Table of contents
- problem
- security measures
- flat shore
- Fence
- planting
- mesh or grid
- alarm
A garden pond can quickly turn into a nightmare - namely when a child falls into the pond, injures itself or even drowns. Safety measures are therefore essential. Under certain circumstances, these can disturb the optics, but in case of doubt they also save you a lot of trouble. And they protect lives. Fortunately, a child safety device for garden ponds can usually be installed quickly and inexpensively.
problem
Children are magically attracted to water. They love to play with it and splash around in it. Of course, this applies to your own children as well as to those in the neighborhood. A garden pond therefore also poses a risk if you don't have any children yourself. In principle, nobody is obliged to secure their pond in such a way that nobody can fall into it. However, it is a matter of responsibility to do it anyway. Quite apart from the fact that a drowned or injured child in the garden causes a great deal of hardship and suffering even if it is not a criminal offense. But why can a small garden pond that is not particularly deep become a deadly trap for children in the first place? The answer: because smaller children in particular can fall in very easily, lose consciousness and then drown despite the shallow depth.
security measures
A pond can be childproofed in many ways. The aim is to either make access more difficult or impossible or to minimize the risk of tripping. Let's take a closer look at five different options. Which measures you ultimately decide on depends on the specific conditions on site and your own requirements. It should always be clear that securing a pond usually also has a visual impact. It is therefore also important to keep this impairment as low as possible:
flat shore
It is easiest if you already take the protection of your garden pond into account during the planning phase. Basically, a pond in the garden can be realized in two ways. Either you dig a hole and line it with a pond liner or you place a prefabricated plastic tub in it. The pond liner variant is the more common and usually more sensible solution. Above all, it offers the possibility of installing a relatively simple but effective protective measure right from the start. As already mentioned, the greatest danger for children is that they trip at the edge of the pond and then fall into the water. This danger can now be minimized considerably by ensuring that the bank is very flat. A steep bank must be avoided at all costs. The shore should meet the following requirements:
- very slowly sloping towards the middle of the pond
- no abrupt indentations
- free of tripping hazards such as stones or decorative objects
- Placement of smaller, rough natural stones at the edge
A flat bank not only reduces the risk of tripping, but also makes it easier for the child to get out of the pond under their own power. This is supported by rough stones on the bank edge, where the child can pull himself out. However, you should be aware that a flat bank always requires more space than a steep bank. The pond must therefore be larger overall. How slowly the bank can drop towards the middle of the pond ultimately always depends on the total area of the pond. Nevertheless, a flat bank is the safety measure that causes the least visual impairments.
Tip:
Never use smooth stones or wood to limit the bank at the edge of the pond. When wet, these elements become slippery very easily, making it considerably more difficult to hold on to them.
Fence
The classic way to secure ponds of all kinds is certainly a fence. He can reliably ensure that children have no access to the pond. In order for this to really succeed, however, it should have a height of at least about one meter. It should also be placed around the entire pond. It makes sense to have a small door that can be locked and that should also be closed. Plug-in fences made of metal, wood or plastic are recommended for the fence construction. Stability is important. A simple chain link fence is not suitable. It can also make sense to let the fence fall at an angle of 45 degrees towards the pond. This usually creates a distance that makes it virtually impossible for young children to cross.
planting
A fence around the garden pond is certainly not a tempting idea for many people, as it thwarts exactly the idyll that one wanted to create with the small body of water. An alternative can be as densely planted as possible with hedges and shrubs. Boxwood and roses are also perfect for this. It's simply about creating a barrier around the pond that children find very difficult or impossible to cross. Planting also has the great advantage that the pond behind here remains largely hidden. However, it is important that it is created early. In order to achieve dense growth and a certain height, plants simply need a certain amount of time.
mesh or grid
To prevent children from falling into the pond, a tear-resistant net can also be placed over it or over it. placed at water level. The closer it is to the water, the less noticeable it is. The attachment is made at the edge of the bank, for example by means of tent pegs that are beaten into the ground. A pond cover with a metal grid also works in a similar way to a net. However, it is much more conspicuous, more complex and therefore usually much more expensive. It usually has to be custom made. However, a wrought-iron trellis can also have a very special appeal and become an eye-catcher in the garden.
alarm
So-called warning devices are now available in specialist shops, which float like small islands on the water surface of the pond. As soon as they detect a larger wave movement, such as that caused by a child falling, they emit a loud, shrill alarm sound. Various tolerances can be set, for example to prevent every frog that jumps into the water from triggering an alarm. It is also important that these alarms lie very flat on the surface in order to be able to function optimally. And of course such a warning device only makes sense if adults also react to it and, in case of doubt, can pull the child out of the pond.
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