Having a pool fence is an important part of being a responsible pool owner. A fence helps to keep children and animals out of the pool area where they could potentially hurt themselves if they try to swim. Whether you have an existing pool fence in need of replacement, there are plenty of fence material options.
Pool fencing made from aluminum is generally considered among the best. Aluminum is lightweight, resistant to corrosion, and comes at just the right price for most.
The Two Main Types of Aluminum Pool Fence
Pool Safety Fence | Pool Perimeter Fence |
Safety Fences
Pool safety fences are nearly always mesh fences. They use aircraft-grade aluminum poles to suspend a durable mesh material. Mesh aluminum pool fences are made for safety, and are very difficult for children to climb.
They stay close to the outside of the pool. They help prevent unauthorized access by children and pets from the back door. Some types, like those produced by All-Safe, are also removable pool fences. This means they can be easily taken down and stored when not in use.
Perimeter Fences
These types of fences are typically used to enclose an entire pool area or yard. Their chief function is privacy not necessarily safety.
Warning: Aluminum perimeter fences have limited safety benefits on their own. They typically don’t protect your own children and pets that might play in the backyard. Many designs are also relatively easy to climb.
The good news is that you can use both of these fence types at the same time for the most effective safety coverage.
When installing aluminum pool enclosures in both of these types, here are 4 key benefits over other materials.
- Fencing with Versatile Aesthetics
Unlike alloys such as steel and iron, the microstructure of aluminum makes it malleable. It’s one reason why metal products that feature curved contours and are manufactured in large numbers, such as roof gutters and rooftop exhaust fixtures, are commonly made of aluminum. That same flexibility makes it easy to create pool fencing from aluminum that has distinctive lines, pressings, and curvatures. Finished appearances run the gamut, from minimalistic to ornate, and are available in a variety of colors and texture finishes.
- Costs Less Than Many Materials
Installing a residential swimming pool is a significant expense, and maintaining the pool isn’t exactly cheap. Many homeowners wouldn’t mind economizing on the fence that surrounds their pool, and an aluminum pool enclosure can help them do it. Pool fence aluminum routinely costs less than two other materials used for pool fence: wrought iron and steel.
Wood is one material that may cost less than aluminum, but it can cost more to maintain, as it must often be repainted at least once throughout its lifespan to maintain weather resistance. Wood is also easier to damage than aluminum, such as when it is bumped by lawn mowing equipment, or it experiences inclement weather such as hail. In addition to being economical to install, an aluminum pool enclosure is also notably inexpensive to maintain.
- Creates a Durable Safety Barrier
Especially in neighborhood settings, a pool fence is a physical barrier that serves as a form of protection. It shows that a homeowner attempts to protect their property, and not just from the threat of interloping strangers. It also shows the attempt to protect it from someone who might enter the pool area and experience a slip and fall injury or accidental drowning.
There have been instances where pool owners have been held legally liable for injuries that have happened to strangers, who wandered onto the property and ended up drowning or experiencing a significant injury. Although fences made from pool fence aluminum — and other fence materials, for that matter — aren’t intended as barriers that are impossible for people to circumnavigate, they create a durable safety barrier that helps prevent homeowners from being held liable for injuries to others, who intentionally climb over the barrier.
- Longer Life Than Many Materials
In addition to being a lightweight fence that tends not to lean under the force of its own weight, an aluminum pool fence has a longer lifespan than many types of fencing because aluminum doesn’t rust. Aluminum can corrode, but the rusting process is a specific type of corrosion that only applies to iron and steel, including iron and steel alloys.
Although all aluminum eventually corrodes due to long-term exposure to the environment, the fact that it doesn’t rust means that it never succumbs to one of the most accelerated types of metal corrosion, which is rusting. Strictly from the standpoint of metallic corrosion, this means that pool fence aluminum is likely to last longer than pool fence made from iron or steel.
Get an Aluminum Pool Enclosure Estimate
All things considered, pool fence aluminum is arguably the top material for residential pool fences. Available in various aesthetics, it establishes a sturdy barrier and offers a long life, is cost-effective to install and maintain, and has value-added benefits that some materials don’t.
To receive an estimate for a swimming pool enclosure that’s made from high-quality pool fence aluminum, find your local dealer of All-Safe products.