Just love the pictures--we are having bluebirds return now. They seem to go away when the weather gets really hot, and then show up again when fall starts. I want to get a fountain and put it in the swimming pool garden, but it would have to be covered because of the heat--something to think about. The birds must really enjoy yours with the water coming out like that. Avedon

When we built our pool it was mainly because of our grandchildren. Upfront, I shared that I would not be a pool 'baby sitter'. If my nieces and nephew's children wanted to come one of the parents have to bring them and stay with them.....they are free to use the pool anytime that way. As the children have gotten older age 12, they think the kids are old enough to come by themselves but I have cont. to say an adult must be with them. I would not open up the pool to people I do not even know. They would have to be friends with my family and come with that family member. I feel if you open it up to all, you will never have any peace. Other rules I have.....no horse-play, no running around the pool, no ducking others, no jumping onto a float. Clean up after yourself! (These are my rules. When I am not here, if the parents allow their children to do any of above then the responsibility is theirs. They know my rules.) If I find they are allowing them to jump onto a float and I see it I correct that immediately....to much danger of hitting head on cement side I think.) Start out like you can hold out! Easier to relax rules than to tighten them.

Thanks! I'm in the game now! It looks like I'm going to get 2 2" main drains dedicated to the waterfall for the wall. I like the positioning of yours folsom, under the skimmer, which might just work perfectly for me. Also, I'm definately going with a dedicated inlet to adjust the flow. (I think that I might even put some automation on that valve so that I can control that one by remote. We'll see.) And definately add a trickle flow from the main pump to keep the falls from getting stagnant. I'm still working on the plumbing diagram, I would love to have your opinions on it. I'll post it soon! I've got to take a trip to the pool supply store to see what goodies they have! Thanks so much for sharing! -Renee folsom: Awesome waterfall! I found another pic from a previous post!

I have had an opportunity to use both, and I can honestly say that I have been happy with both. We have used products by AllSafe and they have always been fantasic. We currently use their net and with our small yard and pool, it works great! I have been unfortunate to had a recent experience involving a fence, a pool and a close friend's daughter. A dear friend of mine almost lost his daughter on the day before Thanksgiving due to a near drowning. First, let me say, that to everyones great relief, she is doing fine, but to think of what might have been. While at a party with kids and adults, with adults sitting less than four feet away from the pool, their daughter managed to get through a unlatched gate and fall into the pool. Her Mom must have had a "sixth sense" and went looking for her daughter and had the horror of seeing her floating face down. When pulled from the water, she was not breathing and was blue. O.K., as a fire captain, I have seen this tragedy far too many times throughout my career. These are good parents, responsible parents, no alcohol, no drugs or negligence, just a simple distraction and a tragic accident. Nothing, nothing at all, replaces direct supervision. No one was swimming this day, no one knows exactly how the fence became unlatched, nor how a 16 month old managed to get into the pool. It is good fortune that her Dad knows good rescue breathing, the paramedics responded promptly and that the end result is a fully recovered baby with no deficits. This was a painful experience for everyone in our group of friends. We all have two kids, and they all arrived within weeks of each other. My daughter is only two weeks older than their daughter. I could not help but to cry while listening to my friends horror story and near tragedy. I wasn't there that day, but I felt helpless, I felt terror, I felt fear, I felt guilt and I could not help but to picture my own kids (16 months and 4 years). Now, back to the topic, we chose the net not only because of the situation with our small yard, but also noticed our son placing(Pushing) chairs next to the fence and throwing things over it into the pool. What was next? What if he throws a toy that he would like back and doesn't think to bother Mom or Dad? He is also tall for his age, and it would only be a matter of time before he could reach a latch. Yes, No, Maybe? We decided to go with the net and have no regrets. However, and this is VERY important. If you go with a net, you have to make the commitment to always put the net back on at the end of the swimming day. Even when you are exhausted, tipsy, or even wet and cold in bad weather. I have experienced all or a combination of all three, but I always sleep soundly knowing that the net is on the pool! The net for all practical purposes is like a lid on a pot, but on our pool. I can lay on the tensioned net and not touch the water. I can not imagine how a small child could get under or through a properly installed pool net, but can think of several ways and have personally seen kids get over, around and through fencing. Again, not that having a fence is a bad idea. I have had two removeable fences in previous homes and if I had a much larger lot, I would strongly consider a permanently installed iron fence. If you search this topic, you can find several threads and pictures of both products. Wishing you all the very best in the coming New Year! Best Regards, Mike