A – Frame Pool Ladder Entry System with Self Closing Gate
This is the ladder we purchased for our above ground pool this past June, 2007. Before we did however I took the information and a picture of the ladder to our local building inspector for approval. In this area they want a self closing gate enclosure in concrete for all above ground pool ladders. When we looked into this it was going to cost an extra $1000.00 and this ladder had the mechanism built in to it. He said this ladder met the approval codes for the pool.
Neither the pool company that sold us our pool or the installer would assemble the ladder or place it in the pool, due to insurance and liability on their behalf. So it was up to my husband and I to get this ladder assembled and installed in the pool for inspection and use of the pool. When I opened the boxes that the ladder arrived in to inspect and check for all parts, I discovered that the bolts and screws were missing. I called the pool company and they told me to call the manufacturer to get these shipped avoiding them as the middle man. The manufacturer would not do that, in fact they said the only way I could get the parts was to have the pool company call them that they do not deal with the public. I recalled the pool company and they did manage to get the company to ship the hardware to them and brought it to me a week later! In the meantime, I went to the local hardware store and purchased what I needed to assemble this ladder. While this does not seem like a big deal and it really isn’t you have to keep in mind that since the ladder is partially submerged all hardware that comes in contact with water needs to be stainless steel so that it will not rust, which makes it a little more costly.
According to the manufacturer it is easily assembled with “snap lock” construction. I did not find it all that easy to put together, in fact it was downright difficult. The theory was great but the actual time and strength it took to get this together was over an hour and a half on just the snap together part, which are the steps. We had to get a rubber mallet and a piece of wood to help snap these parts together. The other thing that they do not mention is that you need to let the steps sit in the sun to warm so you can bend them into the position you need for installation. Now, you might think I needed this manner of installation because I do not have a lot of strength but that is honestly not the case, since two grown men could not snap these steps in either. The wood was used to place across the plastic above the snapping part and smacked with the mallet so that the pressure of the smack would distribute across the piece and not crack any part. Once it started into the hole you could push it into place by hand.
Once the steps were all in place putting the rest of it together was much easier. They suggest pouring coarse sand or gravel into one side of the upright for additional weight, this is the side that will go into the pool. We took the sand out of the upright when we closed the pool for the winter; it made getting the ladder in and out of the pool very difficult for a husband and wife to accomplish because of the weight involved. We are going to let water be the extra weight this coming year, since there are small holes already in the ladder and water flows into it anyways.
When you put this ladder into your pool have at least two adults present. We placed the weighted side in first so we could adjust the height with the other side and connect them at the top and center top step. Even though there was additional weight in the pool side it floated, making it difficult to hold in place, we figured this problem out quickly and ran the garden hose to the upright opening filling it with water more quickly helping it to sink into the pool bottom. We attached the outside steps with no problem and the ladder was now fully functional. The self closing gate works very well and is wonderful if you have small children you want to keep out and off the steps. Just remember this is not fool proof, there is no better safety with any pool than having adults present when children are near or swimming in a pool.
The bottom steps on the ladder seem a bit giving when you step on them as an adult but are fine for getting in and out of the pool. It was recommended to me that we put some kind of mat in the pool to safeguard the liner against the constant abrasion of the ladder bottom. In looking at what was available I improvised my own cushion for the bottom of the ladder legs. I took a foam pool noodle with a wide hole inside it. Cut it to length of the ladder bottom, slit it up the center and slid it on to each leg bottom. I used gorilla tape to hold it in place, not wrapping it completely around, just across the top, strapping it. I have to say that this method worked well for us this summer and did not leave rub marks or indentations in the pool bottom, so I will be doing this again when we open the pool this spring.
When we closed the pool for the winter our biggest obstacle was the ladder and removing it easily. It took four of us to get it out and I got completely soaked in water with the removal since we had to take the ladder out in two pieces, front and back, and ended up having to turn it sideways to get it out. All because we added the extra gravel weight as recommended. We removed as much of the gravel as we could for winter storage and will start with just water when we reopen the pool.
Overall this ladder, once you get it together and installed in the pool, is quite nice. I like the extra safety feature of a self closing gate and steps being self enclosed as well. We just did not like the awkwardness of the ladder when it came to handling it. That may be due to the fact we are first time pool owners.
