Infrared Perimeter Alarms

[wireform]

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.

Herman,
I'm very familiar with these covers as in my neck of the woods 75% of the pool have it. His pool is built so the cover would be external in a box at the end of the pool, an eye sore for sure and then the tracks would be running exteriorly up the long sides on top of the deck. A pool fence is a third of the price. To me it's a no brainer.

 

[MITBeta]

Can you post a picture of what you need to protect? Maybe that will generate some ideas you hadn't considered.

 

[CKnight]

Sure. I have a couple of recent photos from both ends of the pool and then a professional photo from when it was open.

We actually did consider the idea of the automatic cover because I really want a solar cover anyway and I thought we'd solve both problems in one fell swoop. But the company we contacted has been very unresponsive and the very quick number I got from the woman I spoke to gave the sense that we were looking at probably $15k. And yeah, I am guessing we'd have tracks along both sides of the pool, plus the unsightly box on top to hold it. So that just seemed like a dead end.

In terms of a fence, we got a quote for like $6k for a nice estate fence, but again, I'd want to take it down in a couple of years, so that seems crazy. Since posting I've been looking into DIY options, but I am now realizing that the brick is not ideal for mounting the fence. I thought that maybe even a 3 foot high "garden" fence that could just be set into the dirt and grass that surrounds the pool would maybe be enough of a barrier. Again I can't guarantee that other kids wouldn't scale it, but my kids would definitely not (or pay a steep, steep price and never do it again). And we are not looking to leave our kids unattended in the yard anyway. We just want peace of mind that if our 3 year old found herself in the yard unattended for 1 minute, we'd be safe. I can't imagine we'd ever have other kids in our yard without adults watching in the yard at all times. Maybe someone would run in to get drinks for a minute, but that's it. So we don't need Fort Knox here. We just need something.

The DIY fence options would be less than $6k for sure, but I work a lot and don't know if I'd have the time to install it myself, so maybe it would be half that price all-in? Not sure if mounting it in the brick would work, so then maybe we'd consider the garden fence mounted in the grass/dirt.

After reading everyone's responses, I realize this is really a personal decision and that everyone's comfort zone and circumstances are a little different. I kind of just want to do something high tech like the infrared perimeter alarm coupled with some kind of backup, but I also now see how the fence will just bring me greater peace of mind and how that may just be worth it. And maybe it would also enable us to be just a little more at ease when we aren't sitting there with our 3 year old or when we don't have our phones or aren't near whatever alarm would be ringing with the high-tech setup when someone approaches the pool. This last year has been hard and I definitely need to make my life easier not harder, and it seems like a fence, while expensive and unsightly and annoying to have in the small patio space that surrounds the pool, may just be the best option.

But the feedback has been VERY helpful, so I am still happy to hear people's opinions!

 

[yblaser]

At our current house we have an autocover. We got it both for safety (have a 4 and 8 year old) and heat retention. The cover itself and the tracks are not the prettiest thing to look at especially compared to a pool full of water, but we made that compromise. I don't think the cover box on the deck is that unsightly. With your pool entry sticking out from the rest of the pool I think an autocover install would be problematic.

At our previous house we had a removable fence where there was a series of 2" holes in the deck around the pool. The fence came in several sections that locked together and the fence pools inserted into the holes in the deck. As you say this may not work with brick.

If you are ever considering a solar cover you might want to consider a more permanent barrier. Even a very good swimmer could get tangled up and drown if they fall in the pool with the solar cover on.

 

[MITBeta]

I put up a fence from this company around my pool. It seems to solve several of your problems: physical barrier, at relatively low cost relative to a true fence, and easily removable, either temporarily or permanently. I'm in my 3rd year with mine and it still looks brand new.

Pool Fence DIY | Do It Yourself Pool Fencing Made Easy

Removable mesh pool fence makes your pool safer for children. Pool Fence DIY can save you 55% by installing it yourself with our 7-day-a-week phone support.

www.poolfencediy.com

 

[wireform]

At our current house we have an autocover. We got it both for safety (have a 4 and 8 year old) and heat retention. The cover itself and the tracks are not the prettiest thing to look at especially compared to a pool full of water, but we made that compromise. I don't think the cover box on the deck is that unsightly. With your pool entry sticking out from the rest of the pool I think an autocover install would be problematic.

At our previous house we had a removable fence where there was a series of 2" holes in the deck around the pool. The fence came in several sections that locked together and the fence pools inserted into the holes in the deck. As you say this may not work with brick.

If you are ever considering a solar cover you might want to consider a more permanent barrier. Even a very good swimmer could get tangled up and drown if they fall in the pool with the solar cover on.

A solar cover as far as safety is concerned is very dangerous. A kid falling onto one goes down to the bottom looking like a Hershey kiss and you can't get out of it to come back up. I say no solar cover unless the pool is protected fence wise.

 

[Newdude]

My dog ran across my solar cover as a shortcut the first day we used it.

If he hadn’t gotten trapped right side up with his head above water, he would have drowned by the time I dragged him and his 900 gallon cocoon to the side of the pool.

neither he nor the kids were allowed in the fenced in pool area while the cover was on after that.

 

[yblaser]

A solar cover as far as safety is concerned is very dangerous. A kid falling onto one goes down to the bottom looking like a Hershey kiss and you can't get out of it to come back up. I say no solar cover unless the pool is protected fence wise.

Yes, wholeheartedly agree hence my recommendation for a permanent solution. Thanks for being more explicit on the dangers

 

[Mdragger88]

I suggest you do a multi pronged approach:
*Physical barrier (diy non climable self locking pool fence of some type or auto cover )
* battery powered alarms placed high on exterior doors & windows that lead to the pool (our doors are set to chime & the windows to alarm) these are helpful in general to let you know if anyone is going outside at all. We have them on every door/window
* wifi camera w/ motion alerts (also nice for just checking on the state of the pool & backyard when away)
* swimming lessons/training
Kids are fast, quiet, & can be fearless around pools.
Parents/homeowners simply can’t be everywhere all the time especially when you have multiple children.
A simple alarm on an exterior door can alert the adults that someone has made their way out so they can check up on it quickly. They are required by code in many new builds unfortunately most people disable them after inspection.
We have all of these layers in place & most aside from the physical barrier are fairly inexpensive.
After the tragedy of our friend’s daughter slipping out the door during a get together in a room full of adults & drowning in their pool we decided just one layer of securing the pool was not enough.
I hope you find a good solution that will work for your space & your family.

 

[chiefwej]

The rear doors on my house have two locks (one out of reach of kids) plus an alarm. If a kid did get out, they are still faced with a 5’ metal fence, gated with pool safety latch between them and the pool. And we have no children living in our household.

 

[CKnight]

Thanks again for all these comments. I figured the solar cover would present it's own hazard, but it's good to hear this first hand info on how dangerous. Obviously I'll deal with inefficiency and energy waste until I am confident that there is little to no risk.

And we actually do have a Nest camera out there and chimes on our doors. The Next camera doesn't give me a motion alarm, but I can try to figure out how to do that. And the door chime is not that loud, but I can look to change that too. And we are 100% getting swim lessons for the little one. That to me is the most important step I can take.

We did get a price back on the automatic cover and without the box that covers the unit, it would be about $12k. And we'd probably have to widen the brick around the pool a little because of the extra piece that comes out in the shallow end (the track would have to run that wide all the way through the deep end. My wife really wants to go this route because she'd prefer to not have a physical fence, but we'd eventually want to have a nice box/bench to sit over the cover at the end of the pool, and that's another $5k (maybe I could have one built more cheaply by someone else after but that is the quote we got for a very nice looking wood box/bench from the company that would do the cover). So then we are talking like $17k. That is just crazy.

So I think we'll probably just do a DIY fence. I do still think the infrared perimeter would work, but it would just require a level of vigilance that would be such a burden that it wouldn't be worth it. We'd need to be SO much more on top of our kids all the time, make sure we're have the alarms or notifications close enough to hear them, have to keep the doors locked and alarmed most of the time, etc. And obviously it wouldn't be as secure as an actual fence and people's comments about saving a kid who actually does fall in the deep end are sufficiently scary to me that I don't want to risk that. I am a good swimmer but diving in and pulling my sinking 3 year old from the deep end is just not something I even want to think about.

Maybe I'll update with what we end up doing, but I am pretty convinced at this point of the necessity of an actually physical barrier.