Buying a home with a pool can often strike visions of relaxing by the pool all summer long, leisurely swimming or floating in the water to cool off, and even hosting pool parties. However, one of the first thoughts that it SHOULD trigger is how to fence it in to keep it safe. If you're getting ready to move into a home with a pool, here are some things that you should know about pool fencing to help protect your pool, your family, and anyone else who may come onto your property.

Auto-Latching Gate

No matter what type of fence you're installing around your pool, you need to be sure that you include an automatic latching gate. These gates often have hydraulic closures or springs for the gate to force it closed so that it latches every time it's opened. 

This is an essential consideration for any property with a pool because forgetting to close and latch the gate can be a serious safety hazard. A gate that closes and latches automatically is an important safety feature for preventing unauthorized access.

Strong Construction

It's tempting to choose a standard chain-link fence style for surrounding your pool so that you have visibility beyond it, but you don't want to sacrifice structural integrity for visibility. Instead, you should consider a stronger, finer structure to the fence for strength, durability, and resistance to scaling.

Chain-link fences are easy to climb, which means that your fence could easily be breached by someone determined enough. Talk with your pool fence contractor about other styles that aren't as easy to scale. In fact, solid fencing is a better deterrent because what can't be seen makes people significantly less tempted to climb over.

Dig-Proof Construction

When you're fencing in any kind of pool in your backyard, you want to be sure that the fence is designed with an underground dig deterrent. This usually means installing a portion of the fence underground so that animals can't dig under the fence.

Many homeowners don't think of this feature, despite the fact that pets are often drawn to pools. If you want to be sure that your pets and any neighborhood strays are protected from potential drowning, opt for dig deterrence in the construction and installation of your fence.

These are some of the most important things for you to think about when you're dealing with any kind of fencing for your backyard pool. Talk with a pool fence installation contractor near you for more guidance.