Pool alarm - do I let guests disable it?

For anything to do with the garden and pool
domino
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Post by domino »

Pool alarms take time to re set themselves after the last swimmer leaves the water. I think its vital we know how long that period actually is so that we can inform our guests. LVs takes 9mins , Katies 12 mins and both of ours took over 20mins :(
It does beg the question how many hours a day is the average pool unprotected? Also if a child were to drown in one of these periods who would be liable?
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Post by la vache! »

I always inform my guests - because it is likely that everyone could leave the pool to sunbathe, and then jump in again after the re-set period has expired so the alarm will go off again.
My pool is also enclosed, with a security gate (but the enclosure doesn't conform to the normes, hence the requirement for an alarm when the abri is off).
baylor
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Post by baylor »

I was told by my caretaker that as long as the alarm is installed, even if it's turned off, you are "covered" legally. I'm dubious about that.

The question I have is, what happens when we are not present (when no one is at home)? Ostensibly the point is that one of the roving bands of five-year-olds that they law is meant to protect could scale my fence and plunge into the pool. If no one is home to hear the alarm then...

Yet surely the law cannot be interpreted to mean that if you have a pool and an alarm installed that then someone must always be present at the home to monitor it?
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Post by baylor »

PS thank you La Vache for the recommendation... am the proud owner of an Aqualarm v2 now. Now must attempt to understand the manual in French! ;-)
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Moliere
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Post by Moliere »

Whoops - I thought I was OK advising people against switching it off, but I shall have to think again.

This is my wording:

There are 3 settings;

1. Active alert (this is the default setting) – on this setting the alarm will sound if an object (such as a child) falls in the water.
2. Inactive alert – this is what you need to set in order to swim or whatever. Touch one of the magnets to the icon of a swimmer on the plinth of the alarm (landward side) and it peeps, denoting you can swim. However, due to legal requirements, it resets itself to Active mode, after 1 min 30 seconds of calm water. So remember to disarm it again after a break.
3. Total switch off – touch one magnet to the Red spot on the plinth and hold it there, when the light comes on steadily, touch the other magnet to the swimmer icon – a series of peeps tells you the alarm is off. Caution – it is your responsibility to be alert for children and possible accidents if you have chosen to switch the alarm off like this. To return to Active Alert mode, touch one magnet to the swimmer again.

You are legally required to ensure the alarm is ON when the house is unattended.


Fortunately we have no kids in the house for the next 4 weeks, so I can change the instructions before I send the next lot out.

Mols

(On the other hand, I know of several "old hands" in my area who have no alarms at all!)
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Post by KathyG »

Looks like we've got the same type of alarm as you Mols. We've come up with a system that seems to be working ok. We built a hollow wooden post and attached one magnet to a squash ball, attached that to a length of washing line with a weight which holds the ball at the top of the post, out of reach of kids. So, adults can reach the magnet, pass it over the alarm then the weight will take it back to the top of the post. Bit of a performance but we couldn't think of any other way other than yet another box with yet another code. We don't give them access to the 2nd magnet.
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Post by la vache! »

baylor wrote:PS thank you La Vache for the recommendation... am the proud owner of an Aqualarm v2 now. Now must attempt to understand the manual in French! ;-)
It's really easy, honestly. I hope you aren't disappointed with it - I've just taken the abri cover off and put the alarm on instead for it's fourth year - it started first time without a problem.
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pepsipuss
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Post by pepsipuss »

I feel I must be missing something - maybe one of you guys from the land of the frog (no racism intended) can help me out as you are as far as I know the only European country so far to have compulsory legislation on this.

I have always been rather mystified as to how effective a sensor alarm can be. If it has to be deactivated to swim, should a child fall in when everyone is enjoying themselves and not noticing, no alarm will sound and there is a good change the child will drown.

We have a Watchfrog system. It is a base station with as many bracelets as you want to buy. You put the bracelet on the child and turn the base station on. If the bracelet gets wet the alarm sounds.

SEEMPLES??? And only about €100 for base and first bracelet, €40 or so for additional ones. An absolute godsend last summer when the 18 month old grandchild was visiting - when the older ones were that small we didn't have anything and nerves were shredded! We are now buying a couple of extra bracelets so that families with more than one toddler who are renting can have one each.
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Post by la vache! »

pepsipuss wrote: I have always been rather mystified as to how effective a sensor alarm can be. If it has to be deactivated to swim, should a child fall in when everyone is enjoying themselves and not noticing, no alarm will sound and there is a good change the child will drown.
Most alarms automatically re-activate themselves after x minutes (usually 5 - 10 mins) of non activity in the water, so there is a very small window when a child could fall in without the alarm sounding.
I'm not a fan of alarms, that is why I have the pool enclosed with security gates as well. But it is the law (my pool enclosure doesn't conform). Can't a child remove the bracelet with your system PP?
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pepsipuss
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Post by pepsipuss »

Very difficult indeed, LV. It is a webbing bracelet (not elasticated) and you actually lock it with a little allan-type key.

I think I expressed myself rather ambiguously in previous post. What I meant was that if there are people playing in the pool (for example a group of teenagers who are not going to be remotely vigilant about small persons in the area) presumably the alarm will not be activated and a child could easily fall in?
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Post by la vache! »

An adult must always be present at the pool with small children, at least in my book!
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pepsipuss
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Post by pepsipuss »

la vache! wrote:An adult must always be present at the pool with small children, at least in my book!
I agree .. but in the real world :roll:
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revdev
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Post by revdev »

pepsipuss wrote: We have a Watchfrog system. It is a base station with as many bracelets as you want to buy. You put the bracelet on the child and turn the base station on. If the bracelet gets wet the alarm sounds.

SEEMPLES??? And only about €100 for base and first bracelet, €40 or so for additional ones. An absolute godsend last summer when the 18 month old grandchild was visiting - when the older ones were that small we didn't have anything and nerves were shredded! We are now buying a couple of extra bracelets so that families with more than one toddler who are renting can have one each.
Thanks for posting this PP. Looks very interesting and probably suitable for our situation.
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pepsipuss
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Post by pepsipuss »

Revdev.

You can get Watchfrog from http://www.mummystayclose.co.uk/

Amazon also do the base station and one bracelet slightly cheaper than them but you can't get extra bracelets from Amazon. No point in buying more than you need because the battery has about a four year life and is not replaceable.
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