# Forum Home Renovation Pools, Spa & Water Features  Corten pool fence panels

## elver

All, 
Just completed the Corten panels on my pool fence to accomodate the presence of a deck inside the fence (violates the internal no climb zone).  
We used 3mm Corten sheets. 1200 high and cut into panels up to 1100 wide.  Its screwed to an ironbark timber frame with rails at 1200 spacing and some verticals at the edge of each panel to provide a shadow line.
The steel is held off the frame with 8mm washers cut from plastic irrigation pipe. This should avoid too much rust stain dripping off onto the timber.  
Corten is fixed with 8g 50mm Long stainless screws with round heads.  An oversized hole was drilled in the steel to allow for expansion in the sun.  
Fixings are at around 500 centres or less. Flex in the panel is minimal and not enough to void the rules about gaps etc under the pool fence code.  
Keeping everything square and getting the shadow lines to match up was a pain. But worth it.  
Cost for the Corten was about $80/m2 cut to size on a sheet cutter by a local steel place. The steel was supplied to them by One Steel  in 3m x 1.2m sheets.  
All up cheaper than using hardwood paneling or bearstone and suits the look we were after.  
Now to see if the Council guy passes the work.  
(The pool is a concrete plunge pool, 2.2m deep and 4.6 diameter, built using slip forms on site. Deck is 900 high to avoid need for a rail)

----------


## elver



----------


## r3nov8or

Is it salt chlorinated? Do pool chemicals in general make it go 'rustier' or a different colour? 
A guy nearby had to clean a graffiti tag of his and it was never quite the same

----------


## elver

The pool is not chlorinated.  Trialing using a bioniser with eco oxidiser and auto ph balance. So far so good.  
No idea if salt / chlorine would make it rustier.  Guess once the surface coating forms more rusting is not likely?  
Im told that sanding off the whole panel is the best way to even it all up if an untoward mark appears.  
Well see how long it takes to rust. It only went on today.

----------


## Uncle Bob

That pool is pretty good. If you ever get peeved with pool maintenance you can always use it as a water tank  :Wink:

----------


## Marc

Or a fish pond  :Smilie:

----------


## ChocDog

Looks good, great work.  
====

----------


## Marc

Is there any proof that this Nazi style approach to pool fencing is actually reducing child drowning?

----------


## joynz

> Is there any proof that this Nazi style approach to pool fencing is actually reducing child drowning?

  Yes, according to this article.  Look at the 25 year graph. https://www.splashmagazine.com.au/20...annual-report/. The number of pools increased but the number of drownings for young kids decreased. 
Royal Lifesaving National Drowning Report https://www.splashmagazine.com.au/wp...eport_2016.pdf :  *DROWNING DEATHS IN CHILDREN UNDER FIVE*
-Private swimming pool drowning deaths in children under  five in New South Wales were reviewed.  
- Between 1 July 2002 and 30 June 2015, 83 such drowning deaths were recorded. The key  findings related to appropriate supervision, pool fencing and emergency care:   *Supervision*
• Supervision was completely absent in 59% of cases, with older siblings or other children left to supervise younger children in 6% of cases
• Among cases where it was known how long a child was left unsupervised for, 33% of children were left unattended for 5-10 minutes and 30% were left unattended for 3-5 minutes  *Barriers * - Among cases with information on fencing available, fencing was present in 27% of cases, absent in 27% of cases and faulty in 35% of cases 
- Among cases with available information, children most commonly gained access to the pool through a faulty fence or gate (38%), lack of a fence (31%) or a gate which was propped open (18%)

----------


## pharmaboy2

> Yes, according to this article.  Look at the 25 year graph. https://www.splashmagazine.com.au/20...annual-report/. The number of pools increased but the number of drownings for young kids decreased. 
> Royal Lifesaving National Drowning Report https://www.splashmagazine.com.au/wp...eport_2016.pdf :  *DROWNING DEATHS IN CHILDREN UNDER FIVE*
> -Private swimming pool drowning deaths in children under  five in New South Wales were reviewed.  
> - Between 1 July 2002 and 30 June 2015, 83 such drowning deaths were recorded. The key  findings related to appropriate supervision, pool fencing and emergency care:   *Supervision*
> • Supervision was completely absent in 59% of cases, with older siblings or other children left to supervise younger children in 6% of cases
> • Among cases where it was known how long a child was left unsupervised for, 33% of children were left unattended for 5-10 minutes and 30% were left unattended for 3-5 minutes  *Barriers * - Among cases with information on fencing available, fencing was present in 27% of cases, absent in 27% of cases and faulty in 35% of cases 
> - Among cases with available information, children most commonly gained access to the pool through a faulty fence or gate (38%), lack of a fence (31%) or a gate which was propped open (18%)

  They are terribly badly presented statistics in both reports.  They report single years versus moving average as if it’s significant - bit like the road toll reporting which is woefully inaccurate. 
anyways, it looks like interventions leading into this millennium made a measureable difference, but that the more recent interventions less so if at all.   After reading the detailed reports, pool fences that complied with the pre 2000 std seem as safe as current (statistically).  The non compliant aspects that led to deaths were completely inadequate, not technical fails. 
this is often a problem in beaurocracy, they get a result with doing something well, then the immediate assumption is that they know what they are doing so doing it even more will get an even better result - no respect for the laws of diminishing returns.    
You get great results from pools having working self close gates and fenced off from the house, you don’t get similar add on effects by considering raked brickwork as a climbing point, or whatever other technicalities that are applied these days. 
child drownings in pools pales into insignificance compared to overall drownings though

----------


## elver

Guys, note the 50m diameter dam 4 m from the pool fence.   Dont get me started on pool fence regs and silly business!  
The Corten looks good though, so Im going to forget all the shenanigans about fences from now on.

----------


## joynz

> They are terribly badly presented statistics in both reports.  They report single years versus moving average as if it’s significant - bit like the road toll reporting which is woefully inaccurate. 
> anyways, it looks like interventions leading into this millennium made a measureable difference, but that the more recent interventions less so if at all.   After reading the detailed reports, pool fences that complied with the pre 2000 std seem as safe as current (statistically).  The non compliant aspects that led to deaths were completely inadequate, not technical fails. 
> this is often a problem in beaurocracy, they get a result with doing something well, then the immediate assumption is that they know what they are doing so doing it even more will get an even better result - no respect for the laws of diminishing returns.    
> You get great results from pools having working self close gates and fenced off from the house, you don’t get similar add on effects by considering raked brickwork as a climbing point, or whatever other technicalities that are applied these days. 
> child drownings in pools pales into insignificance compared to overall drownings though

  You might not be taking into account that the number of swimming pools has increased since 2000 but the number of under-five drownings hasn’t increased at the same rate.   
That's not 'diminishing returns' at all.

----------


## pharmaboy2

> You might not be taking into account that the number of swimming pools has increased since 2000 but the number of under-five drownings hasn’t increased at the same rate.   
> That's not 'diminishing returns' at all.

  Missing the word “law” at the front  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns 
it doesn’t mean you don’t get some improvement, it means you get less and less improvement per dollar spent.  The big gains have been made 20 years ago, there’s some but very small gains to be had from now on.

----------


## Marc

As much as the statistics are probably biased and full of prejudice, it just seems logical that a fence is better than no fence. 
On the other hand if you look at countries where pool fencing is non existent, there seems to be no measurable difference. A bit like with the bike helmet. A Nazi approach to wearing a helmet or bust. Notice that all those stupid people living ine europe are on the bike 1000% more than us and don't use helmet. 
All this nanny state rules, enforced with iron fist tell me just the one thing. They are but an excuse to have something to enforce totalitarian style. Just like car accidents. It is always speed that is mentioned yet speed rates low in the causes of accident. Never is the attitude, aggression, poor skills, criminal rage and everything else we experience first hand every day in Sydney mentioned but speed. After all you can not measure attitude with an electronic device and apply a fine to it. Not for now anyway.  
As for councils, I think they should be abolished lock stock and barrel. Replaced with "Service Department" Completely apolitical and unable to make any laws, rules or regulations, only to deliver services. 
It would be a brave premier who kick starts this.

----------


## Marc

> Missing the word “law” at the front  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns 
> it doesn’t mean you don’t get some improvement, it means you get less and less improvement per dollar spent.  The big gains have been made 20 years ago, there’s some but very small gains to be had from now on.

  The Germans say in a mocking tone "viel hilft viel" to those that rush into doubling the dosis  :Smilie:

----------

