  they are a safety measure you need to keep children from accidentally falling into the pool and drowning. Gates also prevent the family pet from falling into the pool.

For a swimming pool gate to be truly effective it needs to have a lock – placed up high so that children can’t fumble around with it and open it. The gate must also be locked at all times when there are no adults present to watch the swimmers. Another feature to ask your swimming pool builder in Virginia about with your gate is to have one that sounds an alarm if the gate is breached. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that the major risk factor for drowning of children between one and four years old is because there was no protective barrier surrounding the pool area.

Swimming pool gates have gone beyond the old-fashioned chain link type. These type of fences are discouraged as they offer toe-holds that a child could use to climb.

Some pool owners install fences that can be removed in sections to make it easier to clean the swimming pool or deck. As with any type of pool device, the fence shouldn’t be removed while there are children in attendance. Another type of swimming pool fence is one that has a self locking and self alarming mechanism. As soon as it closes behind you it latches and locks and sets an alarm. Having a fence with an alarm that will sound if it’s opened is a great way to offer double protection.

When it comes to the height of safety fences, the Mayo Clinic says you should have a fence that is at least four feet tall and if it’s a slatted type fence, the gaps should be narrow enough that a child shouldn’t be able to squeeze through it.

Having a safety fence should be something that every pool owner complies with in addition to considering installing pool alarms for the safety of friends, family and pets. After you’ve decided on the gate you’d like for your pool enclosure, talk to the contractor about ways to make it blend in with your pool landscape.