Protect-A-Child Pool Fence Facts
1. What are the advantages of your Premier Line fiberglass post fence over your aluminum post fence?
In a nutshell, our composite fiberglass posts are:
- 40% stronger than our aluminum posts (Twice as strong as most competitors aluminum posts)
- Will not break or ever become bent or crooked (very important when we are talking about fencing)
- Can never rust or corrode.
- Are unaffected by fence tension that leaves aluminum posts bent and crooked or broken.
- Have a built in color that can never peel or flake off.
- Do not become hot in the sun.
- Will not conduct electricity (from sub surface electrical grounding issues meeting all electrical codes)
- Are guarateed unbreakable and unbendable.
2. How well do fiberglass support posts hold up in the sun?
Protect-A-Child's Quad Bilt fiberglass posts are produced with an advanced resin designed to prevent UV degradation. In addition they are encapsulated with a UV resistant veil to further increase UV protection. This is why these fiberglass fence posts carry a 25 year warranty against UV deterioration.
3. What are some common examples of fiberglass in every day usage?
In the swimming pool industry, building construction industry, playground equipment industry, and the marine industry, the characteristics of fiberglass products have been well proven in terms of strength, weather resistance, and longevity. Examples include playground equipment, water slides, spas and hot tubs, bathtubs, swimming pools, and the the highest quality, hard working tools such as hammer, ax and pick handles, as well as fiberglass ladders are all made from fiberglass and recognized as the best available. Remember also that nearly every boat made is constructed with fiberglass. Many over 50 years old. Examples of well known uses of structural fiberglass include the mesmerizing dancing fountains of the Bellagio Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, the Observation Deck overlooking the breath taking Niagara Falls, and the fiberglass walkway and aquarium supports at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. These applications all rely on structural fiberglass composite materials.
When you stop and consider the superiority of composite fiberglass materials in the applications mentioned above, we are confident you will find Protect-A-Child's Premier Line pool fence to be your best choice in pool safety fences.
4. How does Protect-A-Child test its support posts?
We use a common sense approach when testing the strength of all mesh pool fence posts. We want to know how much force it will take for a child to push over a fence post if they walk up to it and lean or push against it. We consider 36" off the pool deck as a logical height where a child would exert that force. Below are the specific test criteria:
Fence post test parameters:
Common sense dictates that the fence post should be tested like it will be when it is attached to the fence. This means it will have the holes drilled in the post and the post will be positioned just as it will be when it is assembled on the fence and encountered by a child. This is important especially when it comes to aluminum fence posts. Once the holes are drilled in the aluminum tube it loses 20-30% of its strength. The fact that the stress on the posts is on the "holes side" of the post means this breach in the metal causes the aluminum to tear prematurely adding to the posts weakness. The result is that aluminum fence posts always crack off at the fulcrum point where the fence post exits the patio and the bottom screw hole has weakened the metal. This is why Protect-A-Child reinforces its aluminum pool fence posts at the critical fulcrum point. Many competing test results are of undrilled posts or posts where the drilled hole pattern has been turned around backward so as not to come into play when the test is performed. These test results are sometimes 30% higher than actual post strength once the posts are installed as a pool fence. Their customers can't understand why their fence posts break so easily. This is why.
Fiberglass posts are totally unaffected by the screw holes which partially explains their dramatic strength advantage.
Protect-A-Child independently tests our own and competing fence posts side by side under fair, actual use conditions at a consistent height of 36" above the floor. These are the independent test results we offer to customers that prove our fence post strength superiority. As you might expect, our Quad Bilt fiberglass posts are at the top of the list in strength.
5. How is the border attached to the fence mesh and what is its purpose?
The vinyl border is folded and sewn onto our mesh all the way around the mesh. Its purpose is primarily as a decorative finish to the raw mesh edge. With Protect-A-Child's PVC coated polyester mesh the strength of the mesh itself is well into the realm of overkill in terms of strength all by itself. Although the border does add additional strength it is not a necessary structural component of the fence.
We use only the highest quality UV resistant marine grade thread to sew our border to our mesh. For 26 years we have used the same top quality UV resistant thread and double row sewing techniques in our fences. In that time we have encountered - ZERO- failures of our sewing, thread, or bordering process. A quarter century of field use proves that additional lines of sewing are unnecessary. We offer a lifetime warranty against such defects that back up our claim of manufacturing sufficiency.