Pond safety cover recommendations (with added duckweed...)

Hi all,

does anyone have any experience of pond safety covers? We moved into a house with a pond and have subsequently had a daughter. She'll be 2 in April. We don't want to loose the pond (can see it being a wonderful resource in years to come, plus we like it!), but also want to keep our daughter safe.

My father-in-law has offered to help (which is very much appreciated), and is suggesting using large pieces of weld mesh with hinged access hatches where I want them. However, he knows very little about ponds and is open to suggestions.

I'm concerned the weld mesh route will be inflexible and make maintenance difficult, but I don't really know enough about the options to say one way or the other.

We do have duckweed and, during the summer, I find I need to hoik it out at least once a week - at the moment I'm only using a manual skimmer thing, but if there's an easier method I'd be happy to know about it.

I've come across various pond safety products (such as DiamonDeck and Safadeck), but judging between them from their own websites is tricky.

So - does anyone have any thoughts, comments, opinions or recommendations?

thanks

 

We Childmind here Tangle and there are two ponds in the garden,both are pre formed 4'x6' . At first I thought of building a fence around them but there was the nagging doubt that even a small risk was too much. After a great deal of thought I went for the option your father-in -law has suggested and bought 1" weld mesh. It will take the kiddies weight and I can easily remove it to maintain the ponds.
I didn't cut access hatches as again there is always that small risk...can't be too careful with curious little ones can we?

 

It is a dilema.
I had to make the pond safe or get rid of it...........One grandson and one on the way,frequent visitors.
My pond is about 3mts x 2mts and the weld mesh cover is very heavy to lift but is doable.
Just thought you would like to see Tangle what it might look like.
Obviously a smaller one would be easier.

 

I remember that roders...It's what we call in this neck of the woods,a real bobby dazler:gnthb:

 

Sould be in a Gardening Magazine..Gorgeous Pond Area Roders...

 

I agree, thats a real show Roders, its so neat and tidy:gnthb:

 

Have you just painted it roders or had it polyester powder coated? Mine is a galvanised finish but not too visualy bad.. at least OFSTED like it!:D

 

I remember that lovely photo from Roders Garden from the Sky last year ... couldn't make up my mind if it was English pear shaped or Dolly Parton shaped ... depending on which way you looked at it ....:hehe:

A truly beautiful and child-safe area .... and definitely needed with another grandchild on the way ... :luv:

 

Stats show that the majority of deaths involving ponds and small children often happen in someone elses garden.

Options

1) Fill it in.
Safest but you have no pond

2) Turn pond into a water feature
You may kill / have to kill any livestock

3) Build a wall / fence around pond.
Kids can / will climb over, maybe not now but when a bit older

4) Safadeck / Dimondeck
not recomended by RoSPA and what do you do when it becomes entangled? with pondweed

5) Build a framework that sits around and above the pond (not in the water at all)
Can be expensive, needs to be strong and durable.

 

Thank you for the kind comments......

It was initially galvenised but looked hidious,so a good coat of Hammerite................. it now blends in much better.

 

OMG - thanks so much for all your responses. Life just took over for a bit and its taken me (much) longer than I intended to get back to you all, for which I apologize.

Our pond is a reasonable size - about 3 x 3.5m and vaguely egg shaped. Discussions have currently moved onto putting a hinge somewhere in the middle rather than having access hatches, but there's still a big concern about the whether each "half" will just weigh too much and its all starting to get a bit complicated.

Roders - your pond looks fantastic , and the cover complements it beautifully (or as beautifully as a pond cover can ;-)). Please can you let me know where you got it made? (Or, if it was local, some more details on grid size and weight?). At the moment the concept seems to be very heavy duty with angle iron round the edge - and whilst I am putting safety first I'd dearly love to have something aesthetically pleasing to perform the function if I can.

water-garden - I'm a bit confused by your point re. Safadeck / Diamondeck: My understanding was that both products could be installed either under or over the water, and that the latter did meet RoSPA guidelines.

 

Not if you read the RoSPA website it doesn't.


They do not name names but it says something like they don't anything that is below the water surface.

Although both products can be mounted above the water surface, that is not what they are sold as. (They show "some one standing on water" because their system is just below the water surface, so they look invisible, that is the selling point)

One supplier of such system says "..............is installed above the water surface. This ensures that in the event of an accident the child should not come into contact with any water."

They would not say that if it complied with RoSPA guidlines would they. They say it because they know it doesnt. Although it is better than nothing.