Any recomendations for how to surround / cover a pond so the kids don’t fall in? Its 5 x 4 ft inside a patio so “stone” edges, with living fish (Koi).

“Hey kids, stay away from the pond”?

Swimming lessons?

(-:

fence.

a shark

Liquid nitrogen and skates?

not a fence. kids will climb it.

somethign like this;

http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/raised-steel-pond-cover-pid8593.html

House we moved to came with a pond (bit of a pain, really).
They had put a small removable wooden fence round it for when their grandkids came to visit. They also had some soldered copper plumbing pipes made into rectangles that spanned the pond with fine netting stretched over. This was more for protection from herons I think…

Big square mesh grille

a few tonnes of concrete.

what a pretty pond ^^^

look so natural!

rebar mesh just below the surface.

I got : http://www.pondsafety.com/ to fit some Diamond Deck to my pond. The plants grew, the fish could still feed and breathe. I could stand on top of the pond.

Personally I find it a little more attractive than covering it with mesh. As said before, ponds are like a magnet to kids. But adding a layer of protection is ideal.

john_drummer – Member

Big square mesh grille

I would add, get one made to fit, they look much better, and can be built to whatever strength and size you need, one that has a lock would be a bonus.

I had all my fish stolen over night once, not nice, hate to think how much money I lost, some of the fish were 20 plus years old!

Having it locked, will also stop kids from messing with it too.

Local blacksmiths..

Is it really a problem? Every house we lived in when we were kids had a pond, sans guard, and I’m still here.

ransos – google ‘child drowns in garden pond’ there’s a lot of results 🙁

ransos – google ‘child drowns in garden pond’ there’s a lot of results

No doubt, but you could probably say the same about any kind of household accident. I was just trying to get a sense of how risky it really is (I have a young daughter and a pond…)

thing is, it’s a risk that’s very easily mitigated.

I think the question is really ‘Why would you not put a grille over it?’ rather than ‘Why would you?’.

I would have been reluctant to let my children play at a freinds house where there was an ‘unguarded’ pond – too easy for one kid to go off from the group to look at the fish and not be noticed going. Equally, I wouldn;t want visitors if I had a pond they could fall in.

Agreed. When I was a lifeguard as a teenager, I had it drilled into me that “so long as there is enough water to cover mouth and nose then someone can drown”.

Someone at work, knows a friend who last week, had their son trip in the back garden, knocked himself out and fell into a small garden water feature, which was only 8 inches deep.

Fighting for his life now in hospital.

Terrible, terrible news for everyone involved.

Hmm…Kids and the ‘pond magnet’ conundrum. Well, we had uncovered ponds in the garden when we were kids and I’m still here – however, both myself and one of my sisters both fell in at least once! My neighbours grandkids and their pals have also taken unintentional dips into their uncovered pond, and one of these took a good whack on her head when she went in and was lucky the other kids were there to get her out – think it shook the grandfather up a bit.

Personally, I think the Diamond Deck from the Pondsafety website looks excellent, particulary if it’s installed just under the surface.

If you want some open mesh submerged grating I can recommend my bestest mate – it’s a small company and he will ensure you get just what you need (ie explain what it is to be used for etc). He has done similar installations for fountains but no idea if he has ever done a pond, but I am sure it won’t be a problem. He will be able to fabricate something to fit your specific needs onsite.

http://www.midgrid.co.uk/

Ask to speak to Chris and tell him Mike recommended you. He will then owe me a beer this weekend.

There’s an analogous and similar problem here in Australia with pools – or, at least, there used to be until pool fences became mandatory (in NSW, anyway). It’s not so much to protect big kids that live there and swim in pools against drowning, it’s toddlers that wander off and fall in, or next doors’ kids that wander over. (Assuming cougar’s 100% effective method has already drown-proofed the resident kids…)

I went through a lot of this thinking when I moved into a house with a pond, being tight and skint I just bought some very good trellis (I can stand on it and I’m 80kg) and then just let the plants grow up around it, job done. But then again I have girls, some boys are a little more stupid adventurous.

My vote went to Cougar’s method until about 30 seconds after crankbrat learned to crawl in the garden. Our local pond supply shop came out and made to measure a mesh cover about, 60mm squares with a central re-enforcement. It was a little harsh on the eye till the plants grew through. Well worth it for the peace of mind.

I got a price for the Diamond Deck, £250 installed for 6 x 5 pond. Ouch, although I can’t put a price on my kids safety.

Becuase the pond is small, I’m going to look at the heavy duty trellis idea.

Seriously – give my mate a call – he will not rip you off (especially if you tell him I recommended him to you) and he is 100% reliable.

Ok but will he come down to London?

2″ by 2″ 6g mesh from dyers is going to be my call, supported on 6×6 oak beams.

http://www.dyersmetalmesh.co.uk/welded-mesh-after-manufacture

No but he will deliver it – he wouldn’t be able to fit it anyway as he is a fabricator not an installer.

mate of my brother is a landscape gardener hes got quiet a big pond in his garden and he got some small grade rebar and knock up a support frame from good thickness green oak beams his daughter who is now 14 likes to show off by doing a jesus and run across the pond as said frame is mounted just below the water line.

I used welded mesh sheets bent to follow the pond outline and topped with garden hose slit along its length and cable tied on to make a non-snag top to the fence. Not possible to climb for a toddler.

Having said that, I have daughters, who in younger years were sensible enough to take account of danger warnings, plus they were never left unattended with access to the pond when younger than about five. Not sure it would have worked with small boys.

3 X 2 rough sawn timber frame, screwed at corners no nails used, then cross pieces every 18 inches, covered by strong steel mesh.

Anchored in position by wooden or steel stakes at each corner so it wont move.

Made one for a customer a few years ago to stop kids falling into the pond, then he goes and falls into a hole outside his house dug by the gas board, when he was just having a look in.Proves anyone can fall into a hole.