Tag Archives: Anti-Entrapment Drain Covers

Pool Accessories For Summer

Pool Caddy Pool Side Organizer
Check out our selection of pool accessories that will help you start summer off right! We carry all of this, and much more, at BYCP!

  • Pool Alarms, which alert you to large objects breaking the pool’s surface
  • Pool Fountains that add elegance and charm to your pool
  • Maintenance Equipment, such as brushes and nets
  • Pool Lights, for dazzling decoration and function
  • Outdoor Clocks and Thermometers
  • Anti-Entrapment devices which provide safety
  • Pool Signs with safety message, clever reminders, etc.
  • Pool-side organizers

Simple Steps Save Lives – Pool Safety

Pool Safety is simple, and can save lives!

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Pool Safely campaign aims to educate parents and pool owners/operators about the many ways to provide a safe swimming experience for our children.  One important way to ensure that the pool or spa you use is safe is to check that all its drains have safe drain covers.

Non-compliant drain covers can create a dangerous suction that can entrap hair, jewelry, clothing, and body parts.  Many injuries and deaths have occurred as a result of this powerful suction.  That’s why the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act was passed.  Now, public pools and spas are required by law to replace old, hazardous drain covers with compliant, safe drain covers.  Owners of residential pools and spas should do the same.

The following short video created by the CPSC’s Pool Safely campaign offers more helpful safety tips related to safety drain covers.

Residential Pools May Have Hidden Danger

Compliant Drain Covers for Pools and Spas

That hidden danger could be unsafe drain covers in pools and spas.  Why are pool and spa drains so dangerous? Because if the drain cover is flat, any object or body part that covers that drain can become trapped by a powerful suction from which escape is difficult, and sometimes impossible. Luckily, the Pool and Spa Safety Act, also known as the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, was signed into law in 2007. This law requires that every public pool and spa in the U.S. be “equipped with anti-entrapment devices or systems that comply with the ASME/ANSI A112.19.8 performance standard, or any successor standard.” Flat pool drains are assumed to be a thing of the past in public pools and spas. The law does not apply, however, to residential pools and spas, and, unfortunately, this is where a majority of entrapment injuries and deaths occur.

Anti-entrapment drain covers for residential pools and spas are readily available and easy to install. The difference is in the design. Anti-entrapment drain covers are not flat, but domed, or shaped in some way that prevents objects or bodies from completely covering the drain and creating a dangerous suction. They offer an inexpensive and simple solution to a serious and sometimes deadly problem.

Ensure Safe Swimming on Your Winter Vacation

Are you planning to take a vacation to an indoor water park over this winter break, or will you be staying at a hotel equipped with a pool?  Did you know that many public swimming facilities are still not in compliance with the 2008 Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act that requires public pools and spas to replace old, outdated, and dangerous drain covers with newer, safer drain covers?

Non-compliant drain covers can cause entrapment of hair, clothing, and body parts, so ensuring that the pool or swimming facility you visit this year has complied with the law is essential before you or your kids jump in.  So, how can you tell if the drain covers in the pool or spa you will be enjoying this season are safe?

Learn more about safety drain covers for pools and spas in this helpful and informative video created by the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Pool Safely campaign.

Major Recall on Pool Drain Covers

Anti-Vortex Pool Drain Cover
Yesterday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall on pool drain safety covers that is expected to affect many pool owners and operators across the country. Up to one million pools and spas could be affected. “The recalled drain covers were incorrectly rated to handle the flow of water … which could pose a possible entrapment hazard,” stated the press release from the CPSC. In cases where retrofit or replacement drain covers are necessary, the manufacturer will be responsible for paying for parts and labor. Pools needing a replacement should be shut down until arrangements can be made to correct the faulty drain covers. Please see the list below to find out if your anti-entrapment drain covers are affected by this recall. If you do own one of these drain covers, please refer to the manufacturer’s website below or call the Drain Cover Recall Hotline at (866) 478-3521 (24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week).

Company: A&A
Website: www.aamfg.com
Dates Sold: Dec. 2008 – April 2011

Company: Aqua Star
Website: www.aquastarpoolproducts.com/draincoverrecall
Dates Sold: Dec. 2008 – April 2011

Company: Color Match
Website: www.poolfittings.com/drain_cover_recall.htm
Dates Sold: Dec. 2008 – April 2011

Company: Custom Molded Products
Website: www.c-m-p.com/draincoverrecall.htm
Dates Sold: Dec. 2008 – April 2011

Company: Hayward
Website: www.ahayward-pool.com/draincoverrecall
Dates Sold: Dec. 2008 – April 2011

Company: Pentair
Website: www.pentairpool.com/draincoverrecall
Dates Sold: Dec. 2008 – June 2009

Company: Rising Dragon
Website: www.risingdragononline.com/draincoverrecall
Dates Sold: Dec. 2008 – April 2011