Pool Covers Are They like Trampolines

Updated on September 13, 2011
V.M. asks from Conneaut, OH
14 answers

A neighborhood lady invited my son to play at her house and mentioned that their inground pool was closed for the winter and had the cover on it, and she made it sound like it could be used as a trampoline. I am scared to death of the water and this is freaking me out. Is that safe, was she joking????

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So What Happened?

THe Dad is super wealthy so it is possible they ahve the expensive elephan walking kind. Their three kids can get super wild so i kind of think the mom would get a kind that would prevent drowning since she knows her kids are crazy. But because her kids are wild it makes me nervious to think the kdis might think it was ok. ugg yet another talk i need to have with my son about NOT doing the stupid crap everyone else is doing. and yes, i think i have to have a talk with the neighbor, How the heck do i bring that up, So crazy rich lady do you let your kids walk on your pool cover supervised or unsupervised??

Featured Answers

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

There are many types of pool covers, one looks like a trampoline. No you cannot jump on them. If you walk on them you will get wet, my kids have proved that time and time again. Frankly I think they do it to watch their grandma snap but I can't prove it.

You cannot drown walking across them so they are safe.

Okay just read the they will be sucked into them and drown. First why make that comment when you clearly have no idea what you are talking about? My 23 year old son, full grown adult, walked out on it cause one of his grandma's dogs was on it and she was freaking out and it got on my son's nerves. The cover dipped maybe one foot which got his feet wet, that is all!!! They will not die if the accidentally walk across the cover. These covers are used by safety conscious almost paranoid people because you can walk an elephant across the cover and it will not collapse!

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K.N.

answers from Boston on

We have a looplock cover and it's absolutely, 100% safe. It's custom fit and anchored in more places than you can count. My dogs chase the occasional bunny across it and, yes, it's like watching them trying to run across a trampoline.

That being said, I wouldn't let my kids play on it. Not sure I can give you logical reason why but, to me and my husband, it's a safe cover -- it's not a toy. It wasn't exactly inexpensive and I want it to last years longer as a safe winter cover, not as entertainment for the kids.

So, if your question is whether or not it's safe for your child to play at the house and not worry about him if he wanders near the pool, I'd say yeah, no worries. If your question is should the cover be used as a trampoline, I'd tell you I don't let my kids do that.

Hope this helps.

5 moms found this helpful

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

it all depends upon the cover....

there are some that are just like sheets over it and others that are locked in and on rails are safe. I would talk to the mom and ask which type of cover she has....never hurts to know!!

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M.L.

answers from Houston on

No, children can be sucked down into them and drown/suffocate. It happens. Unless it is some special kind that I have never heard of. Unless you are absolutely certain, do not let your child over there.

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L.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My Lord NO! That's not safe at all! No way I'd let my kids go there...

ETA - I watched the youtube video that Emily provided, and it does appear there is some kind of cover that allows this, but still, I'd be terrified. No way would I trust this...

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J.C.

answers from New York on

No -it's not safe at all. Keep your kids away from that. Kids drown that way. Google it.

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K..

answers from Phoenix on

She was probably just using the trampoline as a reference for the strength of the material the cover is made out of. I wouldn't take her literally.

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Is it an automatic safety cover? Those are a few grand, so I wouldn't want it used as a trampoline!

L.B.

answers from Biloxi on

Um, I sure hope she was mentioning it as a safety concern - i.e., there is no chance of your son falling into the pool because it is covered.

Pool covers should never be walked on, much less jumped on. So not safe - if you walk/jump on one you run the risk of it collapsing under you, enveloping you in it, or being trapped in the pool and drowning.

Please, please, please have a conversation with your neighbor to clarify what she meant before you let your child(ren) go to her house.

God Bless

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S.M.

answers from Washington DC on

God no!!! I can't not envision any situation where a company would endorse it for that purpose and no way would I be okay with that!!!!!!! It may be "safe" to walk on, but it isn't a TOY!!!!

And trampolines themselves are really dangerous!!!! THis would be like a trampoline on cement with no rails. Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

No, it's not safe to play on a pool cover. I would talk with her to clarify her meaning. If she allows jumping on the pool cover, I'd not let my son play there. But it may be that is not what she meant.

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V.B.

answers from Miami on

The pool cover we are getting is like a trampoline material, but I highly doubt it is actually meant to jump on! The material is exactly like that of a trampline and you COULD walk on it without it breaking (that is the point of it...it is certified as a child safety cover), but I don't think it's appropriate to jump on it for fun. We got it because we wanted a pool cover anyway to help with insulation and this one can take the place of the gate around our pool which was not in great shape when we moved in, so we needed to repair or replace it anyway. The advertisements for this cover show a baby elephant standing on it, so it can withstand several hundred pounds, but again, probably not meant to double as a trampoline. Not sure why anyone would allow that kind of behavior, but I don't think it's terribly unsafe (except that there is no netting around it, so if someone jumped or fell off of the side, they would land on the pool deck!) from the standpoint of falling into the water.

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M.W.

answers from San Francisco on

Go over and check it out. Our pool cover is simply a "blanket" style that looks like thick bubble wrap. You walk on it and will fall right in.

There are different types of covers so she may have something that latches on and is safe to play on....I am not familiar with a trampoline type.

E.S.

answers from Dayton on

I was curious, so I googled it.
Apparently, there is a very specific brand of pool cover that can be used this way...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4RU8BaY45g
See comments under video.
So, I would be inquiring what make/brand she has.

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