Pool safety net along the bottom of a retaining wall

[paticus]

Hi! New member! I bought a house with a pool. I am investigating installing a safety net, but I have a 2 foot retaining wall running along one side of the pool. I’m wondering if anybody has installed a safety net along the bottom of a retaining wall? I like the net’s flush look, and don’t want it running up the wall.
Btw I am replacing the wall, deck, coping, tile, and plaster, so the opportunity to build something into the wall is available.
Thanks and looking forward to using the forum!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! To make sure we understand, you are looking to install something on the top of that 2-ft brick wall to keep something from falling down the slope into the pool correct? If so, are you focused on people/pet safety only, or are there other concerns such as dirt and debris?

 

[paticus]

Correct, a safety net for kiddos. And I’d like to avoid installing on top of the wall if possible. I just talked to an installer for All Safe pool nets, who said it needs to go on top of the wall unless I can expose the coping there at the bottom. As they need a horizontal surface to anchor the net. But I wanted to see if anybody had any creative ways of keeping the net flush so I don’t have webbing all over my wall.
However I’m losing hope

 

[Summoner12]

OH... you're reworking the wall.... if you're gonna cut the dird back and move the wall so you can get enough space to walk between a wall and the pool edge, that'd be ideal.

My 2 years of experience with a pool net at my brother in law's place is that they're kick butt, but I'd do your best to make a level plane for the net to secure to, as much as possible.

We recently moved to a new home, with a pool. A net is in the works for us, just can't decide if I want to pay the higher amount for the All Safe net or the katchakid. the all safe net is what my BIL had, and it was great. I just don't know if it's $400 better than the "original" brand of net....

 

[Dirk]

Welcome to TFP! To make sure we understand, you are looking to install something on the top of that 2-ft brick wall to keep something from falling down the slope into the pool correct? If so, are you focused on people/pet safety only, or are there other concerns such as dirt and debris?

paticus said "correct" but I'm not sure you two are saying the same thing. I think paticus is talking about a net that stretches across the pool, to keep his kids from falling into the water, not one that goes vertically behind the wall like a backstop. Do I have that wrong?

If I am right, yikes, I can't offer any ideas. You need to be able to walk all the way around the pool and spa to connect/disconnect the net to/from its anchors, which are typically located in the deck, several inches, maybe a foot, back from the pool's edge. Is that the type of net you're considering? I suppose you could anchor it to the wall, but then you'd have to be In the pool to disconnect it to swim, then reconnect it before you get out. And that would get old real fast. But even if that were possible, you'll have some amount of gap between the net and the wall, like a scalloped edge. Hard to say if those gaps would be kid proof or not. Technically, 4" is kind of the standard for that, as in: if a 4" sphere can pass through an opening, then that opening is not child proof.

You'd have to push that wall back several feet, two at least, possibly three, to achieve the amount of flat deck you'd need. That's a lot for that slope.

Is there a way to install a fence around the pool? Is that an option? Even if there is a way to rig the net, they're a pain: taking it off and putting it back on for every swim! I'm too lazy. I'd rather just open a gate and jump in...

 

[Rich D]

Probably not what you want to hear but the first thing I would do is get rid of those trees. They are only going to get bigger and more troublesome as time goes by and to put all that money into the pool and have one of them come crashing down onto it would be a terrible thing.trees on a slope like that are inherently much more unstable than trees planted on flat ground. not to mention the huge amount of debris that will no longer be falling in your pool. There is also the issue of root intrusion to anything you build over there. Umbrellas, shade sailes or small structures provide far more pool-friendly shade than trees do. Removing the trees would allow you to put a properly terraced wall system in. Having the first wall at 18 to 24 in would give you a sitting wall and much more open feeling on the other side of the pool. This will give you easier maintenance on the pool and the ability to install a safety net.

 

[cesson]

@paticus A pool net could be installed flush along the back way using wall mounted vertical anchors - however we wouldn't recommend it. You would completely loose ease of use, and you would be in the water to remove and replace the net. Additionally, wall anchors increase removal and replacement time; here is an example of a net fitted this way.

@Summoner12 why pay $400 more -

 

[paticus]

Yes this is for a safety net that stretches across the pool. Specifically, the "All Safe" net. I'm going to chat with my contractor about ripping out these trees and terracing that wall. I actually have a nice gate around the pool right now (the removable style), but my wife hates it because it closes off the yard. The pool is pretty close to our patio. Decisions decisions, on top of choosing the pool finish, tile, coping, decking, retaining wall finish, etc...

 

[Dirk]

Yep, fence is ugly, too. Net is a pain. What about an automatic pool cover? A track along the wall, the other track on the other side under the new coping, or on the deck if the shape over there requires that type. Cover box embedded in the new deck along the fence. Push a button = pool. Push again = safe! They're not cheap, but can't be worse than moving that wall. There are lots of ways to refinish that existing wall: stone veneer, stucco, tile, whatever, without removing it and starting from scratch. Landscape the slope. Removing trees optional (their gunk would now fall on the cover instead of into the water, which is both good and bad?). Done.