Once again, some really grim facts before we begin.
- Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children between the age of one and 15. (National center for health stats)
- Approximately 75% of child drowning occur because of a lapse of adult supervision of less than five minutes.
- About 79% of these incidents occur at home locations
- A child can drown in the time it takes to answer a phone.
The reason that I have presented these facts to you is not to scare you off from owning a house with a swimming pool or to dissuade your child from entering your pool. Swimming is a great recreational activity and is a great exercise too. Kids love it and so do adults. It is merely to establish the fact that owning a swimming pool is a task of great responsibility. And you must ensure the safety of each and every family member who enters your swimming pool. A swimming pool alarm system is one of the best ways to ensure that you are informed about any and every incident that happens in the pool when you are not around. It is like a silent force field within your pool that will notify you about any object that falls into the pool.
“Any object??? What if a leaf falls into the pool? I don’t want to come out running after hearing the alarm and find that it was a leaf that fell into the pool.”
No, you won’t. Depending on the model and type of your swimming pool alarm, the alarm will be tripped off only if an object weighing 15lbs or more falls into the pool. You can of course customize this setting to increase or decrease the weight according to your preferences. Even if you do not have a kid at home, there are numerous benefits of installing a swimming pool alarm system. Now, there are different models of a pool alarm system that offer different functionalities. Let us look at some of them.
The Eye-In-Ground Alarm Systems
Most swimming pool systems are based on the wave detection technology which creates an ‘invisible sonar net’ under the water. When an object weighing 15 lbs (customizable sensitivity) or more falls into the water, the alarm is tripped off and can sound both at the place of the remote receiver and also at the pool itself. The eye-in-ground alarm system on the other hand combines two of the best technologies in security systems. You have an infrared motion sensor that detects movement up to a range of 100 feet in the pool area (above ground) and you have a wave detection system within the pool itself. So, when the alarm is activated and any object even comes close to the pool, the alarm will sound. It can be customized to simply chirp or wail at 120 decibels or more. The remote receiver itself can be placed at any place within 100 feet or more and alerts with a voice announcement or a siren. The eye-in-ground pool system is loaded with advanced features like power battery and RF checks. It is also extremely easy to install and use.
The standard Pool Alarm
The standard pool alarm system designed for most above ground pools works on the wave detection technology mentioned above. This is the most common swimming pool alarm system used. It contains a sonar sensor that is installed underwater and a control panel that is mounted on top of the pool. The alarm will sound instantly (either a 120 decibel siren or a human voice announcement) depending on the level of intrusion. The control panel is completely self sufficient and features a low battery alert and a power check system as well. The coverage range varies from one system to the other. Standard systems cover a round pool up to 24 feet.
The child wristband system
The child wristband system features a base and a wristband that is worn by your child. Unlike other systems, this does not monitor the pool but monitors your child instead. This can be extremely effective in managing your child when you have a swimming pool around. It consists of an electric wristband that can be locked on your child’s wrist and has no hardcore installation on the pool. This means, that you can move this system anywhere depending on your preferences. If you are going for a vacation to a lakeside cottage or a boat, then this system can be a boon. The moment the system hits the water, it will sound a piercing alarm that will notify you about the apparent danger.
Additional help from Video Surveillance
A lot of people also install video surveillance equipment and combine it with their swimming pool alarm systems to enhance the effectiveness of the security system. It helps in remote monitoring and people can keep an eye on their kids from the home or even from a remote location if the home has internet connectivity.
