Pool Slides?

[JimM01]

I have been thinking about replacing my diving board with a pool slide for a couple of years now. However, I find that there are no longer any pool companies in my area (Northern Virginia) that will sell and install a pool slide for me. It seems that very few people install pool slides anymore.

I have done web and newsgroup searches, but could not find any opinions of pool slide owners. Does anyone on the forum have any experience with pool slides? Am I overlooking some obvious problem with owning a pool slide?

My first choice would be the Inter-Fab Wild Ride:
http://www.propools.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/products/slide/wild_ride.htm?E+scstore

My second choice would be the S.R. Smith TurboTwister:
http://www.propools.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/products/slide/turbotwister.htm?E+scstore

[brittmer]

I had a slide into my former pool which was too small for a diving board. It was a lot of fun and the kids liked it better than the diving board we have in our current pool.
From what I have heard from my local pool builders is that the insurance company charge more for a pool with a slide than a diving board because the slide is somehow more dangerous. Not really sure how they came up with that. Maybe the builder prefers installing diving boards.
Slides are a lot of fun and would recommend getting one if that is what you want.

Bruce

[bboehm]

We have that exact same Inter-fab slide and have had very good luck with it. This summer will be our 6th season and it has held up extremely well. It's as good as the day it was installed and it's a very safe slide. The kids love it (and so do many adults).

[poolbee]

When we had our pool installed last year, the builder would only install the diving board if it wasn't listed anywhere on the invoice(their ins. co. wasn't covering them anymore). He said that as of this year their ins. co. wouldn't be covering slides either. He told me there are actually more injuries from people falling off the top of or thru the steps of slides onto the concrete.

We watched our kids and others swimming in pools with both and found the diving board was used mostly by the older kids and slides more by toddlers and a little older. My kids are all over 12. We asked them what they wanted and they said only a board.

[JimM01]

Thanks for all the replies. I have two small children, ages 2 and 6, so I think they will get several years of fun out of a pool slide. (Not to mention me.) The problem with the diving board is that the deep end of the pool does not extend far enough out from the board so an adult diving head first must "pull up" to avoid hitting the bottom.

As far as my insurance company (Allstate) is concerned, my liability insurance is not affected by whether or not I own a pool, much less whether the pool has a diving board or slide, so thankfully that's not an issue for me. However, liability does seem to be an issue for the pool companies, since the ones I contacted will not install a slide for me.

At this point, I am looking to buy the slide over the internet and find a local pool service company that will install it for me. Since it involves tearing up the deck, removing the existing diving board, and installing and plumbing a new water line for the slide, I was trying to stay with the larger, established pool companies in the area.

[blue_steel]

My insurance co. only cared if I had a dive, not a slide.
My children, age 5 & 7 love the slide. So do most of the kids that come over to swim. Mine is an Aqua Slide-N-Dive from Houston, TX. Originally installed in 1976. I have since replaced the legs with much thicker aluminum tubing ($46.00) and painted it the original blue color with automotive paint ($44.00). For $90 it is more stable and faster than when it was new. My parents paid $550, but I think a new one is over $1,200 mail order and $1,600 from my local pool ripoff supplier.
Good luck.

[fcfrey]

I have a good friend who had a pool with a slide, and loved it ---- but then a young relative fell off and was permanently injured. The youngster's parents were convinced by a lawyer to sue. Things went down hill from there --- both financially and family. HE LOST EVERYTHING because the insurance didn't cover the claim.

I would recommend you ask your Insurance agent and a civil suit lawyer and then decide.

I carry a half million extra insurance for pool liability and don't have a slide.