Swimming Pool Fencing for Your New Pool

With so many choices and different types of swimming pool fences in the marketplace, it can quickly become an overwhelming process – let Bali Pools help with some inspiration and some important tips to help make installing your new pool fence easier.

Types of Pool Fencing

Metal, timber, glass, metal and timber, metal and glass, perforated metal, perforated metal and wood, the combinations these days seem to be endless. Just as you think we have the right look for our yard and landscaping, something new hits the market or you see a new photo on Pinterest and BOOM! – we end up right back at the start of the decision making.

So how do we make the pool fence look great, to either be a statement piece of our landscaping or to blend effortlessly into the background and ensure that it’s safety compliant at the same time? We’ve put together some ‘hot’ (pun definitely intended) tips to consider when planning your swimming pool fence.

Woo Hoo, it’s Summertime again

Let’s be real for a moment. With our Aussie climate, ‘it gets hot in Summer’ seems like a bit of an understatement – ice cream becomes a piece of wrist jewellery, thongs stick to the car park at the local shopping centre, outdoor furniture becomes a branding iron on bare legs and we learn that the sand at the beach and even grass can be pure torture on our feet from the blistering sun.

Swimming is an Aussie Culture!

Swimming in Australia has, and always will be, part of our culture. As kids, if you had a pool in your yard, you were practically neighbourhood royalty. Mums would converge with boxes of icy poles and packets of crisps on a hot day with kids in tow ready to cool off next door. (Nowadays I would prefer the mums to bring a cheese platter and a bottle of chilled white – oh how the times have changed – but that’s a topic for a different type of discussion).

Pool Fence Safety

At the forefront of my mind is, and always will be safety when it comes to my pool, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring or aesthetically unpleasant to look at. Swimming pool fences have evolved over the years, no more chunky, black, curved top metal fence as the only option. The choices now seem almost endless.

While glass is a popular choice these days, the cleaning of the glass is, well, not so popular. If you have your heart set on the glamorous look of glass – check out our earlier blog Cleaning Glass Pool Fences – A Customers Firsthand Account   – BALI POOLS  on how to keep it looking fab.

Different Shapes and Shadows

For me – I love shapes and shadows projecting on the ground so if I were to do it all over again, (recently back from Pinterest land) I would opt for a perforated metal pool fence – you can choose from an amazing range of designs – some even look like landscaped gardens or branches with leaves – or I would choose a contemporary look of blade fencing to create a non-climbable barrier around my concrete swimming pool. The poles are impressive at forming curved barriers where other products may limit you to corners. Knowing me though I would probably combine the two options in my yard to make my pool a real focal point. These days we really are limited only by our imagination – OK and your local pool fence laws.

Pool Fence Legal Requirements

With the change of times, and the knowledge of safety at the front of our minds in and around water, swimming pool fences are now a mandatory law in all councils across Australia. In most instances, if a body of water deeper than 30cm, it must be surrounded by compliant pool fencing. This includes blow up kids’ pools, temporary swimming pool and spas.

Local Laws are all different so be sure to check with your local council to see what is relevant in your area. However, the basic criteria for swimming pool fencing regardless of the state include:

• Pool fencing must be a minimum height of 1200mm.
• Any gaps in the fencing must be less than 100mm – including underneath.
• The pool fence must be constructed from durable materials.
• Gates must be self-closing and swing away from the pool.
• Gate latches must be mounted pool side
• The top of the fence must be a minimum of 900mm away from climbable objects including trees, pergolas, barbecues, toys, pot plants and furniture.

If you have any doubt, always consult with your licenced installer and confirm all the regulations in your state.

Don’t get caught out

Bali Pools speaks to local Gold Coast and Northern New South Wales certifiers every day, so we’ve picked up a few tips along the way. Have a look around your planned pool location. Does the climbable side of your neighbouring fence fall on their side? If so, you will need to make that compliant too – yes, on their side of the fence. Do you have any house windows adjoining the pool that are not outside the pool safety fence area? They will need to have security screens installed or a permanent fixture added so it doesn’t open after a particular width, not having your CPR chart in a prominent position within the pool fence boundary. Things like pool furniture, tree branches and window ledges all being too close to the fence (known as ‘foot holds’), as well as gaps underneath and between fence panels, the height of fence on sloping angles not being correct – these are just some of the things we see when pool fences fail certification.

If you are installing a glass swimming pool fence, the installer will need to provide a glass safety certificate to be provided to your certifier. Also, we recommend checking with your electrician if earthing is required for the pool fence.

Enjoy Your Fence & Pool

While it might seem like a lot to consider initially, I can assure you that this small part in the process is only short lived. Once your fence is given the tick of compliance from the certifier, you’re going to enjoy hours upon hours splashing about in that pool. The neighbours will consider you local royalty and the endless laughter and fun coming from the pool will far outweigh the short-lived process of installing your swimming pool fence. Just make sure if the neighbourhood mums are coming over, they bring the right snacks, **see paragraph 4 for acceptable options.

When you’re ready to take the plunge, give the team at Gold Coasts multi award winning pool builders Bali Pools a call for your free, no obligation quote. We can’t wait to hear from you! Phone 07 5576 0900