Dock on my swimming pool?

[f.amendola]

I live in the northeast (New Jersey) and have a 15 x 30 inground swimming pool. Currently I have a vinyl pool cover that I will need to replace prior to next winter. I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old, so safety is a maximum concern... The pool is only used in June, July, and August, yet takes up almost my entire yard. Also, it is a PAIN to syphen the water out every time it rains, and even more of a pain to get the million leaves out in the fall. All pf this and I have not even dealt with snow YET... I just bought the home in May.

There are safety covers on the market. These stretch out across the pool and are fastened around the perimeter. Pros... Safe for the kids, rain rolls right off (one side of pool is 12" hight than the other), leaves can be swept off, Cons, do not really have a way to fasten it down (brick patio on one side would probably not be able to handle the anchors), even though you could stand on it it is not meant to withstand my kids running across it daily. Also, pretty pricey, about

5,000 dollars.

CALL ME CRAZY... I have been brainstorming...

I would like to install or build something that my kids cannot fall through (priority 1), that rain will simply roll off of, that I can sweep leaves off of, AND that allows me to utilize the space above the pool (kids running around on it, me having a cocktail in a lounge chair in the fall and spring)

There are a few options that I have thought about...

Joists running across with vinyl covered plywood on top... Pros... sturdy, easy to clean.. Cons, really really heavy, pain in the a$$ to store in summer. Not sure if local code even allows for this type of "structure" (probably NOT).

So I continued to brainstorm....

I tought of some sort of lightweight non-corrosive scaffolding like structure with rubber feet that would stand on the bottom of the pool, again, with vinyl covered plywood on top. See the joist idea for the cons of this "brilliant idea".

Finally, I thought.... a DOCK!!! Something that floats on the surface of the pool. It would have to be somewhat lightweight, and be available in sections that I could store in the summer and simply fasten together on top the rest of the year.

Has anyone thought of or tried anything this crazy? OR AM I JUST INSANE? I'm sure that this would not be against code right? Having essentially a large wood covered raft flaoting in my pool? I could still be a pain to store though, but it would be safe, easy to clean off and a really clever idea. Plus, the rocking of it might be relaxing.

Tell me I am just crazy, tell me how brilliant I am, or give me some other options.

Thanks,

Frank

2.

[Dan Espen]

Welcome to the joys of pool ownership.

Would a floating doc work?

It has to be 15x30, where are you going to store it? To be light enough to move, you'd want to use stryofoam. I'd think 15 5x6 sections, That's a lot of sections. I think the ice is going to have it's way with the stryofoam. It won't last long.

There's no code, it just has to be fenced and not a trap.

Get an electric pool cover pump. You just leave the snow til it melts then pump the water. Don't intentionally go on the cover.

[f.amendola]

The yard is fenced. The current cover will not work for me long term. I HAVE to do / buy something else. Perhaps I have no choice but to install a safety cover... but... there is a product called EZ-Deck... it comes in 5 ft sections, I am certainly able stack these in my yard for 3 months out of the year... Still waiting for someone give me a valid reason why this would not work...

BTW does anybody know how much these EZ-Deck sections cost?

[f.amendola]

I would plan to install these floating sections within an inch or so of the sides and THEN cover the entire thing with the vinyl cover that I have now (perhaps even tie the cover down at the perimeter as I do today), so I cannot see how someone would fall into the pool at all.

[Tom G]

.

Had a pool in AZ for 9 years. My suggestion...fill it in and plant a garden. No way you can make it safe from a curious kid. Was always reading of drowned kids found under pool covers (Summer and Winter). Way too much problem with leaves..I swear that a pool is like a big vacuum cleaner (any leaf within blocks of pool and floating in air is sucked into pool). I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.

Tom G.