# Forum Home Renovation Pools, Spa & Water Features  pool fencing a braced above ground pool

## ajm

folks, i am having trouble interpreting the requirements for pool fencing for our new above ground pool. we are planning to fence the whole thing but i can't figure out how far off the braced uprights (these are the posts at the side that have a 45 deg brace running from the pool upright to the floor - three on each side) the fence has to be down the one side of the pool that is open to the back garden. I have been trying to get my head around the stuff in the qld building code docs on line but have run out of mental ram. any pointers would be most welcome.

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## cyclic

> folks, i am having trouble interpreting the requirements for pool fencing for our new above ground pool. we are planning to fence the whole thing but i can't figure out how far off the braced uprights (these are the posts at the side that have a 45 deg brace running from the pool upright to the floor - three on each side) the fence has to be down the one side of the pool that is open to the back garden. I have been trying to get my head around the stuff in the qld building code docs on line but have run out of mental ram. any pointers would be most welcome.

  Common sense tells me the greater the distance the better, but if you look at the link http://www.hpw.qld.gov.au/SiteCollec...olBarriers.pdf 
and go to MP 3.4, it states an amount of 300mm clear of horizontal surfaces, so in theory, 45 degree braces are not a problem, however, as I said, the greater the distance the better.
Also be aware of the exclusion zones around the outside of the pool fence of 900mm. 
Best you talk to the Inspector who is going to do the inspection. 
Most important is to pool proof your own children because pool fences are only, imo, 10% of the safety factor, and refuse other children access to the pool, without their parents in attendance AT ALL TIMES. No if's, no butts. 
I had an inground pool for 30 years and the only scary time was when their were 3 adults and 5 children aged 2 to 14 in the pool on Christmas Day,and I looked out to see my 2 year old upside down in his float ring. 
Thankfully he turns 35 next month.

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## ringtail

Post a pic and I'll have a crack. I got really good at pool fence laws when doing my pool and pool deck the braces are an issue. If they are more than 10 mm wide a child can walk on them, allegedly.

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## ajm

cyclic - am waiting on a referral from a household down the street who are also putting in a pool. their inspector has been pretty good about everything and is easy to deal with. ideally, we want to have the fence line marked on the ground for him to see when he comes the first time, hence the request for anyone's two cents. My mum still tells a similar story to you about a time when i was but a wee nipper and had to be pulled from a pool. it seems i was reaching for a beach ball which was floating around a pool in melbourne at a friend's place while the oldies were having lunch. one of the older kids (old enough to be sitting to lunch with the olds and not sent off to play out the back where I was supposed to be) suddenly kicked his chair back and to the shock of all around, jumped onto the table, ran down it, jumped off the balcony into the pool below and came up with me in his arms. it must have been quite a common occurrence in the "good old days" before mandatory pool fencing laws. 
ringtail, we are using standard flat top aluminium pool fencing of the type that hardware stores sell. I did battle with the pool pumping/filtration system over the weekend so will try to get a snappy of the spot where the braces are tonight. 
cheers all.

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## ajm

guys, had a pool fencing guy come and tell me where to put the fence. all good now. thanks for your interest.

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## ajm

hey ringtail, was having a think about something the pool certifier dude said when he was here last week. we are using our boundary fence as one side of our 4 sided, rectangular pool fence. its a 1.8 m colour bond job. what he said was that since we had no way of guaranteeing that our neighbour would keep his side of the fence clear of climbable objects, the regulations allow for the non climbable zone test to be done on our side of the fence. i can't recall exactly the measurements but its there basically to stop a child from being able to step down from the top of the fence into the pool area. so, what i am perplexed about is how exactly is one meant to intersect the boundary fence with the rest of the pool fence? pool fence is 1200, boundary fence is 1800. 600mm is not a large enough drop. am i missing something?

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## ringtail

PM sent

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