Gaz's Glazing Blog

Do You Need to Childproof Windows Close to Your Pool?

by Arianna Griffin

If you're building a new swimming pool, you'll have to jump though a lot of hoops to make sure that your pool meets safety regulations. A lot of these rules are there to protect kids from having accidents in and around pools so, as a parent, you'll understand the logic of making sure that your pool and its surroundings are as childproofed as possible.

What you may not realise is that pool safety isn't just about putting fencing, barriers and gates around the pool itself. If you locate your pool close to your home, some of your windows may pose an additional access problem, and you may need to childproof some of them as well. What should you think about here?

Is There a Barrier Between Your Windows and the Pool?

While you'll have planned to put a gated fence or barrier around your pool to prevent your kids from running out of a door and straight into the water, you may not feel that you need a barrier around the whole pool. For example, if a side of the pool is situated against a wall of your home that doesn't have a door in it, then you may think that the wall itself is enough of a safety barrier.

However, this may not always work if you have windows in the wall. If you have ground-level windows that are low enough for a kid to climb out of and to get unrestricted access to the pool, then you may have a problem.

How can You Deal With Window Access to a Pool Area?

While fencing off all your pool may solve window access problems, you may not want to have a fence running close to a wall. If this is the case, then you can childproof low windows so that kids can't climb out of them to get to the water.

Typically, you need to do this if the lowest part of a window that can be opened is less than 1.8m above finished ground level. At this height, a child might be able to climb out of the window and reach ground without hurting themselves. If you have windows that qualify for childproofing, you can try the following to restrict access:

  • Fix the window permanently so that it cannot be opened.
  • Add something to the window that stops kids from climbing out even if the window is open—say a security mesh, screen or fixed bars.
  • Add a security chain, stopper or winder to the window so that it cannot be opened enough to allow a child to squeeze through it.

If you aren't sure which childproofing solution to use, talk to local window companies. They will have experience of dealing with this kind of problem and may be able to help you decide the best way to childproof your windows.

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