Is a Self-Closing Pool Gate Worth It?
A self-closing pool gate might be one of the most important additions to your home. In today’s post, we’ll talk about this helpful pool safety feature and explain why you might want to install one.
DIY Pool Fences and Self-Closing Pool Gates Work Together!
Obviously, we’re pretty huge fans of pool fences. We’ve written several posts on the benefits of installing a secure DIY pool fence. When it comes to keeping children safe, placing a barrier in front of the water often saves lives. After all, drowning is the leading cause of death for children between the ages of one and four. Of course, all pool fences are not necessarily up to snuff. Some of them lack critical safety features.For maximum effectiveness, a pool fence should include these basic elements:
- The fence should be at least 48 inches tall
- At this height, it will be difficult for a child or pet to climb over the pool fence and gain access to the pool.
- The individual fence slats should not be any more than four inches apart from each other.
- Without this precaution, a curious child might be able squeeze through. In these cases, if the child is lucky, he or she will simply get stuck between the wider fence slats. The worst-case scenario is that they make it to the water and drown.
- Finally, we highly recommend adding a self-closing pool gate.
- Far too often, accidents happen because a pool gate is left ajar. This safety feature adds security and is also incredibly convenient for busy parents. It virtually eliminates that fear. In the next section, we’ll show you how.
What is a Self-Closing Pool Gate?
A self-closing pool gate is an often ignored but crucial component of pool safety. A fence can provide a barrier to entry to your pool area… but only if it’s properly closed. In many cases, a door latch may get stuck or you may simply forget to close it tightly. As you can imagine, a wide-open pool is a major safety hazard. To solve this problem, try installing a self-closing pool gate. You see, this purposefully designed gate will automatically shut behind you. You don’t need to manually lock up each and every time you exit or enter. The self-closing pool gate is designed to close and automatically lock up for you, without any extra effort. It provides excellent peace of mind and can frankly eliminate a lot of danger from your home. Of course, you don’t need to just take our word for it. As a matter of fact, both the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Academy of Pediatrics also recommend installing a self-latching, self-closing pool gate.This Gate Works as an Extra Layer of Protection
Of course, for any pool owner looking to prevent drowning, it pays to add multiple layers of protection. A pool fence and self-closing pool gate are excellent precautions, but by adding more safety measures, you can reduce your risk even further.- Add high locks to all of the doors and windows leading to the pool.
- Add alarms on the doors and windows that access the pool.
- Place an extra alarm inside the pool to warn if someone is in the water.
- Consider swimming lessons for everyone in your family.
- CPR training is more important than most people realize. It can absolutely save you or a loved one’s life.
