Help Keep Your Swimming Pool Safe with These Important Features

Think of your pool like a car. Cars are a lot of fun to drive and can provide hours of enjoyment. They also come with things like seat belts and air bags to help keep you safe. You’re swimming pool is no different. While it’s a wonderful splash zone of fun, it also needs some extras to keep you and all your pool passengers safe.

Safety Covers

Like a car cover, a pool cover is intended to help protect the vehicle, in this case your pool, from exposure to the elements. A good cover will keep debris out, assist in maintaining heat levels and reduce water evaporation. A safety cover however, can also add a significant layer of protection for you and your guests. When researching covers, you’ll find that there’s a large variety ranging from plastic that is cut to the shape of your pool (these are not safety covers) to automatic units that can retract into the concrete or landscape. When talking safety, you’ll want to be sure to look into a cover that locks into place and leaves no gaps for anyone to get into. These units are sturdy enough that should someone fall on it, they’ll be able to roll, crawl or walk their way off.

Drain Covers

Source: Google.com

To avoid entrapment (this is when a body is held against a pool or spa drain by the force of the pool’s suction), make sure that you have anti-entrapment drain covers. These are required on all new pool construction but if you have an older pool, ensuring that you don’t have damaged, missing or unsafe covers is a must. Aftermarket replacements are readily available and are required to be ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) certified. Professional installation can be done without having to drain the pool.

Fences

Back to car analogies! Like the outer body of a car, pool fences help keep out what needs to be kept out. You’d certainly do everything in your power to prevent someone from breaking into your car, right? Lock the doors, set the alarm….things like that. Well the same goes for your pool. You definitely don’t want anyone unexpected “breaking into” the pool area, especially children who are naturally curious and often drawn to water. Pool fences should be high enough to prevent someone from easily climbing over them and include self-latching, self-closing gates.

Just as you constantly watch the road while driving, supervision around the pool is a must. In addition, it’s wise to keep a phone and first aid kit nearby, just in case.

So buckle up and enjoy the ride, but do so safely.

For more safety ideas and information, please contact us.