Not everyone has to deal with the same kinds of winters, of course. Greater Houston pool management, for example, probably won’t have to do much winterization, but anyone who faces some kind of off-season should follow some simple tips to increase the safety around your pool.
• Maintain Adult Supervision at All Times – Just because there’s snow on the ground and the temperature has dropped below the temperature that even the most active kids would want to play outside, it doesn’t mean you can let your attention waver. You never know when your children might try to find their way to the pool. Make sure they never do it without someone nearby. To this end, you might also consider adding an alarm to the gates, just in case the children are particularly sneaky.
• Alert Any Visitors – With the winter comes a number of holidays and even more guests. You may have trained your own family to be careful around the pool and to avoid going near it without someone watching, but your friends and their children won’t know these rules. Take the time to explain to them the possible hazards and what to do if there is a problem.
• Install Proper Gates and Fences – Your pool should be surrounded by a fence at least four feet tall. The bars in the gate should be close enough that no child could squeeze through, and there shouldn’t be anything that an industrious child could use as foot or hand holds. The gates all need to be self closing and self latching with the unlatching mechanism on the poolside of the gate at least three inches below the top of the gate.
• Maintain the Pool Area – If someone gets past all your other precautions, you should make sure the pool area is as safe as possible. Don’t let the ice and snow build up around the pool area and keep it free of equipment, toys, and other branches or clutter. You should also keep the pool water clean and clear so in case someone should fall in, you’ll be able to see them immediately.
• Winterize but Don’t Walk Away – In order to protect the condition of your pool, you need to balance the chemicals, remove all the deck equipment, add the necessary winterizing chemicals, and place a strong cover on the surface. Once this is complete you can’t sit back and assume everything will take care of itself. Continue to check the pool cover for damage and make sure the pool remains drained to the appropriate levels. If you make regular checks, you should be able to see when something needs to be done to minimize the hazard of an unused pool in winter.
These are simple steps, but if you are take the time to properly winterize your pool and ensure that there is someone nearby whenever the children are playing in the area, you can reduce the risks and make sure that everyone gets to enjoy the winter months.
