Another Pool Alarm Option

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beartoothweb

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Aug 28, 2009
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Just wanted to pass along my results from some testing I've been doing this morning.

I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on a pool alarm. We live out in the middle of no where (5 acres), and have the AGP configured as an IG (deck will be built in the coming weeks.)

My kids are 12 and 10, and we don't have any neighbor kids. Worst case for us is really a deer or the dogs getting into the pool.

So, I found this: http://www.harborfreight.com/wireless-driveway-alert-system-93068.html.

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I actually got it when it was on sale for $10, but still $20 is a pretty good deal. I set it on the little temporary deck to the pool I have and set the mini dachshunds loose. Within about 15 minutes, I had forgotten about them and the alarm, and BING BONG>>>BING BONG...off it went. I looked out, and the little 5 pounder was on the deck about to look into the pool.

So far, NO false alarms. Runs off C and 9v batteries, which is strange, but workable.

The plan for me is to just set the sensor out when company comes and put the receiver in the kitchen (you can actually hear it from outside, the the dogs after the 4th or 5th time are having a Pavlovian response to it, and running from the pool when they hear it,) so that if any little ones cross the "line" to the pool, we'll know it (basically, if they get up on the pool deck.)

Supposedly, it's got a 400ft range. I'm about 80' behind steel siding, and no problems at all so far.

Hope this helps someone else. BTW, please no comments on "you absolutely HAVE to have a pool fence, and big monsters are going to come take you away if you don't." We debated quite a lot on the pool fence, and decided against it. The alarm is a secondary device, I also have webcams out there and all that.
 
Melt In The Sun said:
I hope it continues to work well for you! Most people here who have tried them have had trouble.
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I guess it's all expectations. So far, pretty much 100% accuracy, but I'm not using it to keep kids safe, just as an extra layer/warning, and to keep the dumb dogs from drinking out of my SWG pool! ;->
 
My mini dachshund is about the size of a large squirrel and she sets it off, but only if she's right in front of it.

I just set it up in my office and threw my hat slowly across teh room, and it didn't go off. But it did when I went to pick up the hat and it saw me, if that says anything.
 
beartoothweb said:
BTW, please no comments on "you absolutely HAVE to have a pool fence, and big monsters are going to come take you away if you don't." We debated quite a lot on the pool fence, and decided against it. The alarm is a secondary device, I also have webcams out there and all that.
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How are you going to get the building inspector to sign off on your permit with no fence?
 
bk406 said:
beartoothweb said:
BTW, please no comments on "you absolutely HAVE to have a pool fence, and big monsters are going to come take you away if you don't." We debated quite a lot on the pool fence, and decided against it. The alarm is a secondary device, I also have webcams out there and all that.
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How are you going to get the building inspector to sign off on your permit with no fence?
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What's a building inspector? :-D

Seriously, we live 9 miles out in the country, 5 + acres, and the rest of my neighbors are anywhere between 5 and 20 acre plots (adjacent). I have a main fence outside of my property, and then a secondary fence for the dogs in the backyard. The most likely thing to end up in the pool would be a deer. For a young kid to wander up here unsupervised (the pool is 500' off the road), they would have to be substantially lost, and the are ditches, ponds, etc. to worry about then.

The only inspections we have out here are electrical and sewer, and no permit required for add-on receptacles, and I'm not putting a toilet in.
 
I have a very similar situation, 10 acres is fenced around perimeter, but not around pool. Trespassers would have to overcome an electric fence and 7 dogs to get to the pool. My next door neighbors have a 25' deep pond! No fencing required for that! My pool is only 4' deep and my smallest child is 5'5 and we don't have many visitors.

One thing I learned is that with an ABG, a fence is not required by code (in my jurisdiction) . The 4' high pool wall is a sufficient barrier along with a flip up ladder, just as a 4' fence around an IG pool would be. If your pool is partially buried, however, this would not pass, and adding a deck around the pool would also make it fail. My pool was permitted and inspected, but once my deck is completed, it will no longer comply (unless I add 4' high gates restricting access to the deck from outside, as well as door alarms for the house doors that open onto the deck). Someday when I have grandchildren I will probably do that.
 
Miranda said:
I have a very similar situation, 10 acres is fenced around perimeter, but not around pool. Trespassers would have to overcome an electric fence and 7 dogs to get to the pool. My next door neighbors have a 25' deep pond! No fencing required for that! My pool is only 4' deep and my smallest child is 5'5 and we don't have many visitors.

One thing I learned is that with an ABG, a fence is not required by code (in my jurisdiction) . The 4' high pool wall is a sufficient barrier along with a flip up ladder, just as a 4' fence around an IG pool would be. If your pool is partially buried, however, this would not pass, and adding a deck around the pool would also make it fail. My pool was permitted and inspected, but once my deck is completed, it will no longer comply (unless I add 4' high gates restricting access to the deck from outside, as well as door alarms for the house doors that open onto the deck). Someday when I have grandchildren I will probably do that.
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Man, that's unfortunate that you have to go through all of that. I'm all for safety, but that's a little ridiculous. I have multiple cameras to watch the pool, and all things considered, it would be extremely difficult for any little kid to get into the pool area without our knowledge. The deck will have a psuedo railing on both sides making a "gate" so to speak, to funnel them toward the stairs. I'm one of those "watch hawk" kind of guys anyway when little kids are around. Anything is still possible, but even with a fence, the gate can be left open/catch on a dropped pool toy, etc. I think anything can give you a false sense of security, so no matter what it looks like, you have to keep an eye on the little ones at all times.

I couldn't find anything for residential pools in montana that spells out specific requirements, I found a huge doc, but I think it's for commercial pools. Wouldn't apply in my case anyway, but still. Already checked with my homeowner's policy underwriter, and we're good to go there. I'm starting the deck this weekend!
 
Your state may not have code, but please make sure to check with your town building inspector. Pool saftey needs to be taken seriously. Yes your property may be remote, and kids may have not wandered in the past, but now there is a pool to lure them over.
 

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bk406 said:
3 days ago in Lynnfield, Mass, (town near me), 2 twin girls, ages 2.5 drowned in a back yard pool.
At least 4 kids before that, have drowned, just in Massachusetts alone.
Yes, you need a fence, up to code, i dont care where you live.
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I had a HUGE long response to this, but I stated originally I wasn't looking to get into this argument. I'll just say that for those of you relying soley on a pool fence to protect unattended children, DON'T.

According to statistics:

“Compared with in-ground pools without four-sided fencing, 60 percent fewer drownings occur in in-ground pools with four-sided isolation fencing.”

60% fewer? That still means that 40% of the drownings (near half, obviously) occurred WITH a pool fence in place. Statistically, that seems significant, and reinforces my belief that "safety devices" of any kind can add a false sense of security.

Just to clarify our personal situation.

1) We already have a fence around the backyard, not much bigger than the pool.
2) Wandering kids are NOT going to get to the pool, only one entrance on a 55mph road, horses and cattle on 2 sides, and a ravine in the back. Nearest kid house is 1/2 a mile from me.
3) We always make our kids where bike helmets, seat belts, and we put them in child seats.
4) I never, ever, did I say never? leave a little kid unsupervised in my yard or home. There are at least 20 ways for them to kill themselves in the average home besides the pool.

Somehow, treating pools as the most dangerous thing in the home is a bit silly. Most decks only have 36" railings on them, and I've seen a 3 year old climb WAY higher than that. Most decks with railings would indicate a 6' fall minimum from the top of the railing, and heck, my costco playset would have that fall distance almost.
 
Beartooth, I don't think anyone is saying "get a pool fence no matter what", just that you should make sure that you are up to code. You said you have a fence around your main property and an inner fence for the dogs; if that meets code, I don't think anyone has a problem with your setup. No offense intended, but I think people are getting the impression that you're saying "screw code, I don't want a fence," which would be an irresponsible decision.
 
Melt In The Sun said:
Beartooth, I don't think anyone is saying "get a pool fence no matter what", just that you should make sure that you are up to code. You said you have a fence around your main property and an inner fence for the dogs; if that meets code, I don't think anyone has a problem with your setup. No offense intended, but I think people are getting the impression that you're saying "screw code, I don't want a fence," which would be an irresponsible decision.
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I hear ya, and I'm absolutely NOT saying that, which is why I put my personal list, showing I'm actually not that type of person. I want MY kids and anyone that visits our home to be safe, and do everything I can to keep that.

I think we could just say a fence is a good idea, I'm not forced to do something by code, but what I have is comparable and as safe as anything else out there I've seen, so there you go.

No offense intended or taken...
 
I'm with you Bear. Another recent poster was contemplating safety measures for his pool and I seriously warned him he needed the fence AND the alarm....BUT he had an infant in the home and lived in a subdivision. Pool safety measures are designed to keep infants, toddlers and small children from getting into the pool. In a subdivision, small children can, and often do wander away from their own homes and find themselves in their neighbors yards. All it takes to drown a child is a gate left open, so I believe all possible measures should be taken in a suburban environment.

That being said, it IS different when you live on a farm or other large rural property. I don't have small children, we don't have small children visit and there is no way a young child could accidentally wander onto my property. It is a very long walk with electric fences, wild animals, poisonous snakes, dangerous farm equipment, ponds and other hazards in between. Older children generally know better than to trespass on somebody else's farm, but if they decide they want to swim in my pool, a 4' fence is not going to stop them, and if I am not home, an alarm is not going to alert me.
 
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