How Safe Is Glass Pool Fencing?
Swimming is among the most fun activities you can do. It offers you, your family, or guests an opportunity to do something quite different from your routine.
Also, swimming time offers a great opportunity to bond. Thus, making your swimming pool one of the best places to be is a great idea.
After spending a lot of money to build a sparkling swimming pool, it’ll help to fence it for safety reasons. It’s important to ensure that unnecessary accidents are avoided in and around your swimming pool.
Leaving the pool unfenced is quite dangerous, especially for families with children and pets. Children and pets tend to be extremely curious.
They can get tempted to get into the water at any time, which can be very dangerous especially when they’re not under the supervision of an adult. Thus, the last thing you’d want is your exciting investment to become a source of sadness.
Pool fences are available in several types and designs. However, glass pool fencing boast of being the best option. Glass is known to be brittle.
Thus, you may wonder why it’s ideal for pool fencing. If you’re advised to fence your pool with glass panels, you may not like the idea at first.
In fact, there’re numerous myths related to glass pool fencing that push potential buyers away. Some argue that they’re weak while others hold the view that they’re not durable.
What many pool owners fail to understand is that the kind of glass used in pool fencing is different from regular glass.
Glass panels for pool fencing are made of toughened safety glass. The glass is durable and doesn’t break easily. Thus, it’s extremely safe to fence your pool with toughened glass.
In this guide, you’ll learn more about pool fencing with glass and why it’s the best and safest pool fencing material.
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There’s a standard for design and thickness
Although glass is a great material for fencing a pool, there’re certain safety standards that must be met. In some locations, glass for pool fencing may have a thickness of 8, 10, or 12 millimeters. However, Australian standards require the glass to have a minimum thickness of 12 millimeters. Also, the chemical and thermal makeup of the glass should withstand heavy impact. Thus, the glass should be hardened, strong, and durable.
Also, Australian standards require glass for swimming pool gates to have not less than 10,000 life cycles, meaning that you’ll use the glass for not less than 10 years.
As per these standards, it’s clear that glass fencing isn’t weak as some people assume. Considering the strictness of the government in enforcing these standards, suppliers must adhere to these regulations, else they won’t be licensed.
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There’s a recommended distance and height
Glass panels for pool fencing and the pool gate should have a height of 1200 millimeters. The gap from one panel to the next should not exceed 100 millimeters. Any climbable object should be a minimum of 900 millimeters away from the fencing.
A height of 1200 millimeters is high enough to prevent pets and children from climbing over the fencing. Also, a gap of 100 millimeters is too narrow for small children and pets to pass through. Besides, a distance of at least 900 millimeters between the fence and any climbable object is too far for kids to gain access to the swimming pool. Thus, you can be at peace knowing that your kids aren’t at risk of drowning.
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The gates are fully automated
Gates for pool fences feature an automated system. They’re designed in a way that the gate shuts itself once opened. Thus, if you pass through the gate, it’ll shut itself without your effort. Also, the gates should include a latch. The latch is fitted on the interior surface of the gate and should be set at 1200 millimeters above the ground. Also, the latch needs to be automated such that it closes the gate tightly once the door shuts itself.
Also, the gate should open outward rather than inward. The reason behind this is that it takes less effort to push a gate than to pull it. For instance, if the door opens inward, a child may open it accidentally when lying on it. They won’t require a lot of effort to push the gate. On the contrary, a gate that opens outward cannot open accidentally when a child lies on it. Also, children may find it hard to pull a gate open if it’s designed to open outward.
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It is difficult to climb over a glass pool fence
Besides the pool fencing being 1200 millimeters high, the glass texture makes it hard to climb over the glass fencing. Glass is slippery and smooth. Thus, children and pets would find it hard to climb over. It’s also challenging for adults to climb over the fencing.
Conclusion
The safety of your family should come first when installing glass pool fences. Although there’re many types of materials that can be used for fencing a swimming pool, toughened safety glass is the best option.
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