Are You A Good Neighbor? New Yorkers Will Find Out This Week

The weather this week in New York is about to get very hot and humid. The forecast calls for near 90 in most areas of New York State and that means pool season is officially here! This is also a good chance to see how neighborly your block is!

If you fly over New York State, you will notice many backyard swimming pools. The crazy part is, on some streets, there is a pool in just about every backyard! It makes me wonder if the homeowners are good neighbors or not?

Our neighbors are planning on having a new pool installed. We have a pool and I can't help but think that we could save them THOUSANDS if we just agree that they could use our pool when they'd like to this summer.

When I see a neighborhood with multiple pools I wonder if the neighbors don't get along? On hot days, like we are about to have this week, it would be nice to invite your neighbors to take a dip and cool off. I understand that we all like our privacy and even though we may be really friendly with our neighbors, it is nice to have your own time with your family. But this week will give pool owners an opportunity to see if they are truly a good neighbor and pass along the invitation to swim.

If you plan on putting a pool in, there are laws you should keep in mind.

Fencing.

(a) All swimming pools shall be enclosed within a fence or other barrier, at least four feet high, which can only be entered by bathers through self-closing and positive self-latching doors or gates. The knob or handle controlling the latch shall be at least 40 inches above grade. The gate or door shall be locked and access to pool prevented when the pool is not supervised.

But another law came about that you may not be aware of if you have owned your pool for longer than 10 years.

New York State adopted a new rule which required that all new pool installations or pools which undergo significant repairs must be equipped with a pool alarm which meets the standards of ASTM 2208.