What Is The MOST Dangerous Part of a Swimming Pool?

Fromwww.swimmingpo... this video talks about some of the most dangerous parts of a swimming pool / swimming pool system. This information is not intended to scare but instead to inform and help both pool owners and swimmers to be safe around swimming pools.
You might be surprised to learn what the most dangerous part of a pool is. It is not the chemistry, though this is very important, and slides and diving boards are not even close to the most dangerous part of a pool. Even the dreaded (and super scary to some people) main drain in the bottom of the deep end is the most dangerous thing either though it certainly can be dangerous given the wrong set of circumstances.
#poolsafety #swimmingpoolsteve #drowningprevention

[@geriesdorkhom4788]

"Eddy currents in the ground".... The fact that you mentioned that, as an electrical engineer, i am pretty impressed. Shows.me.a man who looks outside his comfort zone in his craft.

[@NonieDeLong]

Recap: it's not diving boards or slides, not slippery pool deck, not electric hazzards (pool lights). Plumbing system probs are dangerous - pumps can "trap, drown, and disembowel you." Don't get oversized pumps. Male sure it all meets code. Suction and entrapment issues. Long hair - keep it put up. Main drains: Blocking their flow is bad. You can't fight the suction of them. Stagnant water is dangerous. Most dangerous thing about swim pools is unrestricted access. Children pets neighbours teens, etc. Huge liability.

[@SeanFitz-vo4fm]

Yes, but Steve says it in a far more entertaining way:)

[@WatashiwaToyotaHondadesudesu]

i just bought a house with a swimming pool. i have been spending the past two days learning. so glad i found your channel. very informative. i will make sure my pool is as safe as can be so i can have guests over and keep the pool safe for family and friends. i had a really hard time finding a good channel on this topic, this channel is a blessing.

[@mb2308]

very well put together video...thank you for the education and the reminders...

[@jimbob2810]

100% agree! (My guess at the outset of video was "fencing".) Thirty-five years ago I had friends whose toddler gained unauthorized access to their pool. She'd be 35 now and her family would probably still be intact, but their world ended due to unauthorized access. Later we had a neighbor who left his gate open for extended periods when doing lawn work. We were socially close, but my wife read his wife the Riot Act. It was a harsh warning complete with legal consequences. My neighbor got the message loud and clear from his wife.

[@cw6136]

If that makes you feel better burning bridges, then so be it.

[@plaid_cloud]

When we purchased our house, it had a chain link fence with a gate. It had no latch let alone a lock. It only had bungee cords "securing" it! There is a neighborhood behind our house, and very easy access to the yard if some unknowing child wandered off, or got curious of the pool. Our first purchase was a padlock and chain before eventually replacing the fence with no gate on that side. I'm fairly certain unsecured access to a pool is a huge no-no for home owner insurance liability as well.

[@tracymiller1715]

So grateful for this video you have made! The lives of pool owners and their children,family, friends, neighbors, pets are so dependent on this information! This has to be the #1 video for new pool owners to see! Ladies with longish hair? Priceless life saving stuff thank you.

[@abeburrell7954]

This was fantastic! I love the mix of comedy to lighten the very serious mood of the content.

[@DeanLangley]

Excellent information. Thanks Steve. I can also add from experience that the time you are opening a pool, when the water is low and you may not have the ladders in place yet is a good time to be wearing a life jacket. I was kneeling down removing a plug from a return line when the plastic broke throwing me off balance. I rolled into the deep end but was unable to climb out. The water was too low to reach the deck surface and stand on the ledge. That left me treading water and calling for help. The water was still cold. I didn’t check the temperature later but it had to been cold because I don’t remember feeling cold. The water was full of algae and the last thing I wanted to do was swim in it. I did have the life ring hanging nearby and my wife and two neighbors came and helped me out. I did leave the gate open to the pool. I say this so others can learn from my mistake. It sounds like what happened to me was a fluke or I should have known better. That’s true I should have known better but it wasn’t a fluke. Think about the safety gear first. Put on your life jacket and hang up the Life preserver after you have unlocked the access gate. First thing is to not need help and the second thing is how will help get to you if you need it? Have someone capable with you so you don’t have to call for help. Also of note, I wear glasses. It’s very disorienting to have them on while swimming. Stay calm. Notice I didn’t say try. Even through all this I was able to tell my wife that the life preserver Was in place where it belongs on the fence and to throw it to me. Trust me you don’t want to take an unplanned swim in nasty cold water.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

I am glad you shared your story here. I know of pool pro's which this (or similar) has happened to. One in which the fall also included a dislocated shoulder making climbing out even harder. One incident involved damaging the pool in order for the worker to get out as there was no helper or help within ear shot for some time. These things happen!

[@motomyrtle]

Hi Steve, I'm a new pool owner (above ground installed today) who plans on doing all the maintenance myself and happened across your video. Thank you for all this valuble info! Hearing your comments and reading the viewer comments made me realize I probably should call my homeowner's insurance company and check requirements.

[@danlah1303]

Keep cranking out the great content!

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Will do - tons recorded and coming out soon

[@aj9250]

Great video, this should be shown to all pool owners.

[@brandonbalodis4087]

Great video. Our pool is indoors and my wife always locks doors and hides the keys, I guess she already knew!! Thanks for the list, made me think for sure.

[@jeevespreston]

Thank you very kindly for the wonderful and helpful info. I didn’t know owning a pool was going to be complicated, but I sure appreciate you clearing so many things up…

[@johnhanselman6371]

I had zillions of mosquito larva in my swimming pool due to I did not maintain my swimming pool water. I did not think I had to maintain the water while I was on the waiting list for the new pool liner to be delivered and installed. I suppose other people made this same presumption.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

You can throw a little liquid chlorine in there every bow and again to keep it from being putrid.

[@johnnyllooddte3415]

im an old doctor and former engineer.. i spent my life as a lifeguard and water manager.. pools and water systems are incredibly dangerous in a hundred ways.. i always have at least 2 main returns and oversized covers.. but you cant fix stupid

[@gregfaris6959]

I once visited a friend in a hospital who had been paralyzed in an automobile accident. He was in a specialized facility where all the patients had major paralyses from injury. He told me the greatest number of injuries bringing people to that facility were gunshot wounds from gang violence, but a close second was from people jumping or diving into swimming pools with no water in them.

[@zeb3050]

Thanks Steve. I could do better to secure my pool. I'm going to work on that this weekend.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

I can not tell you how great this is that this is the first comment on the video. Yes, it is a little click-baitey but I have to play the youtube game if I want views and to continue to be growing in this space. But I genuinely do want to help people to understand the importance of safety and the relative danger associated with owning a swimming pool. To know immediately that there will be safer pools out there because of this video confirms that it was a good idea to make. I appreciate your comments - now get out there and lock that sucker down!

[@Peter-Alexander]

Thank you so much for this video. I only swim when the pump is not running and I make sure it is off when somebody else uses the pool. With some thinking you can program the pump so it runs when it is unlikely you'd want to swim. Like during the night I let it run for 4 or 5 hours together with the salt generator. Then early in the morning 1 to 2 hours and somewhere in the late afternoon another hour or so. And I can always switch off the pump manually. Same with the (12V) lights. Certified swimming pool transformers are used but I still don't swim in the pool with these lights on. I was at the end of my chair during your whole video, thanks again.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Based on your comment I think it would be well worth the peace of mind to hire both an electricain to inspect your pool lighting and bonding system installation, as well as a pool (plumbing) specialist to evaluate your suction points, line velocity, maximum flow rates etc. to make sure everything is as it should be. These systems can be installed such that they are safe, but unfortunately they are not always installed that way and as the pool owner it might not be very easy for you to see or know that something is amiss. Thank you for your comment. I am happy you found this content helpful and engaging.

[@Peter-Alexander]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve Thank you for your reply. It's not that I have doubts about the plumbing or electricity, I just don't see the need to swim and let the pump and/or lights be turned on. As an extra precaution. I'm a technical but also a cautious person that likes to prevent risk when possible. Our swimming pool is also not used a lot per day I must say. No kids. Really like your videos and it's great to listen to a knowledgeable person 👍

[@mguerramd]

I turn my pumps off when people are in the pool.

[@CindyAronson]

Thank you for this video!

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Thank you for this comment!

[@l0I0I0I0]

Ues insurance companies usually require restricted access. I forgot about that.

[@amberupton7421]

Thank you Steve! You are a godsend! I want to start a fan club 🎉 I just had my young daughters 4 & 6 watch the part about long hair in the pool. They hair waist length hair and often fight me on having it tied back while swimming. Well , I don’t think it’s going to be a problem now. My oldest says she now wants short hair for the summer!

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Safety first!

[@johnmichaelkarma]

Geez,the other day the most dangerous thing around my pool was me at the edge of the pool with the skimmer pole. My body was between edge of pool and the pole as I walked along. I subtly n slowly "squeezed" myself over the edge when my left sandal slipped hard n fast over the side. My right knee crashed fast and hard into the old cement deck shocking me with instant pain as I rolled into the water. Large n deep wound that after 2weeks the knee is now almost feeling normal. Lesson learned. When walking along edge with skimmer pole walk with it between pool edge and yourself.

[@TheMadpressman]

Hey Steve, Currently purchasing a Radiant 24' round above ground pool. 19" Sand Filter with a 1.1hp Speck E71ii variable speed pump. Good setup?

[@l0I0I0I0]

Most dangerous? Idk, those belly flops can get out of control!

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

You gotta keep those drunk uncles out of your pool! Here is a full list of the other things that you need to keep out of your pool also: www.swimmingpoolsteve.com/pages/keep-out.html

[@l0I0I0I0]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve Let's not forget nosy neighbors and Canadian geese 🦆!

[@Fishingjunkie-y8v]

Glad i have fencing around my pool. I worry so much about a tragedy happening especially when i have a 4 yr old and a 1 1/2yr old toddler.

[@AHA-bo8zm]

Thank you, I had no idea that a single main drain could be so dangerous.

[@randallzook5570]

thank you for this information.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

thank you for watching

[@charlotteroze6451]

20 minutes in and the final one minute is the actual most dangerous 😂 tbh, i was so shocked by the main drain situation that I had to come back to this video again to find out what the most dangerous thing was. Man that main drain thing is terrifying and I have NEVER been told about this before! There should be warning signs everywhere o.o

[@floraspec]

Restrain hair and a gate to block entry, great points. Some points you might want to elaborate on is pool fencing style (cyclone) and not locking the gate. Pool fences don't tend to be high and don't block sound. In case someone gets in over their head and calls for help. Life guards should wear a whistle, should we as we attend children?

[@FatherFH]

Perfect Canadian video. Electricity in the water is not that bad but some suctioning way at the bottom of the pool is. 😂

[@johnmichaelkarma]

Am resurfacing the cement around my 70 ft lap pool. Traction wasn't the problem. The cement was so eroded around the aggregate it hurt to walk on it barefoot. Finishing with the classic broom finish,stain n sealer. Bamm!😎

[@a-a-ron2336]

I have a pool and spa connected with a waterfall. Pools main drain is inert unless you put a piece in the skimmer to make it airtight, I threw that piece away. So zero suction from the main pool drain. Spa is filled by the pool pump it has a drain to a one horse pump connected to a timer, timer is disabled children can reach it. Pool has stairs and nooks to get in and out, no ladder.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Even something as small as a group of leaves floating into and jamming up the skimmer can transfer thr full force of the pump to the main drain on the floor. Even when a main drain is being used as a non pressurized equalizer line it should be made VGBA compliant.

[@a-a-ron2336]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve assuming there were trees near my pool, fairly certain the screened enclosure would catch them. Next you're going to tell me not to sit on the main drain, oh my 🤣

[@herwigg3327]

thanks for the information. However, in Austria there is no rule to restrict access to pools whatsoever. The number of deaths with swimming pools is not really extremely high here. (at least this is never brought in the media as real problem) ... So I don't really agree with Number 1 - however the rest was interesting ...

[@TheNine6]

I am no electrician, but I showed up on a job and the previous company managed to wire the pump (superpump) where the casing was 110v. Was a while ago but I think they swapped the ground and one of the live wired, then set the jumper to 115v. Wasnt expected to get a shock by touching the motor. Oddly enough it ran fine for months

[@AlinaIoanaFlorea]

Much appreciated Steve ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@phillips3390]

I have to agree that the pump/suction is the most dangerous because it's an active force working in the pool, aside from electricity. If you don't know how to swim and you jump in, that's your problem. I figured one the most dangerous things would be PH levels. I don't think it would be possible that you jump in and get burned/dissolved.

[@TheNine6]

Seen skimmer, no Main drain, get block with leaves and suck the baskets apart and pull it into the suction line. Jacuzzi skimmers come with a vac plate and a plug to pull from the main drain.

[@danhitz3051]

Can people safely go close to a main drain with a cover over it?

[@DaniM227]

We just put our pool together no water yet. After watching all the video I’m having buyers remorse and now terrified.

[@ginah6393]

I feel the same way right now, but it's important to have layers and layers of protection. So in addition to a fence around my property, I have a camera facing the whole pool area that alerts me on my phone when motion is detected. Makes me feel much better. I am also getting a floating pool alarm. I'd like to lock the gates with a combination lock or key so landscapers can get in. Enjoy your new pool!

[@natethetoe386]

When I was a teenager, my friends and I would go swimming in a lake that had a light next to the dock, that light was not insulated very will, and the other guys and myself would see who could swim the closest to it.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

If ypu could see my face. Electrocution from dock lights is serious business. More than just from the show Ozark, in my area every year I see government run advertisement campaigns for dock safety for this very reason

[@KammeO]

"puddles"😳 = When I was 8, I walked through a puddle at a large pool, it looked like a regular puddle but it was SLIPPERY like an ice rink... I FELL, walking, landed on the back of My head, CRACKED My skull. People fell trying to get to Me. It was so slippery. The puddle was clear, no visible slime, but from that day forward, I am very cautious about "puddles". I puked for 2 weeks, major headache... I remember seeing the X-ray of My skull & tHiNkiNg "THAT'S not Me?!!" Lesson learned: puddles can be dangerous even when walking. 😱

[@seephor]

Often times you will also find vacuum ports on the wall of a pool and more than often there's no safety flap on it and chances are the valve is left open. Speaking of disembowelment...

[@bitterrotten]

It would help if Hayward would sell one that could last more than a year without breaking in half.

[@WilliamsZe-oj6fx]

😢my buddy went swimming drunk and he had his Ding Dong in the skimmer. I am happy nothing happened.

[@abigailbarfoot3846]

When i was at school every one especially girls with long hair had to wear a swimming hat it didn't get caught is around bars, steps and suction points especially skimmers/ main drain. If you didnt have it you dont swim

[@DanthemanFPV]

Go to 19:30 to actually find out what the most dangerous thing is……

[@gimpy427]

Thanks. He sure likes to hear himself talk.

[@davidmalinowski6331]

Ontario Canada. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@morganplisken7271]

I remember the news when that 12? Year old girl got stuck on the main return ( one single) and it killed her by disemboweling. So this it true information.

[@GarageDoorGuy327]

*SINGLE MAIN DRAIN* is most dangerous.

[@GarageDoorGuy327]

*MAIN DRAIN* is most deadly.

[@thecoolkidsafk775]

I'm in desperate need of help on my pool! We have an above ground. We are newer pool owners and the past 2 years have had terrible disgusting water when we open the pool in the summer. I think this is due to closing too late and the cover not staying secure through the winter somehow (we live in a state with 4 seasons). Before we opened the pool this year we noticed one day the water level was really low, only about 2-3 feet of water in it, so i assume there is a hole in the liner somewhere (nothing visibly leaking on the outside of the pool walls). We drained more water and have about 2 feet left in it and it is brown and full of leaves and junk. What do we do at this point? My hubby is ready to throw in the towel and get rid of the whole thing :( Please please help!

[@carsusa1]

Turn off the pump when swimming.