Keeping Animals Out of Your Pool With Physical Equipment
Your dog might like swimming around with you in your pool, but that does not mean you want other animals to enjoy the water as well. Keeping animals out of a pool can be a thankless task. You know it's not because the animals want to annoy you but that they either want water or jumped around without realising there was this huge pool in their way. In fact, most of those animals want to get out of the water fast. Methods for keeping animals out can include chemical treatments to affect the surface tension of the water, but physical barriers and equipment that lets animals get out are the easiest to start with.
Fencing Without Gaps
Fencing is your first line of defence, as long as that fencing does not have gaps and is tall enough to deter deer, if those are a concern in your region. Some fences, like panels of removable mesh fencing, can end up with gaps between panels if the panels have to skirt an oddly shaped part of the pool. Make sure that when you install the fencing, it allows panels to stand upright and not lean or leave holes that animals could wriggle through. Especially on hot days, that body of water looks very inviting.
Escape Ramps
Sometimes animals get into the water anyway, and for those animals that can't simply fly away, a pool with straight-sided edges is a body of water surrounded by cliffs. The animals can drown because they become exhausted trying to find an exit. Having a few escape ramps specially made for animals is a good idea. There are even skimmers now that have ramps that animals like frogs can use to climb up.
Pool Covers
Sometimes the easiest way to keep animals out is to cut off access to the water entirely. A pool cover is your best choice when the pool is not in use. Animals may still get onto the pool cover, but a bird landing on the cover is a lot different than birds swimming around in the water. Look for covers that are easy to remove and put on; difficult covers may end up sitting in a box for the entire season instead. The material should be tear-resistant, too.
Finally, pool covers have to be able to hold up to a certain amount of weight in case someone trips and lands on the cover while it's over the water; you don't want that person breaking through and falling into the water. That strength helps keep out heavier animals, too, such as stray dogs. Look for the highest weight limit that you can because that pool cover will be very strong.
Contact a company that sells swimming pool equipment to learn more.
Share
