pool alarms

[Buckeye Princess]

We are 2 weeks away from moving to Tampa. I'm working on our budget tonight for things we need for the new house. This will be our first time having a pool and with 2 little ones I'm quite paranoid. The pool is in a cage so our back sliding doors go right into the pool area but the playing part of the yard is separate. We will be installing keyed locks on all pool accessible doors and but I also want to get a pool alarm just to be extra safe.

Does anyone have one? This is one area where cost really is not a factor for me. I've had one friend and one coworker lose a child to drowning so it scares me. From my research I've seen some different types and was wondering what others have found works well for safety as well as for everyday living. (Example, I'm not sure about the ones where you have to carry a receiver around like a baby monitor)

 

[dakcp2001]

I am also curious! I know they do also make special pool covers that evenly distribute weight if someone steps on it instead of totally sinking around someone. We do not have children yet but my parents have a pool, so safety is a big concern.

 

[bumbershoot]

Along with all of the efforts you're already taking, don't forget to get them into swim lessons! Waterbabies if they are that young, or go to the Y if they are a little older.

 

[cassiez76]

i don't know how much they are, but the house we rented in orlando last year had alarms.

all doors and windows that faced the pool have to have an alarm. we had the hottest room with no fan and couldn't open our window to the breeze. but i know it was for safety.

the door had an alarm too, but it was a doorbell type. you had to press the button and then open the door. if it was opened for over 10 sec's, it would beep. if the door was opened without pressing the button, it beeped. LOUDLY.

it was also high up on the wall, so no little kids could get it. i'm 5'2 and actually had to raise my hand a little to open it.

there was also the same button on the outside of the wall so you could go back in.

and i'm totally jealous you're moving to fl...and with a pool!!

 

[marcemc]

Along with all of the efforts you're already taking, don't forget to get them into swim lessons! Waterbabies if they are that young, or go to the Y if they are a little older.

look into swimming classes as soon as you can & remember that even a great little swimmer should NEVER be at the pool unsupervised.

Alarms wise, check internet sites regarding pools safety policies, they tend to change from state to state.

Good luck on your move, say hi to Mickey

 

[Seahunt]

OP how new is your home in Tampa? I'm not sure of the date the regulations passed, but there is a FL Building code that requires certain child pool safety procedures to be performed when the pool is installed. Our home was built in 2003, and due to those regulations when the house was built there was a door alarm installed in each room leading to the pool lanai (works off the security system, but is separately wired just to use for the doors to the pool), and it sounds like the same kind of system cassiez76 is speaking of. I know other people have a system with a type of fencing that installs directly right up around the pool to keep the kids out, then you can remove it to swim. So you might want to check and make sure there's not already some sort of pool protection already there

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

May I chime in? I don't mean to sound preachy, but this topic is near and dear to me and when someone asks anything regarding pool safety and children, I will speak my peace. There is no judgement, only the safety of your children is of importance to me.

First--when we built our pool to code in 2004, the requirement was to have a barrier between child and pool. For neighbors, it meant a yard fence or a pool screen ("cage" as you call it). For the residents of the house with the pool, it is a fence between you and the pool. For ANY access to include doors and windows that are within a certain number of inches to ground level (somewhere between 36 and 48 inches, I am not sure the specs), code requires a 90 decibel alarm to be installed on the window or door.

These are sold at home depot and when armed--they sound as loud as a home security alarm. We also had our regular alarm system, so we had chimes on doors so we would know when doors open.

So I would recommend that.

The locks--sorry, while they help...they become a nuisance to constantly have to lock/unlock them. What can happen is complacency that you don't intend and that puts your child at risk.

A child pool fence OR a safety cover is your better bets. Folks don't like how they look--but it really doesn't matter. Years from now when your kids aren't at risk of falling in the pool, like when they are teens--pool fences come off and you can put covers onto the holes. Easy peasy. Totally recommend the pool fence. We had one and it allowed us to enjoy patio time and access to the yard without having to navigate an unguarded pool deck.

Lastly--if your children are 6 and under, consider--PLEASE--consider ISR swim lessons. www.infantswim.org has info. All of my kids have had this. It will equip your child with the skills they need in the event they accidentally find themselves in water. Lessons that begin by teaching blowing bubbles are simply not adequate in the event of an accident. Many YMCA branches in Florida only offer Safe Start which is ISR taught via the Y. We no long live in a place where we get in the pool as often, but my baby is still enrolled and my son has had his refresher lessons already.

As of mid-April, there have been 37 drownings and 38 near drownings to date. The stories are all different and all very sad. (http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/04/22/report-75-drownings-near-drownings-15-weeks/#ixzz1KHeSOuLX)

Your pool may not have a fence because it isn't code to require one, it is just one of several options when building a pool.

We totally loved our pool--but please make sure you have as much between the pool and your children as possible for when the pool is not being used. Noone is ever drown-proof and nothing replaces supervision.

The barriers, alarms, and survival lessons are the extra protections necessary in the event of an accident. (much like car seats in cars and fire drills in schools)

Happy moving! I wish I was in your shoes.

 

[mhsjax]

May I chime in? I don't mean to sound preachy, but this topic is near and dear to me and when someone asks anything regarding pool safety and children, I will speak my peace. There is no judgement, only the safety of your children is of importance to me.

First--when we built our pool to code in 2004, the requirement was to have a barrier between child and pool. For neighbors, it meant a yard fence or a pool screen ("cage" as you call it). For the residents of the house with the pool, it is a fence between you and the pool. For ANY access to include doors and windows that are within a certain number of inches to ground level (somewhere between 36 and 48 inches, I am not sure the specs), code requires a 90 decibel alarm to be installed on the window or door.

These are sold at home depot and when armed--they sound as loud as a home security alarm. We also had our regular alarm system, so we had chimes on doors so we would know when doors open.

So I would recommend that.

The locks--sorry, while they help...they become a nuisance to constantly have to lock/unlock them. What can happen is complacency that you don't intend and that puts your child at risk.

A child pool fence OR a safety cover is your better bets. Folks don't like how they look--but it really doesn't matter. Years from now when your kids aren't at risk of falling in the pool, like when they are teens--pool fences come off and you can put covers onto the holes. Easy peasy. Totally recommend the pool fence. We had one and it allowed us to enjoy patio time and access to the yard without having to navigate an unguarded pool deck.

Lastly--if your children are 6 and under, consider--PLEASE--consider ISR swim lessons. www.infantswim.org has info. All of my kids have had this. It will equip your child with the skills they need in the event they accidentally find themselves in water. Lessons that begin by teaching blowing bubbles are simply not adequate in the event of an accident. Many YMCA branches in Florida only offer Safe Start which is ISR taught via the Y. We no long live in a place where we get in the pool as often, but my baby is still enrolled and my son has had his refresher lessons already.

As of mid-April, there have been 37 drownings and 38 near drownings to date. The stories are all different and all very sad. (http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/04/22/report-75-drownings-near-drownings-15-weeks/#ixzz1KHeSOuLX)

Your pool may not have a fence because it isn't code to require one, it is just one of several options when building a pool.

We totally loved our pool--but please make sure you have as much between the pool and your children as possible for when the pool is not being used. Noone is ever drown-proof and nothing replaces supervision.

The barriers, alarms, and survival lessons are the extra protections necessary in the event of an accident. (much like car seats in cars and fire drills in schools)

Happy moving! I wish I was in your shoes.

100% agree. We live in FLorida. We didn't want the alarms system, so we have a cage and we had the fence around the pool. Now, 10 years later, the kids are fish, they are older and the fence is down and the holes plugged.

Those fences are impossible to open for a child, it takes strength that they don't have, plus coordination and two hands.

I would recommend those. Enjoy your new home and pool and welcome to FLorida, I wouldn't live anywhere else.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I have a clarification for my post. I did not catch it until after I posted and was quoted.

I did not qualify my statement regarding window and door alarms. Those are only "required" by code in lieu of a fence--whether you choose not to have one or the area cannot be fenced. I had written it after the fence statement and had it correct in my mind, but did not articulate that the alarm is in lieu of a pool fence.

 

[itsheresomewhere]

I think you are referring to the pool alarm that goes in the pool sort and sets off an alarm when something hits the water. Down the street had one and got rid of it. It would go off if a leaf hit the water. I think they have ones that you can set the sensitivity settings now.

 

[golfgal]

One thing with any kind of alarm, they are only good if you can hear them. If you are outside talking to the neighbors while your little one is inside "napping" and the little one gets up and goes into the pool area-will you hear the alarm??

 

[mhsjax]

One thing with any kind of alarm, they are only good if you can hear them. If you are outside talking to the neighbors while your little one is inside "napping" and the little one gets up and goes into the pool area-will you hear the alarm??

Yes, they are designed to sound almost like the alarm in your house, after the warning tones. They will wake the dead, that is why most people decide to use the fence around the pool.

 

[sweetdana]

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/pro...s/appliances-electronics/best-pool-alarm-gate

I just bought my mom one for mother's day. I went with the quickest to go off I think it was 229 ish on Amazon.

 

[Lauralee]

At each house we've owned that we had an in-ground pool built, we had the contractor also install an automatic pool cover. It is operated by turning a key in a switch that activates the motor for the cover. The key is removable from the switch...just like a car ignition or door lock. The key can be hidden, if you choose, or just kept out of reach of little children.

The cover is strong enough that an adult can walk across it. It is attached on three sides of the pool and it closes up tight at the shallow end with no open gap of water exposed.

I know that these covers can be a little pricey, but this extra level of security is priceless in my mind when it came to the safety of my kids. I wouldn't own a pool without one.

Here's a link to a cover like I'm talking about if you're interested in how they work:

http://www.aquamatic.com/videos.html

 

[jodifla]

We are 2 weeks away from moving to Tampa. I'm working on our budget tonight for things we need for the new house. This will be our first time having a pool and with 2 little ones I'm quite paranoid. The pool is in a cage so our back sliding doors go right into the pool area but the playing part of the yard is separate. We will be installing keyed locks on all pool accessible doors and but I also want to get a pool alarm just to be extra safe.

Does anyone have one? This is one area where cost really is not a factor for me. I've had one friend and one coworker lose a child to drowning so it scares me. From my research I've seen some different types and was wondering what others have found works well for safety as well as for everyday living. (Example, I'm not sure about the ones where you have to carry a receiver around like a baby monitor)

How old are your children?

The first thing you should do when you get to Florida is get them both in swimming lessons at a certified swim school. My son started at about 15 months. At about 30 months, he fell into a pool in Mexico, and was able to turn around, grab the wall, and pull himself out.

 

[John VN]

Like others, we have a pool cage. We also had a pool fence installed around the pool 13 years ago, however, NOTHING works as well as a vigilant adult.

 

[Buckeye Princess]

Thank you for all of the input. It is sooo helpful and I feel much better prepared to tackle this task. My daughter is 27 months and my son is 5 months. DD can tread water and float as we started her at 6 months. DS will start lessons the week after we move.

 

[IdesOmarch]

You got the little floatie things to put on them to make them float in case they do get into the water? You'll need those anyway.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

You got the little floatie things to put on them to make them float in case they do get into the water? You'll need those anyway.

Water wings are horrible devices!!!!

The only "flotation device" a child should wear is a coast guard approved life jacket. But even then, a flotation device should not be used to learn how to swim as the child typically does not have access to it when they accidentally fall into the water. They will still assume the position (vertical) that the devices place them in and then they sink to the bottom of the pool.

 

[DVC-Don]

Back in the day we had several makes of pool alarms. All of them gave false alarms quite often. What we did was have the local Y send two instructors to our pool and give swim lessons to our two kids and the all the neighbors. The other parents all chipped in for the lessons. Our pool is out in the back yard surounded by a fence with locked gates.