As important as a safety cover is for your swimming pool, the most significant safety measure you can take is probably a swimming pool fence. Depending on your local ordinances, you may even be required by law to have a fence around your pool. By erecting multiple barriers to accidental drowning, you can help ensure that you, your family, and your friends can remain safe in and around your swimming pool. A fence is just one of those safety measures, but it’s a very important one. How is a pool fence different from any other backyard fence? Let’s take a look.
Swimming Pool Fences, Defined
Whenever we’re talking about something that may be required by your local government, you’ll need to check your own area’s laws. But the basic idea of a swimming pool fence is that, unlike fences designed for designating the boundaries of a yard or providing desirable aesthetics or privacy, the primary purpose of a swimming pool fence is to keep children, especially, away from the swimming pool area when adult supervision is not available. The typical requirements of a swimming pool fence include a minimum height of 4 feet as well as a self-closing, self-latching gate.
Swimming Pool Fences, Distinguished
The two basic types of swimming pool fences have differing abilities to provide safety. One is a perimeter fence; as its name implies, this kind of fence runs along the perimeter of the yard. A perimeter fence is typically a 3-sided fence, skimming the property line along three sides and then connecting to the back of the house. As long as it meets the criteria mentioned above, it can meet the requirements of a swimming pool fence, even though it does double-duty as a backyard fence.
The second type of fence is an interior pool fence, which encloses a smaller area of the yard, sectioning off the pool and poolside area. This type of fence is helpful for allowing children to safely play in the remaining areas of the yard.
Swimming Pool Fences, Designed
Just because swimming pool fences have specific requirements doesn’t mean that they all have to look the same! You can certainly choose from materials to make sure that your swimming pool fence coordinates with your chosen design motif. Wood, of course, is a popular option. While wood fences require regular maintenance, other options such as aluminum, PVC, and vinyl offer maintenance-free possibilities. After you select a material, you can choose from two basic styles: posts or panels. Posts offer greater visibility, while panels offer privacy. And of course, just because the requirement for a safety fence is 4 feet, nothing is keeping you from putting up a taller fence if you prefer.
Additional possibilities for fences include glass and chain link. Because glass requires constant cleaning and chain link can easily be climbed, these options may not be the best choices.
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Lyon Financial
Since 1979 Lyon Financial has made the backyard resort dream come true for over 400,000 families across the U.S. Through our solid relationships with more than 3,000 pool contractors and our continued commitment to putting our clients first, we have built a reputation as the first choice in providing pool financing solutions. For more information, visit lyonfinancial.net or call (877) 754-5966 today.
I was really interested in your example of a swimming pool fence that used tall wooden boards to obtain privacy. Privacy matters a lot to my family, especially since we live in a neighborhood that has most of the houses close to each other, so something like this can really fit our plans. Once I find a swimming pool fence contractor in the area, I’ll definitely get their help with this.