Floats | Gardening and Landscaping Design

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Posted by Mike | Posted in Planting & Gardening | Posted on 20-10-2009

Tags: float, floats, home, pool, pool float 2, pool float storage, pool floats, pool floats and loungers, pool floats and rafts, pool floats for babies, swim

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Ensuring Safety Around Your Swimming Pool: Protecting Children From Drowning -- Part 2

Pool alarms are only one of the many layers of protection that should be implemented in and around the backyard swimming pool to lower the incidence of childhood drowning accidents. There are so many varieties of pool alarms on the market, though, that it may be difficult to know which one to choose. By considering the following information regarding pool alarms, you should be more prepared to make an excellent choice for the safety of the children in your life.

An evaluation of swimming pool alarms conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in 2000 tested three different types of pool alarms: surface wave sensors, subsurface disturbance sensors, and a wristband sensor. Surface wave sensors float on the surface of the water. Subsurface disturbance sensors attach to the side of the pool, and a portion of the sensor is submerged below the water's surface. The wristband sensor is worn by the child and the alarm is set off if the wristband goes into the water.

The CPSC's study included numerous testing of the different alarm devices in 6 backyard swimming pools of varying shapes and sizes. The goals of the study were "to determine whether the surface and subsurface wave sensors would alarm when a test object entered the pool, and to determine whether the wristband would alarm when exposed to pool water." Additionally, the study tested for false alarms that may be triggered by weather conditions such as wind and rain, and those that may be triggered by an object such as a volleyball or large pool float.

According to the results of the CPSC study, the surface wave sensors did not perform as reliably as the subsurface disturbance sensors when a test object was thrown into the pool. The study concludes that subsurface disturbance sensors "were more consistent in alarming and less likely to false alarm than the surface alarms." The wristband sensor sounded an alarm each time it was submerged in pool water and each time it was exposed to other water sources, such as that from a faucet or hose.

The CPSC study did not include tests of infrared motion detection alarms, which are another type of swimming pool alarm system. Infrared motion detection devices sound an alarm if a child, adult, or object enters the beam path that surrounds the pool. Some alarm systems include a subsurface disturbance sensor in addition to the motion detection feature to significantly raise the protection level.

While pool alarms may come with many more features than are presented here, the following is a list of recommended features to look for when deciding on a pool alarm for your own backyard swimming pool:

Easy installation
Tamper proof
Includes a remote receiver with a range of up to 200 ft or more
Low battery indicator on alarm and on receiver
Recommended for the size and shape of your swimming pool
Able to detect an object as small as a 1 year old child, approximately 18 pounds
A loud and distinct alarm should sound within 20 seconds when a child simulator is dropped into the pool.

Once you decide which pool alarm is best for your backyard swimming pool, performing regular tests of the alarm's effectiveness will make sure your alarm works correctly over time.

Finally and most importantly, no pool alarm is fail-safe no matter how many technologies and features are included and no matter what claims are made by the manufacturer. Pool alarms should be considered as one of many layers of protection in the effort to stop the tragedy of children from drowning, along with protective barriers, door alarms, and safety pool covers.

The most effective deterrent to preventing children from drowning accidents, though, is to provide close and constant supervision by a responsible adult. A combination of safety measures is required for a safe backyard environment for all of the children in your life.

Source:
Whitfield, Troy W. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. “An Evaluation of Swimming Pool Alarms.” May 2000.

About the Author

Trey Collier is owner of BackyardCityPools.com - North America’s finest resource for quality pool supplies, including a wide selection of safety products such as Pool Alarms, pool safety covers, and anti-entrapment safety drain covers.