Solar Cover and Liability Issues?

[home4sale2]

Thanks for prompt replies on a prev post.

Couple of add'l questions:

1. Do the bubbles on a solar cover face up (sky) or down (water) on the solar cover or does it matter?

2. I am surrounded by lawyers in my neighborhood with kids plus I want to be a responsible pool owner. I already have a fence around my entire backyard (40" high) and I always keep the gates closed (but I don't have a lock on the gates). Do I have any liability issues to worry about if a neighbor's kid opens my gate or jumps over the fence and god forbid drowns or gets injured when we are away?

Thanks,

[Poconos]

Bubble side down. As for liability, I would suspect anyone that wants to sue will sue no matter what. I see you're in Chicago and I'd bet there are regulations defining almost everything about a pool. Sorry I can't be of more help there. Welcome to the forum.
Al

[JohnT]

Thanks for prompt replies on a prev post.

Couple of add'l questions:

1. Do the bubbles on a solar cover face up (sky) or down (water) on the solar cover or does it matter?

Bubbles down

2. I am surrounded by lawyers in my neighborhood with kids plus I want to be a responsible pool owner. I already have a fence around my entire backyard (40" high) and I always keep the gates closed (but I don't have a lock on the gates). Do I have any liability issues to worry about if a neighbor's kid opens my gate or jumps over the fence and god forbid drowns or gets injured when we are away?


Thanks,

If they open the gate, you are hosed. Climbing the fence gives you some protection. Locking the gates is a prudent thing to do and will help you. A 40 inch fence would probably not cover you completely as most city codes and insurance require 4 or 4.5 ft.

[SLS]

I could never forgive myself if a child drowned in my pool and I could have prevented it so I always have everything locked down.
I came home from work early one afternoon and found two girls around 12 in my pool swimming. They had climbed the fence. I ask them nicely to leave and never come back after finding out who their parents were. I called their parents later and they seemed rather put out that I called them about it. My parents would have beat me half to death for doing that when I was young but their parents didn't see much wrong with it.
I have since taken out an "umbrella" policy that protects me a little more for about 100 dollars a year. It gives me a little more sense of security just in case something would ever happen.

[medvampire]

I know I would beat my boys for going in uninvited and not telling me where there at. I have a lockable gate on mine and planning to put in some security cams. The cams will be hooked into a pc that will record when movement is present. We are about to get some new peps next door and I think I will have problems with their kids. The parents drive truck and will not be home days at a time and the kids are 19 and 15. The act like little crooks and I want video for the parents and local law enforcement.

[NWMNMom]

I also think it would be appropriate to provide some additional barrier on the pool itself, such as a locking ladder, signs saying "No Tresspassing - Violators Will Be Prosecuted" or something like that. Got a dog in the back yard?

There is a doctrine in civil liability which deals with minors and "attractive nuisance" items on your property, basically stating that ...if you build it, they will come. So, you need to do EVERYTHING to show that you tried to avoid the possibility of injury, even if they tresspass.

We are lucky enough to live in the country, but have relatives living close enough for their grandchildren to wander over occassionally - we have a locking ladder which will work for now as they are young.

[matt4x4]

Get a big dog that you train to be in the yard, it's my prevention, no one sets foot on my land even though he's the biggest suck.