Home Depot's Latest Product Recall Comes With A Fatal Warning

If you're in the market for choosing the best above-ground pool, you'll probably pay attention to several factors, such as estimating the appropriate size, understanding the filtration system, and determining the ease of installation. You'll want to be aware of the hidden drawbacks to buying a DIY swimming pool as well, such as the possibility of safety hazards like walls that may collapse, shallow water that's not safe for diving, and poor-quality ladders. Another important factor is ensuring the swimming pool doesn't have a product recall associated with it, which is especially important considering the recent news from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). 

The CPSC announced the recall of roughly 5 million above-ground swimming pools sold at Home Depot and other retailers as far back as 2002. The recall occurred after nine children, ranging in age from 22 months to 3 years, had drowned in the pools since 2007. The affected pools have brand names of Bestway, Intex, and Polygroup. Each of the recalled above-ground pools is at least 48 inches or taller and contains compression straps that fit over the top of support legs on the outside of the pool. Children may use the straps as a foothold to climb over the tall edge, falling in and creating a potential drowning hazard. Even if you remove the ladder, children could still find a way to go over the side by using the straps.

To check whether you own one of the recalled Bestway, Intex, or Polygroup above-ground pools, visit the CPSC website. Rather than returning the recalled pool to Home Depot or another place of purchase, you should contact the manufacturer of your pool. (The CPSC website has contact information for each manufacturer.) If you have an above-ground pool from these manufacturers that has compression straps or connectors that are inside the support legs, such designs are not part of the recall because children can't use them as a foothold. The manufacturer will send a DIY repair kit to affected consumers to correct the design flaw. The kit contains a rope that attaches to the vertical legs at ground level, meaning children cannot use the rope as a foothold to boost themselves over the edge.

While waiting for the repair kit, consumers should take steps to ensure that children cannot access the pool without adult supervision. Do you have to fence in your backyard above-ground pool to keep it safe? Most local and state regulations require all in-ground swimming pools to have safety fences around them. Installing a fence around an above-ground pool is a good idea for safety, and some local regulations require you to install fences around above-ground pools while also installing safety locks on ladders. Having a secure safety fence should prevent children from gaining access to the compression straps. The safer option would be to drain the water until repairs can be made.