A pool alarm is one of the most effective ways to prevent backyard drowning of unsupervised children or pets. Once a child slips under the water, it only takes minutes for her to lose consciousness, followed soon by permanent brain damage or death. To prevent an accidental drowning in your backyard, get a pool alarm that will alert adults of the emergency so they can intervene, before it’s too late.

To help you choose the right pool alarm for your home, here’s an overview of the different types of pool alarm systems that work well in above ground swimming pools and some recommended models for each type.

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Early spring is a good time to check your home for normal wear-and-tear and to look around for damage caused by the harsh winter. Here’s a checklist of home maintenance items that can be reviewed in a weekend. If you discover any problems, it’s a good idea to take care of repairs now before they become big ticket items.

1. Check roof and gutters — Interior water damage often originates at the top of the house on the roof, so grab a ladder and check your roof for missing or broken shingles. While you are up there, inspect flashings and joints around chimneys and skylights. Bring a bucket with you to scoop out leaves and branches that are clogging gutters and valleys and finish by flushing gutters and downspouts with a garden hose.

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It takes only minutes for a child to drown, which is why most towns have swimming pool safety laws requiring homeowners to enclose pools and spas with a fence at least four feet high with a self-closing gate. And because the pool gate is often the weakest link in keeping youngsters out of the pool area, many municipalities also require a pool gate alarm as another layer of protection.

A pool gate alarm sounds a siren when the door or gate is opened. If a child manages to open the gate, the piercing siren of the pool gate alarm will alert nearby adults that someone has entered the pool area. The alarm will sound continuously or intermittently until the reset button is pushed or the battery expires. Most gate alarms have a time delay of about 6-7 seconds so an adult can pass through and silence the alarm within that time period by pressing the bypass button or entering the proper code. (There are models available with a 0 second delay.)

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Many dogs love to splash in the water on a hot summer day, but since not all dogs are natural swimmers, it’s up to you to keep your dog safe when she’s by the swimming pool, beach or lake.  Depending upon your dog’s breed, age or health, a dip in the pool or leap off or a dock could be either a frolicking good time or a brush with death.  In fact, over 5,000 dogs drown each year in backyard pools alone!  To keep your dog safe this summer when she’s near the water, here are six “layers of protection” you can try: Read the rest of this entry »

Curious children and swimming pools can be a dangerous combination, especially when important swimming pool safety guidelines are not followed and enforced.   It takes only minutes for a child to drown.  In 77 percent of drowning incidents, parents or caregivers say that the young victim was out of sight for 5 minutes or less!  Surprisingly, 65 percent of swimming pool accidents involving children happen in their own backyard and another 33 percent happen at the home of a relative or friend.  Very few (2 percent) child drownings occur at a public beach or town pool or involve a child who “trespassed” into a neighboring yard. Read the rest of this entry »