Personally, we hated the alarms system. There were issues with everything from functionality to alarms going off in the middle of the night and waking the whole house (the adhesive failed). I can't tell you how many times I accidentally set them off and woke the baby.

We ended up going with Guardian fence systems. It's removable, unclimable, safer and they even gave us plugs for the deck when we remove the fence for parties or later because eventually all the kids will be older and good swimmers. Turns out my wife and I love it. It looks awesome, is very safe, and stands up to my very active three year old.

We tried two different door alarms...we didn't like either one.

Curiously, why do you need 19 units? What kind of mansion do you live in? We live in a 4000 square foot home with a seperate pool bathroom and still only have two doors and a sliding glass door to the outside.

Good luck with your inspection and your hunt for the perfect alarm.

In our state, we need to have every door and window that is accessible to the pool inside the fenced gate alarmed. We found some fairly inexpensive ones at Home Depot. They are pretty basic -- when the magnetic seal is interrupted, an alarm goes off. I think they were about $7 each. Some people install these to get by final inspection, then remove (they are put on by self-stick tape).

Thanks for the information, we live in Florida and the city requires for final inspection either a baby fence surrounding your pool or every door and window within your fenced pool area to have a seperate alarm. I was told that the ones that I need are around $40, so it's expensive for 19 units to use them 1 time and then take them off... If I can use the $7.00 ones that is great, but not sure they will pass code. Are they UL2017 ?

FL here 2 and we opted to go the alarm route instead of the fence route. (We only have 2 windows, 1 door and 2 sliding glass doors.) I had been looking online to try to get a better deal on them but was concerned that for FL there might be certain requirements you have to meet that the online offers wouldn't provide. Does anyone know, I just noticed that on our 2 sliding glass doors that go out to the pool both sides of the sliding glass door can open. Would I need to get 2 alarms for each sliding glass door???

They are here finishing up my plumbing now and the Electricians should be here tomorrow. I can't wait!!

We're in Florida and had 7 windows and one french door to the pool (we don't like sliding glass doors). All you need to pass inspection is a high decibel level. It might be 80, but I'm not sure. We left the window ones on, but disconnected the one to the door. The inspector told us to go ahead and disconnect them when he was done. We also didn't want a baby fence with holes drilled into our pavers. I hate the plugs that they put in.

The Intermatic Window and Door Alarms at HD do not specifically state they are UL 2017, but in looking at the code it appears that the only requirement is the alarms be 85 dc at 10 ft. The ones I purchased are 90 db. You may want to get a copy of the code from your local building inspector and make sure there isn't a provision that they be hardwired. Here is a link from the Miami Dade Building Code Library (you will need Power Point to view, I believe).

Here is a link that might be useful: Miami Dade Building Code

I'm not in FL but I put the cheap ones from Home Depot or someplace can't remember. Anyway they have an on/off switch so I just leave them off most the time. If we have visitors with small children I turn them on. They are loud and did pass inspection.

The Intermatic $7 alarms from Home Depot will indeed pass inspection in Florida. Others above are correct in that the only requirement is a certain dB rating, which these meet. My inspection went flawlessly.

Just went through this yesterday. Passed my final inspection!

Here is copy of FL code:
All doors and windows providing direct access from the home to the pool shall be equipped with an exit alarm complying with UL 2017 that has a minimum sound pressure rating of 85 dB A at 10 feet (3048 mm). The exit alarm shall produce a continuous audible warning when the door and its screen are opened. The alarm shall sound immediately after the door is opened and be capable of being heard throughout the house during normal household activities. The alarm shall be equipped with a manual means to temporarily deactivate the alarm for a single opening. Such deactivation shall last no more than 15 seconds. The deactivation switch shall be located at least 54 inches (1372 mm) above the threshold of the door. Separate alarms are not required for each door or window if sensors wired to a central alarm sound when contact is broken at any opening.

i am in florida and also a few weeks away (hopefully) from my final inspection. i want to go the alarm route the cheapest way as i plan on removing them after my final. my nieghbor spent all this money on a baby gate, placed ugly caps in his deck, and the fence sits in the garage. does home depot really have 7 dollar alarms which will meet code? do they have to be hard-wired? are they stick-on alarms with batteries? can they be returned after final?

Yes, they are installed with double-faced adhesive and run off batteries. Whether or not you decide to return them to Home Depot after you've opened them and used up the single-use adhesive tape is strictly up to you and Home Depot's return policy.

I would recommend that you be sure to turn on all of the alarms prior to demonstrating them to your inspector, that way you are not drawing excessive attention to them by turning them on in front of him. Remember, you want him or her to simply hear the alarm when you open the door and not see you having to "set the stage" for them to work.

I passed final this way with no problem, and hope you do to. I even got the impression that the inspector thought that the whole alarm requirement was bogus and he was "just doing his job".

If you are in Florida and have the UL2017 that are needed to pass inspection and have not returned your alarms and are interested in selling them, I am interested as I need 19 for all my windows and doors in back of my home. Let me know and we can get in touch...thanks
Scott

thanks johnfl- i think i will order the 7 dollar alarms from home depot.com, try them out, and hope for the best on my final. i read the code and it just says that you have to have a minimum 85 decibels and these alarms have that. do they and can they have an on/off switch on them?

These do have an on/off switch, and that is why I mentioned having them turned on and ready to go. I think to be in 100% compliance they need to have a "momentary" disable switch (read the ordinance above), and these have a regular on/off switch. It was not an issue for me, but I would just try to avoid having the inspector look closely at the switch. All they want to do is hear the alarm.

thanks johnfl- i called the building department for palm beach county and i still did not get a clear answer. they seemed to be most concerned with the alarm saying it is ul 2017 certified, which the home depot alarms are. but when i brought up the on/off switch he was unsure and thought that was not allowed. i read the code and it does not say anything about an on/off switch but rather a way to momentarily pause the alarm. also the alarm has to sound as soon as the door/window opens (no delay). johnfl- did you use the same alarm for the door and window? i guess i will try to get by with the home depot alarms as they are 7 bucks (i have 7 openings). if it fails i am out 49 bucks and then purchase the more expensive ones. best deal i could find was the teckno so87 i think for around 30 bucks. anybody else in south florida pass inspection with the home depot alarms?

Az here and I failed last week because I had the home depot window/door alarm that could be disabled, and that was all my home depot had to offer. The inspector said that the big box home improvement stores carried the pool door alarms and I had to have the alarm that could not be disabled or turned completely off (I think if I had it already on the "on" setting he may not have noticed)...so we had to put off finishing the pool another week!!

we just went to lowes and in the pool section they did have a pool alarm that could not be disabled but temporarily turned off by an adult if they wanted to walk through without setting off the alarm. problem is if you are outside and walk inside the sliding glass door, you dont have enough time to push the button before the alarm goes off which makes you want to not have the alarm on at all!

So the one labeled " door alarm" did not pass, the one labeled "safe pool area entry detector" will and it complies with ul 2017 and is made by techko and wasnt too expensive. the double sided tape (we bought extra just in case) and the $6 batteries with the alarm all totaled around $30 ish

I installed my alarms with the double sided tape provided , then one fell off in the middle of the night setting off the alarm. Not a pretty sight. I puuled the battery and the next day I mounted it with screws. the next night one of the other alarm fell off. Now all my alarms are mounted using screws.

thanks for the info. waitingtoswim- what model techko alarm do you have and did you get it at lowes? how much per alarm? fl-waterbug- what county are you in and what alarm did you use for final inspection? i am so tempted to try and use the home depot alarms and see if i can get them to pass.

passed inspection today, yay!

the alarm was $20. called safety and security SAFE POOL model s087, doesnt come with a 9v battery.

the dumb thing is kids could easily turn it off as they can reach if they want to but i think even a smart little one could pull up a chair and turn it off. the window/door alarm at home depot that could be disabled by entering a code and that didnt pass inspection, i think was actually a better option as kids wouldnt know what the 4 digit code to disable the alarm was unless were told or were allowed to watch me enter it.

the one that passed the inspection just has a button on the front that you push one time before opening the door to prevent the alarm or push once after the alarm goes off to stop it. we kept forgetting to push the button today and with kids and dogs going in and out, i finally took the battery out, which was really easy to do, so now it is "disabled". so much for safety. I might put the other one back on that can be programmed with a code...yeah, the one that the city doesnt allow for inspections because it can be disabled! ha!

oh yeah, bought the one that passed inspection at lowes. they had it in the pool aisle. they had one that had a low battery indicator.

also, maybe you can sell on craigslist or donate to the fire department to give to someone who could use it after you use it. maybe they could give it to someone they run across who should have it for really little ones....

congrats waitingtoswim. your right it does not make sense that they dont accept the home depot alarm. it seems any alarm can be disabled. i have 7 openings so if i can get that alarm for 20 bucks then i will go with that and maybe even try to return them after final. do you use the same alarm for a door/slider as you do for the windows? also, does anyone know if it matters how low to the floor your windows sit?

we didnt have to do the windows because we have locks on those and if they were so high it was good enough.

I think the alarms sound after the door is open for so long even after you have already push the bypass button, so I would think there would be a different alarm for the window so you would be able to actually use the window if you needed to open for fresh air, etc. only guessing of course....

we have 2 locks on our windows, one lower and one higher so it was ok. i think I heard that even if you went and got one of those cheapy screw on locks used for sliding glass doors and windows, and just screwed it on high enough out of childrens reach that would have been ok too.

sorry i dont remember how high the locks needed to be, the inspector told me at the first inspection mine were high enough, and that was all I cared about. I think around 50 something inches...cant remember. I just wanted to pass inspection so I could continue building my pool, but I want to get a removable pool fence to keep the dogs out of the pool when i want them to not be in there. those alarms are a joke!

just got off the lowes website and could not find the alarm. the telko model s087 is sold on various sites. ace hardware sells for 21 bucks. there is another model (s089) which has 4 sensors and sells for 49 bucks. i think this is designed for multiple windows but you have to plug in to an outlet. anybody use this alarm which has multiple sensors and is plugging it in to an outlet a problem?

fl-waterbug are you living in Miami-Dade?
The reason I ask is that we just moved into a house we're renting and we're getting conflicting advice on whether the pool alarms need to be plugged-in to an electrical outlet or whether they can be battery operated.

You did the install yourself?
Could you post what brand of alarm you're using?

Does anyone that was in the process of buying alarms for inspection have updates? I live in Monroe County, FL and pretty much only need the alarms to call in an inspection. Thank you all.

I installed a wireless security alarm system a year ago with a high quality 3 M double sided tape and not one has fallen off any window or door opening. Got that tip from the security alarm website, may help someone. Barb

We have 12 doors and I went on ebay and got them for about $2.50 each and they were 90 decibles. I used scotch tape on my Pella doors and my city inspector passed it. Now they just peel off.

Note: My city inspector said they were plenty loud enough, but if were him, he'd toss them in the garbage. Like c'mon folks, who on earth would keep those stupid things afterwards, it's called supervision and responsibility.

Just failed inspection with the $7 Home Depot "Intermatic" alarms......setting up another final inspection and have confirmed that the "Techko model#S087" will pass inspection. WHatever you buy make sure they are UL2017 compliant. THEY CAN BE BATTERY OPERATED......DO NOT HAVE TO BE HARD WIRED OR PLUG IN TYPE. We live in Dunedin, FL Pinellas County. Here is the code:
424.2.17.1.9 Where a wall of a dwelling serves as part

of the barrier, one of the following shall apply:

1. All doors and windows providing direct access

from the home to the pool shall be equipped

with an exit alarm complying with UL 2017 that

has a minimum sound pressure rating of 85 dB

A at 10 feet (3048 mm) and is either hardwired

or of the plug-in type. The exit alarm shall produce

a continuous audible warning when the

door and its screen are opened. The alarm shall

sound immediately after the door is opened and

be capable of being heard throughout the house

during normal household activities. The alarm

shall be equipped with a manual means to temporarily

deactivate the alarm for a single opening.

Such deactivation shall last no more than

15 seconds. The deactivation switch shall be located

at least 54 inches (1372 mm) above the

threshold of the door. Separate alarms are not

required for each door or window if sensors

wired to a central alarm sound when contact is

broken at any opening.

Exceptions:

a. Screened or protected windows having

a bottom sill height of 48 inches

(1219 mm) or more measured from

the interior finished floor at the pool

access level.

b. Windows facing the pool on floor

above the first story.

c. Screened or protected pass-through

kitchen windows 42 inches (1067

mm) or higher with a counter beneath.

2. All doors providing direct access from the

home to the pool must be equipped with a

self-closing, self-latching device with positive

mechanical latching/locking installed a minimum

of 54 inches (1372 mm) above the threshold,

which is approved by the authority having

jurisdiction.

We passed our inspection here in CA with the Home Depot Techo alarms ($20.00). What a pain those things are. The double sided sticky tape will eventually just peel off giving you a heart attack in the middle of the night! They have plenty of decibels. There is no real bypass button to get back INSIDE the house once you bypassed it to go outside, and you have to close the door when you go outside or the alarm will go off.

If all you want to do is pass the inspection, get this alarm and then uninstall it and get rid of it. If you are looking for a way to prevent kids from drowning get a fence.

"If all you want to do is pass the inspection, get this alarm and then uninstall it and get rid of it. If you are looking for a way to prevent kids from drowning get a fence."

Well put!

I wasnt keen on the idea of fencing the entire pool - I always hated that. So, we fenced off the porch that has the only set of french doors that access the backyard.

I used the POS alarms for all the windows. I bought 3M tape and kept all the packaging. I am not one that abuses return policies, but these things went back after the inspection. I would have considered keeping them if they were not total junk. Besides, I am not concerned about my son going out a window, honestly and we've got the fence around the porch to cover the door.

Does anybody have the alarms they would like to sell. They must be the UL 2017 variety. I need 4.

Let me know

I am reading this thread just now for the first time. I realize this is old but I can't help think to myself -- this is soooooo STUPID!!!??? Why the heck are people coming up with these asinine rules when even inspectors laugh at it and everyone removes these useless things right after installation. It has become a joke with pool builders, owners and inspectors. Talk about the lameness of our government. Sorry I just have to vent.

We are still in the digging stage but in about 2 months I will be looking for aboue 10 alarms too. And you have to close your door afterward? We are in San Diego and our doors and windows are open 24 hours a day! What the heck???? UGH!! If you have alarms, let me know and I will be happy to take them off your hands come Februaryish.

Katherine

The model code requires alarms on the house doors if they lead directly to the pool area. There's no requirement for the windows (must be a local requirement).

I posted earlier and just passed inspection. I purchased 7 of the Techko alarms but will be installing a fence once our new born is a bit older. I HAVE 5 OR SO THAT I WOULD BE WILLING TO SELL. PRACTICALLY BRAND NEW ALL PACKAGING AND INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED. Let me know if you are interested otherwise I'll throw them up on ebay. Part # is Techko S087 and they ARE UL2017 compliant:)

New pool being under construction in Florida. 3 windows leading to the pool area are low profile. My alarms have short lead wires from the sensors to the alarms. Code requires by-pass switch to be 54 inches above floor. With these alarms, I can only get 52 inches. Anyone have any suggestions.

In California- is it required to screw in the sensors to the sounding doors or will the double sided tape pass the inspection?