The Building Code of Australia was adopted by South Australia in April, 1991. This requires that, before a permit is issued, safety barriers or fences in accordance with the Australian Standard be provided in order to restrict access by children under 5 years of age.

POOL RENOVATIONS

The life of any pool, whether it be concrete, fibreglass or vinyl lined, depends on the amount of use and how diligently the water has been kept in chemical balance.

After 15 years or so, owners may be looking for renovations to upgrade their pool. These can be of surrounding pavers or tiles or changing the interia finish.

Pool built some years ago may not have solar gas heating and these can usually be installed as an upgrade. The same applies to the filtration system.

DISPLAY CENTRES

Some pool builders have display pools, while others have folios of photographs and can often provide the names and addresses of other families in your area who have an installation similar to the one you are considering.

LANDSCAPING

Plants to be placed near a pool should be chosen for their resistance to pool chemicals, as well as salt when the pool is fitted with a saltwater chlorinator.

Large or messy trees to the windward side of the pool require a lot of maintenance. Varieties such as pine oaks and liquid ambers, for example, while attractive in a garden, tends to clog the filtration and cleaning systems. Trees with vigorous root system such as Chilean willows, bamboo and some eucalypts, can cause long-term damage

Medium sized shrubs are useful as windbreaks or to screen boundary fences, garden sheds or service areas.

Plants that drop leaves and berries, or which attract bees and wasps, are also not recommended.

SWIM SEASON

The normal swim season in South Australia in an unheated pool is usually regarded as being from October to March. The pool can be heated to a comfortable temperature of 25º to 30º by the use of correctly installed solar heating.

In South Australia, it is recommended that the collector area be about 100% of the surface area of the pool. In the leafy eastern suburbs and the foothills a larger collector area may be required.

As much as 95% of the heat loss may be prevented by using a solar blanket which floats on the surface of the water.