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| Above Ground Pool Alarm |
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Pools are a lot of fun, but they can also be dangerous if you have children or pets. One way to prevent an emergency is to equip your pool with an alarm that alerts you when someone is in a potentially life-threatening situation. Which alarm is the safest choice for your family? We’ll help you decide.
Drowning Is A Serious Concern
According to the Centers For Disease Control (CDC), drowning is a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14, and drowning kills more children ages 1-4 than anything other than congenital disabilities. Using a pool alarm can reduce the risk of drownings in your pool.
Article Overview
Am I Required To Have An Alarm For My Pool?
Every state and even some communities within each state have different regulations regarding pool safety. Some states require an alarm, while others don’t. Some cities have requirements even when the state may not.
If you’re putting in a new pool or restoring a pool and you need a permit for the project, check with the local code enforcement office to see what you’ll need to have. They’ll be doing your inspection, and you’ll need to meet their requirements to pass.
Most state and local requirements are for pool safety alarms that prevent drowning and don’t apply to electrical shock alarms.
Best Pool Alarms
As always, our experts consider quality, features, durability, and more when choosing the products we review. Here are our top picks in these five categories:
Door Alarm | Above Ground | Inground | Floating | Wearable
Best Pool Door Alarm: Poolguard DAPT-WT Review
If your state or community requires a door alarm to pass inspection, not just any alarm will do. Not only will the Poolguard DAPT-WT pass most local and state inspections, but it’s also our top pick for the best pool door alarm.
This alarm attaches to any door or screen door that leads to your pool. The alarm will sound when a child goes out of the door and will continue to sound for five minutes. It has a wireless transmitter that will prevent a false alarm when adults use the door to go into the house. The alarm is loud and easy to install.
You’ll need to purchase a 9-volt battery for this alarm, but there’s a low battery indicator to remind you to change it. The alarm will sound anytime the door is open, so you can’t ever leave the door open.
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Best Above Ground Pool Alarm: AltraTech Pool Alarm System Review
The AltraTech Pool Alarm system works with in-ground or above ground pools up to 18′ X 36′. It comes with an in-house receiver that has a 400-foot range, so you’ll hear the alert inside or out.
This alarm has some unique features. There’s a solar panel that can recharge the batteries. The sensor tube is adjustable for different water levels. There are four modes to choose from depending on how you need the alarm to function, and it’ll automatically activate after swimming is complete. In addition to a loud audible alarm, the alarm indicator light flashes red when sounding. It also meets the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards for pool alarms and is easy to install.
This product does not come with the six D-sized rechargeable batteries that you need, and weather events like wind can trigger the alarm.
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Best Inground Pool Alarm: Poolguard PGRM-2 Review
There are many options for in-ground pool alarms, but our experts picked the Poolguard PGRM-2 as the best.
This wireless pool alarm has a loud audible alarm poolside and on the in-house receiver. Its features include new sensing technology that can prevent false alarms, sleep mode for swimming, and easy installation with automatic wake-up mode when put in the water. This alarm meets ASTM standards for pool alarms and has a low battery indicator.
Even though this product claims to have technology that prevents false alarms, some users claim it can be overly sensitive. You’ll also need to buy one 9-volt battery since they don’t include that in the package.
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Best Floating Pool Alarm: Lifebuoy Pool Motion Sensor Review
Our choice for the best floating pool alarm is the Lifebuoy Pool Motion Sensor. This pool alarm comes with a pool unit and a home unit both with an audible alarm that sounds when a person or pet falls into the pool. The typical wireless range for this product is 200 feet.
What’s different about this alarm is that you can use it when a pool cover is in place. Lifebuoy claims this is the only pool alarm that can be used effectively with a pool cover. You can also connect the alarm to the lifebuoy app for Android and iOS through Bluetooth. The alarm is loud, sounds immediately, and meets ATSM standards. You need batteries for this alarm, but they do include them, and it’s easy to install.
Though there’s an app available, a lot of the app reviews are less than stellar. Also, if there’s any motion in the water caused by the weather or a water feature, it may trigger a false alarm.
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Best Wearable Pool Alarm: Safety Turtle 2.0 Review
If you’re more interested in monitoring a specific child or pet and not the whole pool, a wearable alarm may be the way to go. Our number one pick in this category is the Safety Turtle 2.0.
There’s a wristband worn by a child or pet, and the alarm will trigger if the wristband gets wet. This simple system doesn’t need batteries and only requires you to plug in the base within 200 feet range of the pool. Once you plug it in, you’re good to go.
Unfortunately, this type of pool alarm won’t help you pass a state or local inspection, and the wristband may be challenging to keep on your pet.
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- One wristband: Check Amazon for availability
- Two wristbands: Check Amazon for availability
Pool Alarms And Other Pool Safety Tips
This three-minute video from Leslie pools talks about pool safety tips we all need to know.
Keep An Eye On Your Pool
Pool alarms are an excellent tool to make sure everyone is staying safe near your pool. In addition to your pool alarm, you can use security cameras to keep an eye on what’s going on in and around your pool. Our experts review the best outdoor security cameras to help you determine what will work best for you at your home.
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