Pool alarm

[lukeyn]

Hi all,
I’m sad I even have to post this. Our puppy got into the pool fence and fell in and drowned this week. My wife went into the frozen water to try and save her, but it was too late. I really need to find a solution to let me sleep at night and ensure this never happens again…to my dog or to my children. I keep the pool locked with a combination lock 24/7, but it wasn’t enough. I’m guilt ridden and need help finding some sort of alarm system to make sure this dogs death wasn’t in vain. We ordered the Pool Guard Alarm, but have seen hit and miss reviews. Wondering if a 110v motion detector with an on/off switch would work as well. Thanks for any/all help.

 

[klanel]

Sorry you lost your dog, I know I would be devastated. If you have a gate and lock, why can't you keep it secure? How was the puppy able to get in? That would be my first step to secure the perimeter regardless of the additional alarm. Once again, sorry you lost your puppy.

 

[Leebo]

For starters, sorry to hear that about your dog. I know how pets quickly become a member of the family.

I’ve been going over in my head ways to use sensors for home automation to create pool alarms. By any chance do you use any sort of “smart devices” in your house?

 

[lukeyn]

We recently repoured concrete to fix a place and one fence post was down. We had it setup to ensure kids could not get in during this time, but the pup was able to find her way in.

I have a few smart devices to include flood detectors in the basement, etc. My buddy has the nest cam that sends alerts every time it detects motion. I’ve thought about one of these, but the biggest issue is, I rarely have my phone on me while I’m home.

 

[Newdude]

So sorry Luke.

IMHO the alarms have too many false trips, and so do the motion detectors.

I’d go with a katchakid temporary fence (or similar). They drill and install sleeves and you just plunk it in/out as needed.

Pool Fences

Pool Fences Pool Safety Fence Product Summary Fittings Gates Installation Gallery The Katchakid Pool Safety Fence Designed and Installed with Safety in

katchakid.com

 

[lukeyn]

My biggest heartache of it all is I will have the post reinstalled this weekend….it was only down for week….and we put up a barrier for the kids, never thinking about the pup.

 

[Leebo]

My buddy has the nest cam that sends alerts every time it detects motion. I’ve thought about one of these, but the biggest issue is, I rarely have my phone on me while I’m home.

Aqara has a hub that doubles as an alarm that I’ve imagined as the backbone for a system for a pool. This can be setup to make loud noises if alarms are triggered. As @Newdude stated however you will need to work around false positive alarms however, and that’s tricky for sure.

 

[Cena_sea]

I'm sorry to hear about your dog. I know someone who had something similar happen with a senior dog when their gate door was propped open during maintenance. For the google nest cam and motion detection alerts I believe you can also send the alert/video to a nest hub. You can start off with one hub and eventually get multiples set up in key locations in your home (kitchen or office etc...). I have them set on showing pictures (phone camera albums) or on general photos so they blend in to decor. Ideally you'd try to get one camera to cover the entire pool and gate enclosure area.

I don't recall any false motion alerts with general water motion (even on windy days) but I know tree branches if windy can trigger a motion alert. I do not get alerts when the vacuum (left in pool) runs. The ring system is probably very similar. You can pm me if you have any questions.

 

[KJB1]

My puppy is in a kennel or inside when not being watched. No reason they need to be able to run around the whole yard when the pool area is not secure.

 

[lukeyn]

My puppy is in a kennel or inside when not being watched. No reason they need to be able to run around the whole yard when the pool area is not secure.

I agree…unfortunately with my wife working from home, things happened too fast. She took a work call after letting the dogs out and got sidetracked. No excuse, nothing to say, it sucks. I can’t undo it, I can only learn and try to ensure nothing happens again. Believe me, having to come home from work and find my puppy dead and my wife cold and soaking wet, then having to tell my boys their pup died was one of the worst things I have had to do. I appreciate you do not let the dog out unattended.

 

[KJB1]

I agree…unfortunately with my wife working from home, things happened too fast. She took a work call after letting the dogs out and got sidetracked. No excuse, nothing to say, it sucks. I can’t undo it, I can only learn and try to ensure nothing happens again. Believe me, having to come home from work and find my puppy dead and my wife cold and soaking wet, then having to tell my boys their pup died was one of the worst things I have had to do. I appreciate you do not let the dog out unattended.

Sad situation. I wasn’t being judgmental, I know things happen.

 

[Mdragger88]

I have one of these at the end of my driveway.
Chamberlain Group CWA2000 Chamberlain Driveway Alert, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ISVJL6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_GPPWPHZETT15FHCQDZ1B
I have had it since 2016 & its still going strong.
Its very loud. I can hear it all over my house. Even when I’m in the back bathroom w/ the door closed.
The sensor runs on batteries (that seem to last forever). The base (the part that dings) plugs in & u can pick the tone. You can also have multiple sensors connected to the same base with different sounds.
You want to put it where it won’t be falsely tripped by movement in another area which can take some adjustments but it works very well.
Also i have a wifi camera on my pool - it alerts my phone.

 

[lukeyn]

I have an older security system by fortress security that is no longer in use. I’m looking online for 433mhz pir outdoor sensors. It would work, but I need to find a few sensors and pair them. I should be able to arm/disarm the system when needed. And it throws a super loud alarm.

 

[lukeyn]

Driveway Alarm Wireless Outside, 1byone Motion Sensor Alarm 1000 FT Range Extra Loud Chimes Home Security Alarm System with 1 Receiver 2 Weatherproof Infrared Sensors Protect Indoor/Outdoor Property https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q2Y1BTQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_6VD9KVJE0BPBZG8Y8FXW

Went ahead and ordered this unit. Will update everyone with my thoughts after installing and using for a month. Biggest thing that drew me to this unit is the alarm function which goes off until disabled so we “shouldn’t” miss the notification if we are in other areas of the house.

 

[miltonmom]

@lukeyn - So very sorry for your loss. We've got a new pool and have a fence inside a fence but still..... I've been researching pool alarm systems too. I'll check back on your post.
Merry Christmas