Dark coloured mesh fences are very transparent and
rarely show dirt, which partly explains their
popularity. However, before removing your fence you
should rinse it off with a garden hose. The fence can
collect dirt, just like a car sitting in a driveway.
CAN MY CHILDREN LIFT THE POLES OUT OF THE HOLES?
Proper installation of the fence provides a “tension
fit” that prevents most children from lifting the
fence out. However, this tension fit does not
mechanically hold the fence into the patio.
CAN MY CHILD UNLATCH THE SECTIONS?
Although it would be extremely difficult for a child to
unlatch the sections (especially a toddler who wouldn't
be able to reach the top of the fence),
as an additional safety feature, there are small holes
at the end of each stainless steel clasp which are
designed for a padlock. We have solid brass padlocks
available that all operate with the same key. This will
prevent any child (or adult) from unlatching the
sections of fence. We recommend this system when you
have age disparity issues in your family or if you have
a rambunctious child.
CAN MY CHILD CLIMB THE FENCE?
The mesh surface of all Guardian pool fences will
not allow finger or toe holds, thus making our fence
one of the least climbable fences available.
However, parents must continue to supervise their
children because you never know if they might try
and pull a chair up to the fence to gain a height
advantage.
CAN MY CHILD KNOCK THE FENCE DOWN?
This question is the most difficult to answer without
seeing your property. It is largely dependent on the
height of fencing you choose. The best way to answer
this is to help you evaluate your own pool area. Please
see below.
This
picture demonstrates how much safer your toddler is
with a Guardian pool fence surrounding your swimming
pool.
If you would like some guidelines as to
what height of fence you should choose, please read
on......
The following details are from the manufacturers'
website (hence the use of the word 'backyard, rather
than garden or sun terrace!):-
What you are about to read below is not scientific.
This is about helping you to make a determination about
fence height without a professional evaluating your pool
area.
This is how I tried to answer these questions when
acting in the capacity of a marketing
professional/parent from 1988 through 2002. This was
something I did 6 days a week for almost 15 years. I
tried to look at the pool area as if I was the child. I
wanted to know how this child could beat my system
before they did it, so I could help the parents
determine what they should do to keep their children
safe. That’s why customers called for an appointment to
evaluate their pool area. It’s astonishing the things I
learned about children while doing this.
On a personal note, many times I recommended to parents
that they put up a 5 foot high fence. Most of my
customers listened to what I had to say. The parents
that didn’t listen to my advice sometimes called at
later dates and told me that their children did in fact
go over the top of a 4 foot fence. They usually used
patio furniture as their ladder.
We have had countless customers over the last 20 years
pay us to take down their 4 foot tall fence and put our
5 foot fencing into the same installation. Rarely did a
customer that purchased our 5 foot fence ask us to
remove it and install a 4 foot high fence. Remember,
THIS IS NOT SCIENTIFIC. This is one way for parents to
determine the height of a fence in their pool area
without a professional evaluation.
FACT:
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1988
established that 4 foot high fencing is a
minimum height for fences around
pools.
FACT: The higher the fence the more difficult it is to
get over it.
QUESTIONS
TO DETERMINE THE HEIGHT OF FENCE REQUIRED
ANSWERS
Do you have children that are generally obedient and
follow instructions or do you have children that are
wild and rambunctious?
If you answered cautious children, grade yourself a
1. If you answered rambunctious children, grade
yourself a 2.
Reason: If you know your children are calm well
behaved and generally cautious consider yourself
blessed. You probably are not going to have a
problem with a 4 foot tall fence. If your children aren’t little angels and you’re
worried about them because they throw caution to the
wind and can climb almost anything, then you know
that regardless of anything else you should put up a
fence higher than 4 feet.
Do you have twins or more than one child under age
4?
If you answered one child and you’re not planning to
have more children grade yourself a 1. More than 1 child under 4, grade yourself a 2.
Reason: If you have two or more children under the
age of 4 you should realize that these children will
work together to achieve a goal. They don’t
necessarily need patio furniture to get over the top
of a 4 foot tall fence, because one child can help
another get over this fence. Remember, the 4 foot
tall fence is the
MINIMUMheight recommended by the USCPSC.
Do you have a large backyard for the children to
play in or a small backyard?
If you have a large backyard, grade yourself a 1.
If you have a small backyard, grade yourself a 2.
Reason: “The smaller the backyard the higher the
fence”. I have told that to thousands of customers
over the years. The reason is because the closer
children play to a fence, the more opportunity they
have to get over the top.
How far away from where the fence is going to be
located is your patio furniture?
Under 20 feet away grade yourself a 1. Under 15 feet away grade yourself a 2.
Under 10 feet away, grade yourself a 3.
Reason: Patio furniture is the most common way for a
child to circumvent a pool fence. One of the
smartest things parents can do is get the furniture
out of the backyard. If that isn’t possible, then
tie the furniture together so that individual pieces
of furniture can’t be moved to call to your fence.
Don’t say, “My kid won’t do that”. Assume your
children will do that and your pool area will be a
much safer environment for your children when they
are playing outside.
Evaluation from Guardian's (non scientific)
QUESTIONNAIRE:-
If the sum total from these questions totalled 4,
then a four
foot high fence is probably adequate.
If the sum total from these questions totalled 5 or
6, you should consider a pool fence higher than 4
feet tall.
If the sum total from your these questions totalled
7 or greater, you should strongly consider our 5
foot tall pool fence.
This questionnaire is to be considered a guide to
determining the pool fence height in your backyard ONLY
and should not be used by itself in determining how tall
your pool fence should be.
PLEASE REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WHEN DEALING
WITH CHILDREN UNDER 4 YEARS OLD AND A SWIMMING POOL:
Children have NO FEAR
Children are attracted to the water
Children don’t know right from wrong
You
can’t trust their judgment!
I hope these Q & A and some of our way of thinking
helped you with some of the issues dealing with swimming
pools and children.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions
or comments. We can be reached at:
info@guardianpoolfence.com
Sincerely,
Steven Sadinsky, President
Guardian Pool Fence Systems
Provide your family and/or your guests with something
priceless, but something money can buy -
Peace of Mind.
