Category Archives: Pool and Spa Safety

Anti-Entrapment Drain Covers Make For a Safe Vacation

Safety Drain Covers

I’m vacationing this week with my family at a hotel with an indoor water park.  Fun?  Yes.  Safe?  Yes!  In addition to having several lifeguards on duty throughout the water park — at the top and bottom of each curvy slide, along the lazy river, near the kiddie spray area — they can also boast a safe hot tub.  Safe because the drains at the bottom of the spa are equipped with Anti-Entrapment Drain Covers, also known as Anti-Vortex Drain Covers.

Anti-Entrapment Drain Covers are domed, or in some way raised from the flat surface at the bottom of the pool or spa so that no body parts, clothing, or objects can ever completely cover the drain and create a deadly suction from which escape is extremely difficult.  Thanks to the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act of 2007, all drains at public pools and spas must be fitted with Anti-Entrapment Drain Covers.  Most public pools and spas have complied, but it’s worth it to double-check the drains for yourself the next time you visit a public pool or spa.

Pool Alarms – Instant Alerts for Drowning Prevention

Pool AlarmPool Alarm

Pool safety is extremely important. Any pool owner will be sure to tell you that they want to do whatever possible to ensure that they prevent drowning deaths and keep their pool as secure as possible. Other than monitoring your child at all times, the next best thing you can do to protect your open pool is installing a pool alarm. These alarms admit a piercing sound when a child or pet enters the water. It will alert you both at pool side and at a monitor inside your home. With this alarm, you can react in seconds instead of minutes, and when a child is accidentally immersed in a pool, those precious seconds can make all the difference.

Choosing A Pool Cover That Is Right For You

 Pool Cover

Choosing a pool cover can be confusing. Below, you will find an explanation of the four different types of covers that pool owners’ normally consider. By comparing the explanation and benefit of each with your own person needs, you are sure to find the cover or covers that perfectly fit your situation.

Winter Pool Covers are mainly used to protect your pool from harsh winter conditions and to keep large debris out of your pool. A winter cover also block sunlight to prevent algae growth. They are normally solid and use air pillows to allow for water expansion in freezing weather and water tubes or weight bags to hold in place. They make opening your pool easier and less expensive in the Spring.

Safety Covers are used for maintenance as well as to protect children and pets from accidental drowning in a pool closed for the season. A proper safety cover is securely anchored into the deck area surrounding the pool and lies flat so there are no gaps between the pool and the cover. They are available in mesh and solid materials. Because they are stretched tight across the pool’s surface, water does not pool on top. These covers are very important if you have children or pets.

Solar Covers, or solar blankets, are designed exclusively to help heat and retain heat in your pool. They can be used to raise your pool’s temperature by an average of 10-15 degrees. They also reduce heat and chemical evaporation by up to 70%.

Mesh covers, known as leaf nets, are made of an open weave material that fits over your winter cover or solar cover and helps you avoid accumulations of wet, heavy, saturated leaves and twigs on top of your winter cover. These nets ensure a quicker removal of leaves and helps prolong the life of your winter or solar cover. They are perfect for pool areas that are surrounded by trees. They make removal of your winter cover much easier in the spring.

Spa Steps Reduce Slipping Dangers

Spa Steps

The pool may be closing soon, but the hot tub is always ready to go — no matter the weather.  Stepping in or out of the hot tub, though, can be a challenge.  Straddling the side of the hot tub as you enter or exit is not only awkward, it is hard to keep your balance.  Slips and injuries are a real possibility when one foot is in the hot tub and the other is on the surface surrounding it.   If the surrounding surface area is wet, the danger is much greater.  Spa Steps offer an inexpensive solution for stepping safely in and out of the hot tub.  Made of a super strong and rugged polymer, Spa Steps have a non-skid surface and can be assembled without tools.

Pool Decks for Above Ground Pools — An Affordable Alternative

Owners of above ground pools face a common problem — what kind of deck do you put around the outside of the pool, if any?  Having no deck means that swimmers take the ladder straight from the grass into the pool, which means you’re cleaning grass and dirt out of the pool more often than you’d care to.   Decks for above ground pools, though, can be expensive if they are built with wood and custom-made to fit your particular pool and your particular yard.  Typical custom-made wood decks may look great, but they often cost even more than the pool.

Resin pool decks for above ground pools can be an ideal alternative.  High quality resin pool decks are extremely durable, UV protected to resist damage caused by the sun, and will fit nearly any above ground pool.  Additionally, resin pool decks are often less expensive than wood decks, and they add beauty and ease of entry to your above ground pool.