What Is the Law Concerning Swimming Pool Drains?
Swimming pools should be places to beat the summer heat and partake in physical exercise. Sadly, swimming pool accidents occur when proper safety precautions are ignored. Pool drain covers can help reduce the number of drownings in a public or private pool. Does this Spark an idea?
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The Act
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In December 2007, President George W. Bush signed into law the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. Under this Act, all public swimming pool drains must have an approved drain cover as well as a secondary anti-entrapment system. This law was inspired by Virginia Graeme Baker who drowned after she got stuck in the suction of a hot tub drain.
Approval
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All public pools with a single main drain must be equipped with a pool drain cover approved by the American National Standards Institute as well as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. These pools must also have one of the following: a suction-limiting vent system, a gravity drain system, a drain disablement, an automatic pump shutoff system or a safety vacuum release system.
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Unblockable Drains
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Under the guidelines of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, public pools with a single unblockable drain are exempt from the Act's conditions. An unblockable drain is a drain that cannot be blocked by a human to create a suction entrapment issue.
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References
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