The colder months are upon us, so for many people, it’s time to prepare our pools. Today, let’s explore four steps you can take to safely close your pool.
4 Steps to Safely Close Your Pool
1 – Call a Professional
The first and most important step toward water safety is to understand your abilities. To safely close your pool, you’ll want to make sure everything is perfect. For smaller pools, closing can be a relatively simple job. For larger pools, stretching a cover across the water can become a bit more elaborate. In this case, you may want to call for help. If you’re unsure, there’s no shame in calling a local professional who does this routinely.
2 – Choose the Right Cover
If you are confident in your ability to safely close your pool on your own, you should make sure you’re using the right pool cover. After all, all pool covers are not equal. For starters, you’ll need a weight-bearing cover. Besides keeping outside dirt and debris from the water, these can also support the weight of a person. This is a crucial safety step. If a person or animal trips and falls into the closed pool, a proper cover should prevent them from tumbling into the water and possibly becoming trapped under the torn cover. All of this said, while the cover should be able to support a person’s weight, it won’t be designed for someone to stand on it for long periods of time. After a while, even the best covers can wear down. Be sure to check and double-check your cover for any possible tears or compromises. Careful safety practices can prevent a potential tragedy.
3 – Add Layers of Protection
Once you’ve applied your pool cover, there’s still more to do to safely close your pool. As we often say, proper water safety comes from layers of protection. After all, it only takes a few moments for drowning danger to strike. Instead of simply setting up the pool cover and calling it a day, consider adding some other layers of protection to your home and pool area. These can help during the active pool season as much as when the pool is shut down:
Install A Pool Fence
Our favorite pool safety tool is… you guessed it: the pool fence. These handy devices are specifically designed to keep children and pets from accessing the pool area. That’s good news since, according to the CDC, drowning is the most common cause of death for children under four years of age. When a high quality pool fence is installed, the danger is significantly lessened.
The pool fence should be at least 4’ high and strong enough to withstand the force of the elements or a child slamming against it.
To learn more, read our post about the value of pool fences.
Self-Latching Gate
Beyond the fence itself, don’t forget to have a gate with a sturdy lock in place when you safely close your pool. Kids are curious, so a proper lock can keep them out of harm’s way. A self-closing gate will automatically shut and lock behind you as you enter or leave. It’s an excellent safety feature that eliminates one possibility of human error.
Alarms are Life Savers
Even with all of the above barriers in place, don’t forget to add some alarms. This additional layer of protect alerts the family that someone has entered the pool area unexpectedly. This can mean that a stray animal or a curious child who wandered outside has gained access to the pool area. Alarms can be installed on any door or window that leads outside.
4 – Put Away Chemicals and Toys
When it comes to safely closing your pool, out of sight is out of mind. In this case, we’re talking about your pool chemicals and your pool toys. Be sure to lock up hazardous materials far away from curious little hands. Chemical poisoning is a very serious danger. Additionally, move the pool toys into storage. If there aren’t floats and pool noodles in the yard, the kids will be far less interested in playing by the pool area. It’s better to play it safe.
