Pool Safety ?

[dessiedog]

We have a 10 x 5 pool and due to changed circumstances can only visit 4-5 times / year, resulting in algae problems! Friends visit to monitor / add chlorine tablets but with an abris and sun the water can quickly go out of balance. No problems whilst we are there to keep an eye on things with the abris off, but when not there we have been advised that it needs to be in place to comply with the law.

The pool is in a garden totally enclosed with a 2m high stone wall and lockable gates. We have been told that as these do comply with the legislation we would be liable should the cover not be installed, we are not there and anyone under 5 ends up in the water.

An above ground pool, however, complies if it is 1.1m high and access ladders etc are removed ?

Comments / advice welcome.

[Théière]

Hi, I am not sure if you are asking advice on pool water or just legislation for security.

With an abri (presumably clear) the sun's U.V. will not only destroy the chlorine in your pool but also provides the main thing required by algae to grow (light).  If you could cover your pool with an opaque cover you will cut out the chlorine loss to a large extent and also block off the vital supply to algae.

You need to test your water for chlorine, PH, and cyanuric acid which you need to protect the chlorine from U.V. but too much is also bad and it builds up over the seasons to a point where it will be difficult to maintain the pool (50ppm or more). Other water tests include total alkalinity as that has several effects on pool balance but is even more important if your pool is concrete,plaster or tiled.

You may want to consider adding a chlorine dosing pump and PH dosing pump or you could convert to a salt water chlorine generating pool + PH dosing pump so the chemicals side of you pool would need less attention from who ever you leave to look after your pool.

Security, whilst I am no lawyer if you have a 2 metre stone wall that a 5 year old couldn't climb you should be safe on that respect providing the lockable gates can be made to conform. The gates need a complying locking system, the magna latch is a popular choice and the gates should open outwards towards you as you try to enter and also be sprung to close on their own. With your abri in place you don't need much more. 

 

[dessiedog]

Thanks for response - it was the security aspect rather than the water quality. We were there in November and ended up having to empty 50% of the water as the cyranic acid level was too high. When we left the water quality wasn't quite right but should be ok over the winter.

Re the security it was a question of whether the wall / locked gates would be classed as sufficient if the abris was off during the summer when we are not there? According to the local Cash Piscine chap the answer was no.

We have been told that the local mayors have been given the responsibilty to monitor the pool legislation, so perhaps we should raise the query with him. I cannot imagine, however, that he will agree is case it backfires on him.

[Polly]

Cash Piscines is right, your wall & property gate do not comply with pool safety legislation. pm me if you need chapter & verse on this.

To comply with the law pool shelters must be kept closed & locked when the pool is not in use.

One might not like the law and one can argue it's effectiveness until

the cows come home but like the compulsory wearing of seat-belts and

the no-smoking bans it's here to stay and there's no opting-out.

With regard to Mairies checking out existing pools, they do not currently have the legal right to enter private property to check out compliance with pool safety law, nor to require owners to provide pool safety information.

[Théière]

[quote user="dessiedog"] Re the security it was a question of whether the wall / locked gates would be classed as sufficient if the abris was off during the summer when we are not there? According to the local Cash Piscine chap the answer was no.[/quote]

No they wouldn't be classed as sufficient as they would not carry the AFNOR approval number as Polly rightly points out and she certainly knows more about this than me.  There is of course the question in your own mind "how many five year olds can scale a 2 metre wall"? of course that does depend on the walls construction, for example smooth render would be probably impossible to climb, so moving on to the gates if there are any horizontal rails making up the gates as in leg and brace type then a 5 year old may be able to climb them locked or otherwise. AFNOR approved gates have nothing a 5 year old could use to climb up and if by chance they are left open at any time even when you are there potentially there is a problem, sprung closed gates do help in that respect as does a latch that self secures and if that is higher than 1.1metres then you could take the responsibility yourself and self certifying the security as a few have done. If an accident happens the lawyers will decide whether or not you are right but if the security is good enough would an accident occur? That is for you to decide and take full responsibility for. A pool near me has a similar setup to yours, (2+metre wall and 1.8m gates with no gaps in the timber) it is rented to more than one family at a time and the adults regularly gather large rocks to wedge open the gate so they could be very liable as their pool security is not AFNOR approved although quite secure normally.

Have you considered purchasing a complying opaque cover that would cover two areas of need, 1. obvious security, 2. keeping sunlight off the pool thus preventing your common algae from growing and saving your chlorine from U.V. destruction.