safety fence?

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C

camueller

0
May 11, 2016
491
Troy IL
My wife is insisting we get a safety fence around our 20'x30' in ground octagon shaped pool. Our yard is already fenced in and meets all code requirements. However, we want to be able to play with her in the yard and keep her from being drawn to the pool to throw things in or get things out, risking a fall in while we aren't paying attention.

I'm quite against this idea, as I think it's going to look ugly, and I don't find it that hard to watch her while I'm outside and make sure she is safe. At the same time, I want my kid to be safe, and it would be nice to keep her from constantly throwing rocks in the pool that I later have to retrieve. So there's that benefit. There is really no way to use existing fence or structure to save myself from having to enclose the entire pool, and thus buy around 125 linear feet (my rough estimate). So no matter what route I go, I'm probably looking at several thousand dollars.

So, what's the best way to go about this? Should I just get quotes from katchakid, guardian, and the others and go from there? Is it really a bad idea to install it yourself? I've got most of the tools, am able, I just don't have the experience a "pro" would have.
 
I am not sure how easy it would be but let me tell you, a several thousand dollars ugly fence is better than a several thousand dollars heart breaking funeral because you were distracted for one minute.

Spend the money. Good luck.
 
Here is a link to a DIY installation for a safety fence. How To: Sentry Safety Pool Fence DIY Installation Guide - YouTube

Just an FYI, I work with special needs kids and few cases are more tragic than a near drowning. Surviving a near drowning is not the same as recovering from a near drowning. Many children who survive a near drowning do not recover their prior level of function.
 
Thank you all. I really appreciate the tips.

Casey said:
I am not sure how easy it would be but let me tell you, a several thousand dollars ugly fence is better than a several thousand dollars heart breaking funeral because you were distracted for one minute.

Spend the money. Good luck.
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Casey, I completely agree. I didn't mean to sound like I don't care or anything, I do, I guess I just thought we could get away with locking our exterior fence and putting a high lock on our one door that goes to the rear yard where the pool is. But honestly, zea3's reply reminds me of why it can totally be worth it, even if I didn't want to spend the money.

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zea3 said:
Here is a link to a DIY installation for a safety fence. How To: Sentry Safety Pool Fence DIY Installation Guide - YouTube

Just an FYI, I work with special needs kids and few cases are more tragic than a near drowning. Surviving a near drowning is not the same as recovering from a near drowning. Many children who survive a near drowning do not recover their prior level of function.
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Thank you. Honestly, I've heard several times before that near drowning can be nearly as devastating, but until I read it in relation to my question, it hadn't really sunk home. I think you've just talked me into the fence. Now to decide which one. I have seen that diy pool fence company/video, and I totally think I can hand that. Especially with the rented tools. Quality looks good, but I may see about quotes from the others.

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poolnewbies5874 said:
No experience with this but have you seen this?
Water Warden Pool Safety Net for In Ground Pool


Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk
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I have seen that, but I just don't see that working for me. I like to jump in the pool quickly and get out quickly, and do that several times a day (on the weekend anyway). I see that net being too annoying to use. I think the fence with an autoclose gate is the way to go for me.
 
The pool probably takes up 1/2 of my yard, but there is still a good amount of yard space for her to run around and play. And we'd like to encourage her to play outdoors, so it would be nice to put up a barrier around the pool. At least until she gets older. She is 1 year and 3 months old now, and we think just about ready to reach up and start turning door knobs. She hasn't gotten out of her crib or woken up at night and done anything yet, but we want to get things in place prior to that point. I've already got a door chime plus sliding bar lock up high on the rear door. And I lock the gates that open up to the back yard.

I wonder, has anyone tried this fencing available on amazon? It seems similar to the diypoolfence folks.

Amazon.com : Pool Fence DIY by Life Saver Fencing Section Kit, 4 x 12-Feet, Black : Swimming Pool Covers : Patio, Lawn Garden
 
Thanks again all.

I had forgotten about LOOP LOC. But honestly, the more I look at the different brands, the more they look like they all came out of the same factory in China. Some have slightly different options (fiberglass/stainless/aluminum pole inserts, or brass tensioners) but otherwise all look the same from a distance. I'm leaning towards DIYpoolfence.com right now, since they loan you the necessary tools with purchase. But I may call one of the other professional installers and see how much more it would cost to have someone else do it.
 

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440dodge440 said:
I used the Sentry Safety Pool Fence mentioned in post #3. I used the loaner hammer drill and bit to put in about (65) 5/8" holes...We were concerned it wouldn't look right, but it's not real obstructive and gives tremendous peace of mind....
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I appreciate that testimonial. I figure it won't be real obstructive visually, or I'll at least get over it by the time we can take it down.

It sounds like you have a similar sized pool to mine. How many feet did you put in? The tension on the fence panels is good and the final product looks pretty nice, all things considered? I'm leaning towards this option. I don't know what I was originally thinking, but it looks like I'll need about 125' of fencing, plus a gate...maybe 2 if I want to make things more convenient on myself. So I think I can do this for less than $2k if I install myself. I'm doubtful I can get anyone else to install it for a lower price.
 
I used about 145'- 50' each on the long sides, 24' on the back end, and 21' on the front end (3' less for the space for the gate). I carefully laid out the configuration on a CAD program. I avoided ending a length of fence at a corner so the tension would work out. I'm happy with it, but if I had to do it over I would pay closer attention to the corner posts, as they lean is slightly. Each box of fence comes with a cardboard template to use to measure the distance between holes. I think I would make one out of a hard wood or metal. It can be easy to eggshape the hole and get it a little farther apart...it just causes a little more tension, so no big deal really. I ordered an extra drill bit -you have to pay for the extra bit, they send a loaner as well. However, they forgot to pack it, so I did the entire 65 holes with the loaner bit. I did it in 2 days (probably 18 hours). It is important to understand before starting where the shortened fence panels will be (unless you're so lucky that it fits exactly), preferably in symmetry around the corners. I think it was around $1600 for everything including a mesh self closing gate...I got it at DiyPoolFence.com offers Sentry Safety Visi Guard Swimming Pool Fencing to protect your children and pets If you send a picture of the installation through a link on the website, you get a 5% rebate. I got estimates for a regular fence, and asked about the mesh fence as well. I don't think they had ever done one, and said it would be about the same cast as the aluminum fence (about $3500)...
 
It sounds like you have decided a fence is necessary for you, I applaud that decision. For us it was never about our own kids, it's the other kids who come to our house. Also, even with kids who swim, it's much different falling into an 80* pool in July vs a 40* pool in December.

I considered various removable fence options, including turn-key from a dealer/installed and DIY Internet resellers. In our case we are installing 100' of 60" fence with two gates. 48" was cheaper, but didn't meet code for me and I would have still had to alarm 4 doors and turn my gates around.

I have chosen to go with turn-key installation from the local Guardian dealers. It ultimately cost about 30% ($500) more for turn-key. $500 is a lot of money when I could have DIY, but free weekends are rare for me, so spending a $500 to get a weekend back ultimately was worth it to me.

For what it's worth, my research showed me DIY was going to be ~ $12 for material, gates and misc tools/hits. Powder coated steel was $40' installed and the Guardian removable mesh we went with was $17' installed.
 
Awesome, thanks everyone! I'm ready to pull the trigger on the diy option now I think. I can absolutely see how paying 30% more could be worth it if I never had a weekend free. But luckily for me, I can say that I've had a few free this summer, and think I could swing another one or two to get this done...especially since it is of great importance to the wife and myself.

Now the thing I'm trying to decide is installation details. My decking is only 36" wide in most sections. I'm not sure what they recommend, but I'm figuring drilling holes at about 4" in from the outside edge of the concrete is safe enough, but even further would be better. However, even if I installed them at 2", I'm already worried it's going to feel claustrophobic along the sidewalk when inside the fence. So, I'm thinking now about installing it just outside the concrete line, in the dirt. I'd pour concrete footers for the corners and maybe every other pole, and use the dirt spikes in other spots. Is that crazy?
 
I was considering using the dirt spikes, but I had no idea where or how deep my suctions and return lines are, and the dirt spikes need to go rather deep I think. I drilled 2.5" from the edge on the concrete, leaving about 4' walkway....it's fine, but I can see how you'd be concerned about being too close with 3'. One note about paying to install- I thing I would've paid, but I think in areas like CA, FL, etc, there are contractors much more familiar with the mesh fences, so it's easier to find someone to do it...in more rural areas/northern areas, they only install regular fences, no experience with mesh, so you may do as good of a job as the contractor does.
 
that's a reasonable concern. I know where my lines are thankfully. And good point about the area mattering. When I've searched for dealers in my area for some of the installation companies, I haven't gotten any local results. So finding anyone that does these regularly isn't likely.

As far as installing mine in the dirt, I think I'm going to try to set something up out there about 3 inches in from the edge to simulate fencing, and see how close that feels to me. If I still have concerns, I'll pursue the dirt install idea. I'm thinking I'd pour foot deep concrete footings for the end posts of each panel and any corners, and maybe use the dirt spikes for the in between poles.
 

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