Swim Safer This Summer by Inspecting Your Drain Cover
Summertime means spending time outdoors, soaking up the Florida sun, and splashing away in the pool with the family. It’s tremendous fun for everyone of all ages. But before any fun can be had, you must first have peace-of-mind. And to have peace-of-mind, you need to know that your children are safe in your pool. May is Water Safety Month, and one of the most important measures you can take to ensure your children’s safety is to inspect each drain cover in your pool. Let’s explore the dangers of a damaged drain cover and what you can do to prevent the unthinkable.
The VGB Act
In 2002, Virginia Graeme Baker was swimming in a hot tub when she became trapped due to the suction of the hot tub’s drain. Her mother tried to free her from the force of the drain’s suction, but she was not able to pull her free. Two other people were eventually able to free her – pulling so hard that the drain cover broke from the force – but it was too late. On that summer day, Baker drowned in the bottom of a hot tub, because the suction of the drain was so strong that she couldn’t resurface.
Five years later, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act, or the VGB Act, was signed into law. This law requires all public pools and spas must have anti-entrapment drain covers and other safety devices. Today, thousands of pools are much safer thanks to this legislation.
Detecting the Hazards with Your Drain Cover
Inspect your pool and see what kind of drain cover you have installed. Unsafe drain covers are flat, and can be easily enveloped by a body part. More recently, covers have been designed in a curved shape, making it much more difficult to envelope. For more information about the differences between these cover designs, watch this video.
Teaching Your Children About Drain Cover Safety
For an added level of protection, be sure to educate your children before they begin playing in the pool. Even if you have a modern, compliant drain cover, tell your children not to swim near the drain. It’s as simple as learning to look both ways before crossing the street.
We Take the Utmost Care
According to the CDC, from 2005 to 2014, there was an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings, or about 10 per day. At Windermere Pools, we take pool safety seriously. When we detect a faulty drain cover in a customer’s pool, we require it to be replaced, or we cancel the customer’s pool service. And when we do replace drain covers, we replace them with some of the newest and safest covers on the market.
Not sure if your pool’s drain cover is compliant with the VGB Act? Contact us today to request an inspection.
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