Five Signs Your Swimming Pool Needs a Safety Upgrade
When you have a pool on your property, it becomes a focal point for fun in the summer and a feature that needs to be maintained.
However, life can sometimes get in the way, and pool maintenance calls fall by the wayside, leading to pumps not being cleaned and the surrounds of the pool falling into disrepair.
How do you know when it is time to upgrade the safety systems around your pool?
1. Faulty Gates or Fencing
If you have a pool gate or fencing and the hinges look rusty or fail to close properly, you need to get them replaced.
Many modern residential pool designs aim to combine the contemporary with safety and will aim to have a frameless glass fence or similar barrier fitted. This allows you to see the pool from your home (or via an outside camera) to make sure that no kids, pets, or wildlife are sneaking in.
2. Broken Drain Covers
For your pool to function correctly, the drain covers need to be intact and clear. If you note that the drain covers at the bottom of the pool are cracked, have missing screws, or are over a decade old, then they need to be replaced. For a modern solution, aim to have a Virginia Graeme Baker Act, or VGBA, approved drain cover fitted.
3. Cracked Decking
The area around the pool is just as crucial to safety as the pool itself.
If you spot an issue with the coping stones around the pool (the pool edge) that are chipped, cracked, or uneven, then this can cause tripping hazards and places for mildew to fester.
Luckily, this is an easy fix. You need to reset, repair, or replace the coping stone with a fresh pour and refinish, and smooth the transitions to eliminate sharp edges.
4. Slippery Surfaces
Falling into the side of the pool is one of the most common injuries that occurs when you have a pool.
A warning sign for homeowners to look out for is that the paved area around the pool or the decking feels dangerously slick when damp, meaning the non-slip coating has worn away. Again, this is an easy repair. You simply need to have a professional reapply the non-slip coating to the pool’s edge or have slip-resistant decking installed if there is extensive damage.
5. Consistent Chemical Imbalances
If you have a pool, you need to check the chemical balances at least twice a week.
When you start to notice that the chlorine and water pH are off regularly, this is a sign that you need to look at the pumps and filters. Typically, issues with chlorine and water pH are linked to pumps being old, as each swimming pool pump needs complete replacement every eight to 10 years. With filters, their lifespan is shorter, needing complete replacements every two years, depending on pool size and filter type.
For your pool to be a fun feature of your home that adds value, it needs to be safe. So, get it up to code before usage or putting your home on the market. You may be surprised at how much value it brings to your selling price.
