Concern about jumprock height... 3.5ft above pool into 6ft deep water?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
G

Geosage

0
Jul 9, 2016
231
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Decided to make a thread as I want to get a lot of feedback... SO... we have a jumprock going in... once all is said and done, it should be ~3.5ft from the top of the jumprock to the top of the pool (coping). The deep end that we'll be jumping into is 6ft deep. I guess to put it simply, does this work? Will we actually be able to jump from this and not hurt ourselves in the pool? Are there any standards etc. with jumping heights and water depth? I'm a little concerned that our PB (who has proven to be an idiot when it comes to details) has gone along with our plan thus far and not considered that we may smack into the bottom when we jump off this rock...

(check out photos in my build thread in my sig)

Thanks for any thoughts!
 
I have two jump rocks in the deepest end of my pool which is also 6ft. My 5 year old and 8 year old niephew jump off the rocks fine without hitting themselves. They are the reason why I had them put in. When I jump, I have to be careful because when I do I hit the bottom everytime. I'm not tall I'm about 5"10, if someone taller than me jumps off without being cautious they could possibly hurt themselves.
 
From my reading 7' 6" is the minimum recommended safe diving depth for 42" stationary platform per "American National Standard for Residential Inground Swimming Pools ANSI/NSPI-5 2003". Here is a link to a PDF of the document - look at figure 3, table 1 and section 5.10.1 for details. My builder rightly told us that we needed an 8' deep end for a diving board, which we installed. Even at 8', if you jump in from the board, or even from the side, your legs can hit the bottom.
 
I personally would feel better if your pool was 8 ft deep and longer. My pool does not have any diving board etc and when I dive in off the coping I have to make sure to put my hands in front of me as the slope of the pool comes up quickly. Our pool is about 2 ft longer than yours and 8 ft deep.
 
I would think the chance of someone getting carried away, chased or showing off and not remembering to dive shallow would make me leave the jump rock out of the design. IMHO 6' just isn't enough water and not sure what might happen if someone was hurt and the insurance company got involved.

Nice layout and thanks for taking us through your build with photos.
 
We wont be diving off this thing but would be jumping into the water from it... but yeah, it seems sketchy now that I'm actually hearing people talk about it.

Gary, thank you for some information that shows actual numbers from a source. I will be forwarding this to the PB... it is her job to know these things and not for us to know... I assume they'll pay attention to this complaint as it involves safety and improper building techniques which they would be responsible for.

Thanks for the feedback guys!
 
You should assume nothing, especially if you think they are an idiot. You are the owner and the operator of this pool. It is your responsibility who you let swim in your pool and how you let them behave when they are swimming in your pool. The pool builder has no responsibility for the people who swim in your pool.
 
I would assume that your local gov. office has very defined regulations on this type thing. When we built our pool there were specific regulations that had to be adhered to in order for the build to be passed by the inspector. He even went beyond the reg.'s and had me install additional safeguards at the gate locations. At the time he was concerned that our three year old could potentially open the gates, which should've clearly passed the inspection. But in his words "before I'll sign off on this I want to see these put in place". You could say this was an over reach but I honestly appreciated his concern...so I went the extra mile and we felt a little bit safer. Anyway, check with your inspectors office to see if they can provide you with their rules governing such things. It may help protect you and yours physically and possibly legally.
 
Titan7 said:
That's pretty shallow for even jumping in. Be careful.
Click to expand...

Think so? 6ft is shallow for a 3.5ft wall?

The owner is coming out today to meet with us after a complete dumb-up with the stone guys and us kicking them off the job. I want to mention this to the PB, but am unsure as he may not take lightly to being question about regulations...

If the jump rock works to hop into the pool at that depth but is not 'normal', we're fine... but if we build the thing, and jump in, and slam our butts onto the bottom... I will NOT be a happy camper...
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
About local inspectors - I had one PB suggest that his design would have a large "landscape rock" instead of a jumping rock so that it could pass inspections. Not only is your depth a little shallow for my tastes, but I would be worried about kids jumping from your rock and going just a little too far to the left and landing on the coping or submerged bench, or a little too far to the right and catching the spa. Maybe it feels wider in person, but it sure looks like a narrow area in the pictures.
 
I am at 5 1/2 ft in my deepend. I can hit the bottom, not very hard but I do hit doing a cannon ball from the pool deck. Yes we are 6" shallower than you, but your rock is putting you up much higher. Now I am 6' 3" 230 lbs. so I am sure a small person might be different. but that jumping rock height would concern me in a 6ft deep pool. Somebody could get hurt unless you are watching people like a hawk. My pool is adult only and I have EXTREME rules in place, violate them and you are not coming back. I am in the insurance industry I have seen friends get into litigation over homeowner liability claims, not my friends but claims. All is fun and games until somebody gets injured. Having at least a $1million dollar umbrella policy would also be a very smart move.
 
I'd be wary of that height. If anyone dives off the rock, there's a big risk for injury, especially if they dive out and get closer to the shallow end. Or if someone does a "pencil" dive feet first, their feet will definitely hit the bottom from that height. Now if you're saying it's only going to be used to hop into the pool and nobody will ever be doing tricks, dives, flips, etc. off of it, then it might be ok, but you're going to have to be really strict with the rules of the jump rock to prevent potential injuries.
 
jtrovato21 said:
I'd be wary of that height. If anyone dives off the rock, there's a big risk for injury, especially if they dive out and get closer to the shallow end. Or if someone does a "pencil" dive feet first, their feet will definitely hit the bottom from that height. Now if you're saying it's only going to be used to hop into the pool and nobody will ever be doing tricks, dives, flips, etc. off of it, then it might be ok, but you're going to have to be really strict with the rules of the jump rock to prevent potential injuries.
Click to expand...

How do you guarantee the rules are followed though?

You have a rock. It's 3' off the water, which isn't deep enough. The kids/grandkids, a drunk friend, whatever - can you guard that rock 24/7 to make sure nobody makes a mistake and sues you for millions for permanent injury/paralysis? IMO - it's just not worth it.
 
Titan7 said:
I am in the insurance industry I have seen friends get into litigation over homeowner liability claims, not my friends but claims. All is fun and games until somebody gets injured. Having at least a $1million dollar umbrella policy would also be a very smart move.
Click to expand...

Having a pool without having an umbrella policy is a risky move.
 
Hmmm.... umbrella policies. Something to think about. We don't have one, but I think I'd rather have earthquake insurance which we don't have yet either. I like the idea of being covered, especially in this litigious state of CA! But considering our lifestyle (we're getting old, kids are grown, etc), I think we're more at risk for an earthquake than a drunk friend hurting themselves in our pool. Why wouldn't our regular homeowner's insurance cover us for pool related issues?

Anyhow, the distance between your jump rock and the deep end of your pool is concerning to me too. Our pool is small and only 5' deep and we don't even dive into it from the coping. I get in a dive position and just fall in without a jump, and my hands immediately hit the bottom of the pool before I can curl up every time. My guess is you'd have some injuries at those dimensions.
 
Julieleek said:
Hmmm.... umbrella policies. Something to think about. We don't have one, but I think I'd rather have earthquake insurance which we don't have yet either. I like the idea of being covered, especially in this litigious state of CA! But considering our lifestyle (we're getting old, kids are grown, etc), I think we're more at risk for an earthquake than a drunk friend hurting themselves in our pool. Why wouldn't our regular homeowner's insurance cover us for pool related issues?

Anyhow, the distance between your jump rock and the deep end of your pool is concerning to me too. Our pool is small and only 5' deep and we don't even dive into it from the coping. I get in a dive position and just fall in without a jump, and my hands immediately hit the bottom of the pool before I can curl up every time. My guess is you'd have some injuries at those dimensions.
Click to expand...

An umbrella policy offers you MUCH broader coverage beyond what a homeowners or auto policy offer. Take an auto policy of say 100/300k. You get in an accident with 3 people in the car and critically injure a couple of them or there is a fatality, your $300k will be gone and then they will be coming after your home and other assets. Trust me $300k will go REALLY fast. I have worked for a national insurance carrier in claims for 25+ years. Dont ever go under insured.

The umbrella picks up where your auto, home policy fall off but offer much broader coverage. They are also cheap, $3-400 per year. I am going off topic, but to have a pool without at least $1 million in coverage is crazy in todays world. Talk to your insurance agent.

Earthquake insurance, i dont have it, its a gamble and premium depends on where you live.

Most offer minimum coverage with huge deductables. Odds are your house will not be total loss but you will end up with damage below the deductable. There is stucture coverage and contents coverage, both are a joke. If the big one hits CA, the fund will be depleted., Fed. Gov. Will need to step in. For me the policy was almost $2k per year with crappy coverage.
 
Someone is going to dive off it one day.. and 6 feet is not enough. Forgetting legal liabilities for a moment, just on general principles I would not have a jump rock that high on a six foot deep end. IMHO
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply