2nd Vandalism in Our Pool in less than a Year; some recommendations, please.

[goldslinger]

Hello, All.

We have a 18 x 36 IG vinyl rectangular, and twice My Wife and I have woken up to debris being thrown in the pool. Sadly the liner is a year old but now has three holes in it thanks to them throwing in metal tikki torch spiked stands, lawn furniture, decor and outdoor clocks, etc.

We have a home security system (Simplisafe) that does not yet offer outdoor cams, outdoor sensors, etc. (for now)
It is a VERY GOOD inside monitored system company.

I have googled and searched locally, and have found a couple of SD card battery operatede HD 'Deer Cams' to install, but they won't sound an alarm. I thought about a pool water alarm, but I guess it has to be 18 lbs or more and I would prefer to have a loud siren sound BEFORE they throw something in the water. I went ahead and picked up the BUSHNELL battery operated 'deer cams' remarketed as a Land Surveillance Camera to perhaps help the Police recognize the culprit/s, but I need something preventative as well. The pool is quite away from the house to our internet, pc's, outlets, etc.

Can Anyone help?

[Sean OBrien]

I've been a long time fan of outdoor security being handled by the four legged variety. In our case, a pair of boxers who will let me know if they have guests at night and are pretty good at convincing people that they are meaner than they are.

Barring that, take a look at X10. They have been around for a long time (I know I bought a camera from them back in 1996 or 1997 to watch my car parking spot in an apartment complex I lived in back then). They are pretty inexpensive and have a whole bunch of things to choose from - from the passive cameras to complete systems with lights and alarms. Something like this driveway alert system might be right up your alley:

http://www.x10.com/promotions/sc546_plug_driveway_hmp.html

Motion sensor and alarm to let you know when the sensor gets tripped. Wireless and battery powered.

[sunlove]

Yikes! Sorry about your bad luck...are they just punk kids or something?

Ever thought about getting a guard dog? Seriously, that would be a great preventative. The first time they got their leg chewed off by kujo, they won't be back :)

What about putting a fence up? Motion sensitive security lights? Definitely put a sign up saying property under video surveillance and maybe "no trespassing, violators will be shot" for good measure.

[PoolDoc]

Something that I have used, with considerable effectiveness, are high output quartz lamps tied to motion sensor controls.

Having worked around commercial properties for years, I HATE alarm systems. 90% of the time when they go off, they shouldn't, but at least 30% of the time when they SHOULD go off, they don't. I nearly got shot by a rookie cop one night, doing some heavy duty maintenance on a restaurant (I was a plumber, before pools). I was working at 3am -- when I could turn ALL the water off -- and had keys and codes, but the manager had forgotten that outside entrance and boiler room had a SEPARATE alarm.

Odds are, if you put a sensitive alarm system out there, you'll be out there 3 nights a week discovering all the critters living in your neighborhood.

The nice thing about lights is that they say to any intruders, YOU HAVE BEEN DETECTED!, without waking the whole neighborhood, if the 'intruder' is just a cat or raccoon. If you use a few 500W quartz lamps AND some hunting cameras, you'll get nice hi-res color shots of your intruders. And, with a good pair of binocs, you should be able to see what's out there without having to go all the way to the pool.

One observation: I've had people ask, shouldn't we just leave the lights on, all the time? The answer is no -- not only does it waste electricity, always-on lighting doesn't communicate to intruders that they have been observed.

[goldslinger]

All good replies, Folks;thanks!

We do have a good fenced in area, but they are going over it with some help with my neighbors propane tank. Last time it happened, he said he would fence it off, but hasn't done so. I think the first order of business would be to get hard wired electricity out there. There is juice to the pump area, will go from there. There is a lot of concrete to go under, though.. I will call the electrician. Thanks for the light tip as I was leaving them on all the time for awhile from the house. They do not have motion detection on them and they are a ways from the pool. I think with a sign and some actual cams, lights, etc. I should be good to go. I wonder what the range is on the x-10 from the cam to the router; may need to get an additional router. I did install the deer cams tonight as our alleyway seems to be a highway for kids, I can get them for curfew violation with the time stamp. We have police in our schools that would recognize them in a heartbeat.

Yea, I'm pretty sure they are punks. School just let out.

Gary