In the heat of summer, a backyard swimming pool looks so beautiful and inviting that sometimes it’s hard to believe something that attractive could actually be deadly. However, statistics show that for children under the age of ten, a backyard swimming pool can be more dangerous than keeping a gun in your house. So it’s no wonder that virtually all municipalities in North America require properties with a swimming pool (and often hot tubs as well) be fenced.

Perimeter fencing

Although specifics vary, in general properties with swimming pools need to be fenced on all four sides with a fence made from substantial materials such as steel, wood, chain link or vinyl. In addition, fences must be at least five feet high and have self-locking gates that latch on the inside and open outward. Additionally perimeter fences should be built low to the ground with narrow openings between the boards so a child can’t slip under or between them.

The fence design should be difficult to climb. For example, many municipalities don’t allow “good neighbor” fences because their offset boards are too easy to climb. If used, chain link fences need to have relatively small diamonds around 1 ½” to 2”.

Pool fencing

While perimeter fencing will prevent neighborhood children from getting into the pool, it unfortunately does little to prevent children living in the house from having access to the pool. History shows us that the majority of children killed or injured in home swimming pool accidents lived in the home, were often in the care of one or both of their parents, and had been out of sight for less than five minutes. Since constant vigilance is virtually impossible for even the best of parents, supplementing perimeter fencing with a fence surrounding the pool itself provides an extra measure of safety for children in homes with pools.

For many years, pool fencing was similar in design and materials to perimeter fencing, and while this type of fence definitely improves safety, it has a couple of obvious disadvantages – it’s permanent and the design may actually obscure vision into the pool area itself.

In recent years an alternative method of pool fencing – soft mesh fencing – has been gaining popularity.  Mesh fencing uses metal poles installed in 1 1/2” holes about 4′ or 5′ apart drilled into the pool deck to support a 4′ high mesh barrier extending all around the pool. The soft mesh fencing is very difficult for a young child to climb, while still allowing clear vision into the pool area itself. As well, since the steel poles are installed in holes drilled into the pool deck, they (and the mesh) can be removed when no children are around and the homeowners want more space around their pool.  Once a child is old enough to understand how dangerous water can be, the mesh pool fencing can be totally removed and the holes in the deck covered with vinyl caps.

To locate pool-related user’s manuals, visit the ManualsOnline Library.