Disabling pool alarms

[Beach Runner]

Legally, as most of you know, one is required to put an alarm on every door that opens to a pool area. It gets really annoying to hear that sound when someone forgets to push the button that briefly disables the alarm or leaves the door open too long. Also when the weather is mild, it's just nice to leave the door open.

My husband used to open the alarm box and disconnect the wires to disable the alarm while we're here. Now he's come up with an easier way - he just tapes a magnet over the contact in the door frame.

Obviously don't do this if you have kids in the house. Our youngest visitors are in college.

Yay! No more annoying alarms! :clap_1:

 

[Smiling JOe]

Legally, as most of you know, one is required to put an alarm on every door that opens to a pool area. It gets really annoying to hear that sound when someone forgets to push the button that briefly disables the alarm or leaves the door open too long. Also when the weather is mild, it's just nice to leave the door open.

My husband used to open the alarm box and disconnect the wires to disable the alarm while we're here. Now he's come up with an easier way - he just tapes a magnet over the contact in the door frame.

Obviously don't do this if you have kids in the house. Our youngest visitors are in college.

Yay! No more annoying alarms! :clap_1:

Those alarms are also useful in case any kid in the area happens to stumble into your pool area. The protection if for all kids, not just your own. It is one of the responsiblilities of pool ownership. How would feel if a kid drowns in your pool because your husband disengaged the alarm? Beyond how you feel about the kid dying, how would you feel when that kid's family owns your beach house after they win the lawsuit?

 

[TooFarTampa]

Those alarms are also useful in case any kid in the area happens to stumble into your pool area. The protection if for all kids, not just your own. It is one of the responsiblilities of pool ownership. How would feel if a kid drowns in your pool because your husband disengaged the alarm? Beyond how you feel about the kid dying, how would you feel when that kid's family owns your beach house after they win the lawsuit?

BR did you have a fence put in around your pool? Or did you choose the alarm instead when it was put in? In FL we can have either. I will choose the fence when we get one put in here in Tampa.

Our extended family stayed at a great rental house in Seacrest a couple of years ago. The pool had a nice fence around it (wood, not mesh) with a self-closing gate. Super safe. A non-fenced pool gives me the willies.

If you have a fence around the pool you don't need the alarm.

 

[CJ]

Yeah SJ but the alarms they are disarming are from the house to the pool not on the outside fence. If you know there are no children in the house and you lock your front door disarming should be fine...as long as you are very careful no wandering unattended children should make it through your house and into the pool area and if they do they can probably swim too. My only concern would be forgetting to turn it back on before you leave.

I think I saw McGuyver do something like that with a gum wrapper

 

[Smiling JOe]

Yeah SJ but the alarms they are disarming are from the house to the pool not on the outside fence. If you know there are no children in the house and you lock your front door disarming should be fine...as long as you are very careful no wandering unattended children should make it through your house and into the pool area and if they do they can probably swim too. My only concern would be forgetting to turn it back on before you leave.

I think I saw McGuyver do something like that with a gum wrapper

O, IC.

 

[Beach Runner]

Those alarms are also useful in case any kid in the area happens to stumble into your pool area. The protection if for all kids, not just your own. It is one of the responsiblilities of pool ownership. How would feel if a kid drowns in your pool because your husband disengaged the alarm? Beyond how you feel about the kid dying, how would you feel when that kid's family owns your beach house after they win the lawsuit?

Alarms aren't required on gates - just from interior doors. So if someone else's kid went through a door where the alarms are, they'd first have had to break into my house.

 

[Beach Runner]

BR did you have a fence put in around your pool? Or did you choose the alarm instead when it was put in? In FL we can have either. I will choose the fence when we get one put in here in Tampa.

Our extended family stayed at a great rental house in Seacrest a couple of years ago. The pool had a nice fence around it (wood, not mesh) with a self-closing gate. Super safe. A non-fenced pool gives me the willies.

If you have a fence around the pool you don't need the alarm.

Of course I have a fence around the pool with the required type of gates. But even with a fence, alarms are required for doorways and windows opening onto the pool deck from the house. I would never do anything to jeopardize anyone's life or risk getting sued and lose everything I've worked my butt off for.

 

[TooFarTampa]

Of course I have a fence around the pool with the required type of gates. But even with a fence, alarms are required for doorways and windows opening onto the pool deck from the house. I would never do anything to jeopardize anyone's life or risk getting sued and lose everything I've worked my butt off for.

I was asking because we have looked into putting in a pool, and our understanding of state law was that it was an either/or situation -- you can have a fence around a pool or an alarm system. But as far as I know, if you have a fence around the pool itself, and the pool is contained entirely by the fence, state law does not require an alarm system too. We have a number of friends with newer pools and they have the fence but not the alarm. That is the way we were planning to do it also.

 

[Jdarg]

I was asking because we have looked into putting in a pool, and our understanding of state law was that it was an either/or situation -- you can have a fence around a pool or an alarm system. But as far as I know, if you have a fence around the pool itself, and the pool is contained entirely by the fence, state law does not require an alarm system too. We have a number of friends with newer pools and they have the fence but not the alarm. That is the way we were planning to do it also.

The pool alarm from house to pool may be a rental house requirement- we have seen notices in rental houses saying the house alarm was "state law".

 

[Smiling JOe]

The pool alarm from house to pool may be a rental house requirement- we have seen notices in rental houses saying the house alarm was "state law".

I don't know the laws regarding house to pool alarms in FL, but I do recall a few instances in the recent years where kids drowned in their own pools. My guess is that it is a state law for all pools. BR, please enlighten us.