Swimming pools

Legal requirements:

Swimming pool safety

As a swimming pool or spa owner you are responsible for safety.
Drowning is the biggest cause of accidental death for young children.  Most occur in private backyard swimming pools. You can reduce the risk of accidents occurring in your swimming pool by adequately fencing your pool and ensuring young children are supervised at all times.
In a life-threatening or urgent situation phone the emergency services on 000.
Fencing

All swimming pools must have a continuous safety barrier maintained by the pool owner that restricts access by young children to the pool.

If you are a property owner and are selling a property with a pool built before July 1993 you must make sure that the safety barrier meets todays standard for new pools.

Fencing must be constructed in such a way to make sure that:

·         the outside of the fence is an effective barrier to young children

·         it is permanent

·         young children can't crawl under or climb over it by using foot and hand holds

·         it is at least 1.2 metres high

·         any boundary fences used as part of the child-safety barrier are at least 1.8 metres high on either side with a 900mm non-climbable zone. The non-climable zone may be located at the top inside of the boundary fence if the fence is at least 1.8 metres high on the inside.

Gates to the pool area must:

·         swing outward from the pool area

·         be self closing from any position

·         be fitted with a latching device out of reach of small children at least 1.5m above ground level.

Hard covers on spas 

Child resistant hard covers cannot be used as safety barriers in place of a fence for above-ground spa pools because:

·         there are no current regulatory standards for spa pool covers

·         when the cover is off the spa pool there is no barrier.

Filtration

In-ground or above-ground swimming pools and spas must have a water recirculation and filtration system that complies with Australian standards  . This is to reduce the risk of a young child being trapped by suction.

(OCBA, 2012)

Salt vs. Chlorine:

Salt Water Pools Cost Less

Salt water pools cost less than chlorine pools. Chlorine pools require the addition of chlorine tablets to the water, and these tablets can cost upwards of $60 or more per bucket. The use of chlorine tablets is essential to the cleanliness of a chlorine pool. While it may seem that chlorine pools would be more sanitary than salt water pools, this is not the case. Salt water pools use an electrical charge to split the salt into sodium and chloride. This electrical system basically creates chlorine by changing the chloride into a gas, which then dissolves into the pool's water. Through this process, the pool is sanitized without the addition of chlorine tablets.

Salt Water is More Comfortable

Chlorine water can be irritating to the skin, especially to those with sensitive skin, and it can also be offensive to the senses because of its strong odour. Furthermore, chlorine can be an ear and respiratory system irritant as well. Because salt water pools do not require the addition of chlorine tablets, the pH of a salt water pool is increased. This translates into water that does not irritate the skin or cause burning, itching, or drying. Swimming in salt water pools Brisbane is more comfortable, and the chlorine odour is reduced dramatically.

Salt Water Pools Require Less Maintenance

Homeowners can spend less time making efforts to maintain their pool and more time enjoying it when they choose a salt water pool versus a chlorine pool. Because the pool's electrical system supplies the water with chlorine, homeowners do not have to worry about routinely adding chlorine tablets to the water. Salt will need to be added to the water from time to time, but the comprehensive care required of a salt water pool is minimal compared to a chlorine pool.

(John Clarkes pools & renovations, 2012)