I just bought a house with a pool and although it has a fence around the backyard we don’t have a fence around the pool and we have a 3 year old (along with an 8 and 10 year old). I have been trying to figure out how to deal with the issue and installing a fence for 4 or 5k that we’ll be dying to remove as soon as we can is not what we want. Unfortunately the pool has no natural boundaries so the fence would need to cover like 200 feet around. I was thinking about an infrared perimeter alarm that we could set up to link around the whole pool. My kids are generally well behaved and listen well and it would be unlikely that the 3 year old be out there alone ever (her older sisters are like little moms and help watch out for her all the time). I was thinking we could teach the kids that they are never allowed to cross the invisible line unless grownups are there to disable the alarm. Has anyone tried this solution? I understand that an actual fence would be more secure and I am willing to do it if that’s really the only viable solution, but I’m thinking that if done right and monitored and enforced properly this could be a solution. Any thoughts or other ideas? Thanks in advance!
Infrared Perimeter Alarms
- Thread starter CKnight
- Start date
Not sure on the fence but I have heard several stories of kids getting in pools and drowning of coming close.
My advise is either way spend a little money and have the youngest get swimming lessons. They teach them how to respond if they fall in and how to react under a scary time.
You probably know they have a way of doing crazy stuff
My advise is either way spend a little money and have the youngest get swimming lessons. They teach them how to respond if they fall in and how to react under a scary time.
You probably know they have a way of doing crazy stuff
C,
I suspect that I will be in the minority here, but I like the idea.. It just has to be so that when the alarm goes off it is loud and clear and that it can't be set off by pets or something else.
A couple of false alarms would make the system useless.
Maybe a double set of "fences" about a foot apart...
Thanks,
Jim R.
I suspect that I will be in the minority here, but I like the idea.. It just has to be so that when the alarm goes off it is loud and clear and that it can't be set off by pets or something else.
A couple of false alarms would make the system useless.
Maybe a double set of "fences" about a foot apart...
Thanks,
Jim R.
Thanks for the fast replies!!! Yes we definitely plan to get her lots of swimming and safety lessons and that is part of my logic for not spending so much on a temporary fence. Would rather spend it on the lessons and teach her how to swim ASAP. I figure I could set up a good perimeter infrared alarm system for $1500 or so. And in terms of a “double layer,” we do have door and window alarms on the house (not sure we can keep them armed all day but at least at night and in the early morning) and I was thinking maybe a submerged alarm in the pool as a sort of backup to the perimeter alarm.
I have our ring spotlight camera overlooking our pool. I adjusted the motion sensor so that it is the perimeter of the water. If anyone or anything goes in the pool, it sets off the light, alarm/siren and we get notified on any of our devices. Is it foolproof? No. But I do like the added piece of mind it gives us.
Just to clarify, yes, I turn off the siren while intentionally swimming
Just to clarify, yes, I turn off the siren while intentionally swimming
There are also pool alarms that sense water movement - not sure how sensitive they are such as motion caused by wind. There are also specific door alarms which can be put on doors leading to the pool area that require you (the adult) to deactivate it prior to opening the door. I have seen these on vacation rent homes to help families with small children.
The difference between the infrared and a safety fence is one is a warning system and one is a blocker. They serve different purposes. Now you also should not count on your 8 or 10 year old to be able to rescue a 3 year. A panicked 3 year old is harder to control in the water then you think.
For reference we have a 6 year old and when she was 4 could swim across a pool (20 feet) at 5 was getting across a 25 yard pool (slowly). While I was comfortable in an emergency she could get herself to a ledge my wife on the other hand was terrified. With that said your decision should be based on you comfort levels. In the end is a safety fence provides that comfort it is a small price.
In disclosure we do not have a safety fence to our pool we have direct access from a house door to the pool but do a more yard outside the fence when needed.
For reference we have a 6 year old and when she was 4 could swim across a pool (20 feet) at 5 was getting across a 25 yard pool (slowly). While I was comfortable in an emergency she could get herself to a ledge my wife on the other hand was terrified. With that said your decision should be based on you comfort levels. In the end is a safety fence provides that comfort it is a small price.
In disclosure we do not have a safety fence to our pool we have direct access from a house door to the pool but do a more yard outside the fence when needed.
There's also the unknown, unforseen, unnoticed, unaware, unruly, and the list goes on. I wouldn't substitute a real fence for anything. I've witnessed more then one drowning with very sad endings. You can never always be there when the kids are home and as we all know older children are very responsible until they're side tracked and that's when disaster sets in. I don't care how good of an alarm there is but a fence would be my only option.
the swimming classes are great, the fully cloth the child and then drop then in the pool. Terrifying as parents but the goal is for the kids to come up breath and swim to the side
So I'm really conflicted here. We fenced just the pool area and made it off limits if no adults were present. My 2 took right to it and never went within 20 ft of the fence. As it turns out, for them, we never needed the fence in the first place. We could have declared the patio was lava just the same.
Their friends on the other hand, or children of my friends...... like anything else did not know our rules as second nature and even after being explained, may not have cared to follow them. Having any other kids over at all always reinforced how grateful I was for my own kids listening, but also how much I needed the lockable fence for the other kids. And the boys??? Ha!!!! A fence was a challenge. A double dog dare. Come climb me you big wuss !!!! $50 says you can't !!!!
And mess your pants when you realize a strange kid is over who doesn't follow your house rules.
EXACTLY the same !!!!!!!!
- Jun 12, 2011
- 3,767
- Pool Size
- 19500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pureline Crystal Pure 60,000
Nothing beats having a physical barrier. An alarm can tell you a child is in danger, a fence prevents the danger.
Wow these are all great replies. Lotta food for thought. I think the point about other kids is something I hadn’t completely thought through. I mean, if the infrared fence made some audible alarm that then parents had to disable (with a little bit of shaming of the offending kid) I think that could still be pretty effective. But it’s obviously not as effective as an actual fence and I think the point about peace of mind is a good one. In part you are paying for that.
I also think the point about my older kids being great helpers until they are distracted is a good one. They are amazing when they are on, but they obviously can get distracted and then they are just not on.
I also didn’t think about what would happen if someone actually fell in. Obviously the swim and safety lessons will help but in an absolute worse case scenario if my 3yr old fell in the deep end and I was in the house, even running out immediately to get her would be a dangerous situation.
I still need to think about my options, but this is making me appreciate some things about a fence that I did not initially consider. I really wish there was some other solution that didn’t entail me spending a lot of money on something so temporary (and unless I spend a lot of money, probably not even that nice) and I was hoping the infrared perimeter alarm was it, but it’s definitely feeling less appealing now.
I also think the point about my older kids being great helpers until they are distracted is a good one. They are amazing when they are on, but they obviously can get distracted and then they are just not on.
I also didn’t think about what would happen if someone actually fell in. Obviously the swim and safety lessons will help but in an absolute worse case scenario if my 3yr old fell in the deep end and I was in the house, even running out immediately to get her would be a dangerous situation.
I still need to think about my options, but this is making me appreciate some things about a fence that I did not initially consider. I really wish there was some other solution that didn’t entail me spending a lot of money on something so temporary (and unless I spend a lot of money, probably not even that nice) and I was hoping the infrared perimeter alarm was it, but it’s definitely feeling less appealing now.
A fence deters the danger. Just for clarification. Even a fence can be circumvented.
Certainly a fence is a strong deterrent, as an alarm is a strong notification.
We had our kids in swim lessons from a few months old on. Nothing is better than knowing your child can handle themselves in an aquatic environment.
- Jun 12, 2011
- 3,767
- Pool Size
- 19500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pureline Crystal Pure 60,000
Nothing beats a physical barrier. An alarm can tell you a child is in danger, a fence can prevent the danger.
The way I saw it, by the time the kids were big enough to climb the fence, swimming was much easier, even if the swimming was by accident. For all the kids not big enough....... the fence did exactly what it was supposed to do.
A good product to look at is wyze, they makes an outdoor wireless camera. My sister has one and it last 2 or 3 months between charging.
But what I like ( I have a few that are powered and water proof ) is people detection. Don't let the price fool you, the v3 is requires power but picture is great.
wyze.com
wyze.com
It will alert you if a person is detected. It will record motion also just not notify your phone for tree's or birds. I have mine set to ding on my phone for a person.
I also use them for alarms
But what I like ( I have a few that are powered and water proof ) is people detection. Don't let the price fool you, the v3 is requires power but picture is great.
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It will alert you if a person is detected. It will record motion also just not notify your phone for tree's or birds. I have mine set to ding on my phone for a person.
I also use them for alarms
For me the fence is #1 and the gizmos are just maybe an added benefit. All the tech stuff rely on wifi. When your wifi and or cell service goes down you have nothing.
- Jun 12, 2011
- 3,767
- Pool Size
- 19500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pureline Crystal Pure 60,000
A fence is there 24/7/365, an alarm depends on someone actually hearing the alarm then taking action, in that very short time before its too late.
There is one other physical barrier and that is a cover. You would have to remember to close it each evening or whenever someone would not be swimming. It would need to be one of those automatic covers that is on a track and hopefully no one can pry open to get under. While there are disadvantages to a cover - mainly you cannot see if any person or animal is under it unless you open it. Plus you have to remember to close it when the pool is not in use. Also, you have to have a lock on the switch so the kids cannot figure out how to open it. The main advantage is that it physically closes off the pool.
I have read on other posts under construction that covers were being installed for safety as opposed for winterization or other pool maintenance requirements.