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Old 02-14-2017, 02:11 PM
 
20 posts, read 39,091 times
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I'm from the midwest, looking to relocate to the Tampa area in the near future. A home with a pool is one of our requirements when we decide to purchase.

Can anyone elaborate on the screening over the pool area - is it ultra sturdy screening, is it primarily designed to keep mosquitos and other critters out (or alligators out of pools--?)? I'm also concerned my rambunctious dogs will be rough-housing and inadvertently pop the screens out of place.

If someone could enlighten me in terms of info regarding proper maintenance and upkeep, whether they are warrantied, what is their life span, are there varying qualities of screening, etc. and in terms of the screening ... what other questions should I be asking or what things I should pay attention to before we decide to purchase?

I appreciate the feedback.
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Old 02-14-2017, 03:07 PM
 
Location: Florida & Arizona
5,913 posts, read 7,252,871 times
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Local codes require that pools be protected in some fashion, so the choices are a fence or a screened "cage" as they are often referred to here.

The screen material is much the same as you would find on a screen door, however, it does in both plastic and metal types. The drawback with the metal material is that it will, like any metals in this climate, degrade over time and discolor. However, it is stronger than the plastic screen.

It's easy to replace and local contractors don't charge a significant amount of money to replace damaged portions of it. I've rescreened a pool cage on a kidney shaped 28' long pool, and other that the top portions it was a day's worth of work and maybe $150 of material, possibly more.

It's been my experience that screening lasts about 7-10 years depending on its exposure to sun. Our last pool cage was in direct sunlight nearly all day, and it lasted about 8 years. You'll know when it's aged, as it becomes brittle and is easy to break or puncture.

The only real maintenance or upkeep involved pressure washing the screen and aluminum portions of the cage on a regular basis, maybe every 3-4 months depending on the location and conditions. The aluminum portion will come in either white or architectural bronze (really dark brown) and is fairly easy to clean. While some claim the white shows dirt and mold/mildew more, the dark color doesn't always age consistently. The color of the cage might be determined by your HOA bylaws as well.

As for your dogs, well, unless they claw at it I don't think you'll have too much trouble. Most of our dog owning friends didn't have issues with it short of the dog just plowing head first into it at high speed.

And plan on buying a good quality pressure washer when you move down here. Much like you get issued a gun for the glove box in your pickup truck when you move to Texas, a pressure washer should be issued to every new Florida resident....

RM
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Old 02-14-2017, 04:29 PM
 
Location: St. Petersburg, fl
88 posts, read 107,824 times
Reputation: 110
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chocolateforchristmas View Post
I'm from the midwest, looking to relocate to the Tampa area in the near future. A home with a pool is one of our requirements when we decide to purchase.

Can anyone elaborate on the screening over the pool area - is it ultra sturdy screening, is it primarily designed to keep mosquitos and other critters out (or alligators out of pools--?)? I'm also concerned my rambunctious dogs will be rough-housing and inadvertently pop the screens out of place.

If someone could enlighten me in terms of info regarding proper maintenance and upkeep, whether they are warrantied, what is their life span, are there varying qualities of screening, etc. and in terms of the screening ... what other questions should I be asking or what things I should pay attention to before we decide to purchase?

I appreciate the feedback.
It is pretty sturdy although there are a bunch of different options and qualities. You could probably get about 10 years out of a nice screen. Mainly to keep bugs out, and will also keep leaves and other things out. I don't think you will have a problem with the dogs, but I think they actually make pet screens too. You can check into Absolute Aluminum screens. A friend of our in used them and was very happy. I would recommend a darker aluminium since you will see less dirt etc overtime while white will show everything. Each manufacture is different and will provide different warranties I believe.
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Old 02-14-2017, 06:34 PM
 
2,570 posts, read 1,731,640 times
Reputation: 1784
I would advice on getting a Pool Cage. These days the cages are built to withstand very high winds. They will last for many years, not just 8 years, but more like 50 years. Here is a nice picture of what a pool cage looks like.

https://www.screenandgutter.com/
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Old 02-14-2017, 07:44 PM
 
Location: Florida
7,727 posts, read 6,291,703 times
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Some folks call them "bird cages", they keep out birds, tree litter and other unwanted things. Not sure about the gators.
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Old 02-14-2017, 07:55 PM
 
Location: -"`-._,-'"`-._, ☀ Sunny Florida ☀ ,-"`-._,-'"`-.
1,357 posts, read 1,219,646 times
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Welcome OP to Tampa area. I moved from midwest myself a year ago (Chicago area), love it down here. We had pool installed and RM and others gave great advice. The screening will let you enjoy your pool bug and critter free (just an occasional gecko most likely). Screens put up more recently will adhere to a higher level of Florida code that was updated in 2010. Newer enclosures will sustain wind speeds of 160MPH or more. You may want to check when enclosure was built, if not to new 2010 code then you may want to consider retrofit to bring it up to code.
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Old 02-14-2017, 07:57 PM
 
Location: Tampa
686 posts, read 616,429 times
Reputation: 596
You'll probably want to fence in your yard in addition to a screen enclosure.

Talk to your screen contractor about, ugh I forget the specific name of the screening material, but it's the ultra fine one that keeps out no-see-ums. It was only a few more bucks to screen in our lanai with it vs. the standard screen and it works as advertised.
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Old 02-15-2017, 11:12 AM
 
27,206 posts, read 46,565,189 times
Reputation: 15661
Depending on what area and if you have a lot of bugs in the area as some areas have no-see-ums bugs and mosquito's and if your pool is close to trees, will make you probably decide to get a cage or not.

Personally I prefer a cage to avoid bug issues and to be able to sit outside at dusk and dawn and not getting "bugged".
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Old 02-15-2017, 03:33 PM
 
Location: Florida
7,727 posts, read 6,291,703 times
Reputation: 15700
Don't harm the lizards, they eat bugs.
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