Poolguard PGRM-2 In-Ground Pool Alarm, White

I purchased this pool alarm because my grandson will be coming to visit soon and, even though we will be extra careful to make sure he doesn't have access to the pool area, I am not willing to take any chances with safety. I installed it and tested by dropping a couple gallon jugs into the pool as directed and it operated the alarm. Shortly after the installation we had some torrential downpours with wind and there were no false alarms. We left it in the pool overnight for over a week and still no false alarms. I'm completely satisfied and would recommend it to a friend; it works as advertised. UPDATE 4 July: Having used this product for over month now I stand by my review. Other reviewers are critical of the disarming method, poor instructions, setting off the alarm on installing or removal of the device, having to drill a hole in the deck, and the small key that can be lost. I found the instructions to be clear. It must be installed and removed very slowly; it's sensitive for a reason, and I'm glad for that. One reviewer recommended a finger over the siren which I have done and it works great while removing in case you accidentally set it off. The indoor alarm is also loud for a reason. Like my house security system it's designed to attract attention. It's very simple to unplug it before removing the pool unit to prevent disturbing anyone in the house if you're having trouble with accidentally setting it off. The hole in the concrete is very small. Gosh, I have holes in the concrete for the ladder too, and they are much larger. The key is a magnet about the size of your thumb, designed that way I'm sure to avoid an exposed mechanical switch that would be more vulnerable to the elements. My first thoughts too were that it would be easily misplaced, so all I did was loop a couple plastic ties through the handle and the key. It's secured to the unit. Doesn't look great, but I don't care. I have no doubt one could find something better looking like a small stainless chain to attach it if appearance is an issue. I can't speak to the effects of an automatic pool cleaner as mine hasn't arrived yet. I agree with the reviewer about having your kids know how to swim, and there is NOTHING to replace adult supervision. I can see how it would be difficult if you have people in and out of the pool frequently, but this device provides just a little more safety to help fill the gap for human error. We have nothing more precious than our kids and no price or inconvenience is too much to help protect their safety.

If you have a pool; you must purchase this item. Pros: peace of mind, loud alarm, works exactly as it should, price was competitive with similar items, easy to use but not easy enough for a child who is not of swimming age to figure out, does not require being screwed into concrete, is not an eye sore, alarm sounds inside and outside your home Cons: none! I did a lot of research and am so happy we ended up with this product. I have 2 children aged 2 and 1 and although pool alarms are not required where I live; it was a must for my household. We watch our kids like a hawk and also have a gate around the pool and sliding door locks (another must have), this item is that extra piece of security you need-especially if you live in a neighborhood with other children. Some reviewers reported false alarms and I was concerned about this. No one with toddlers wants a false alarm in the middle of the night. I am thrilled to say that we have had pounding rain and even small critters (mouse/frog) with no false alarms. I questioned if it was working at all but every time we test it, it works as it should. As with any alarm, I would recommend testing this from time to time. If you are hesitating with this purchase, please don't. Every pool should have one and I hope that you have the same experience I did.

I initially ordered this last year, received a unit which worked for a month or so and then starting giving frequent false alarms until eventually it would not shut off at all until the battery was removed (picture the alarm going off in the middle of the night with two kids asleep in the house and not being able to shut it off). Contacted customer service for manufacturer and they had me send unit back to repair. Received 'repaired' unit, only to have it not work at all. By then, it was the end of the summer. So I got a brand new unit for this summer. Received, and again it does not work. It buzzes constantly but alarm does not sound when something goes in the pool. For something as important as a pool alarm, it needs to be reliable, trustworthy, and effective. This product is none of those things.

Have used for 1 season. It works as advertised. After having on a few months the unit started to false alarm then it just went silent no matter the wave action. We sent back for repair since it does have a three year warranty, but the shipping is not cheap. Returning was easy no questions asked. The unit has been working well since getting back. Turn around time was about a week. I have a variable speed pump and it will alarm on occasion when pump first starts up and primes. The wind (20mph+) may cause false alarms as well as torrential rains. You have to expect this to some degree and it is not that often. This is a great secondary alert barrier. I would recommend that you practice arming and disarming several times so you understand the process and feel comfortable with it. Test frequently as well. Battery life is long and I would recommend changing every season. My only concern with this technology is a false alarm when I am not home. Has not happened yet, but unit will continue to alarm until disarmed. May make for some unhappy neighbors, but it may also save a child's life! As compared to using the pool fence it is an no brainer for me!

Customer service, technical support and warranty problem resolution outstanding. The problem is the fine line between regulatory compliance, safety and false tripping. If it is too hard to use, it won't get used. If it is too easy to bypass, safety is compromised. So I am not sure that only giving 3 stars is fair, but I will explain. POOL DEPTH from the deck to an operating range wis too restrictive for ME. It may be fine for others. I do not want to misstate the stats, but check your application carefully. The low to high will not perform with a wide variation of pool levels from backwash to rainstorm overflow. I could not even meet the operating levels without a 2.5 inch spacer under the unit. Less than ideal ( the company was responsive and shipped me a longer locating pin) SENSITIVITY, it works, but I needed a factory modification since light wind in my particular configuration created false trips, resolved. OFF SWITCH, there is none. Still trying to figure how to manage that one. Of course you do not want it inadvertently off, or the ability for a child to render it inoperable, but when you swim, it must be removed and the safety key must be used, and then the unit seems to need to be kept level while stored, but it won't stand by itself. IMMERSION, upon inspecting the unit and reading the instructions carefully, I am pretty confident that it could survive an infrequent short dumping. The circuit board is potted, but the battery exposed. But, really, a pool device, already, half immersed, that needs to be regularly removed and replaced not waterproof? SUMMARY, I feel it is the best on the market with the most reliable alarm, it is used successfully to protect my grandkids so it is doing the job of a 5 star device, but you had better be prepared to explain the intricate operating detail to babysitters, landscapers, neighbors, pool guy, guests etc, because when they touch it or move it, the alarm works and it is not intuitive how to turn off! By all means read the specs, understand the operation, and Save The Box.

Bought because reviews said it went off a lot and false alarms. I thought great why buy an alarm that won't go off with a 3 and 6 year old around I can deal with false alarms better then a dead grandchild. Put alarm in and it worked great pushing a 5 gallon bucket down in the water at the farthest point in an 18 x 36 pool. A few days later grand kids show up and I thought I will just leave it in and check it, water was at the 4.5 inch mark that was recommended. Grandson at 50 pounds runs down the deck and jumps in 5 different times and the alarm did not sound until he started trying to swim across the pool, probably 10 minutes of time lapse. With the 3 year old in the pool the alarm never sounded. Had a storm move through poured rain, with flash flood warnings and raised the pool level to 1 inch over the skimmer and the alarm did go off. Better than nothing, but I do not trust it. FOLLOW UP : I noticed the alarm wasn't level with the pool vertical side. I hot glued some plastic pieces underneath to make this level (leveled just like the instructions said ) and now this alarm will go off with 3 one gallon jugs of water lowered into pool easily at the farthest corner. I am pleased with the alarm

I wanted to wait a few months before writing a review as it took some weeks to get used to. We installed easily right away- and for the first few weeks didn’t have issues. We started having an issue with it continuing to go off when we placed it back in the pool. I called the company multiple times and they helped me trouble shoot. We’re willing to replace it and super super helpful. Turned out the water level REALLY makes a difference. We were just below the min. Water level. We had water delivered and haven’t had a problem in the past few weeks. We do wait a half hour before placing in pool. —— need to add—— our 70 lbs Yellow lab swims in the pool constantly. If she is outside she is in it. Unfortunately- it never goes off when she is swimming!!!! We think it’s because she is such a graceful swimmer and doesn’t make waves. But needed to make sure it’s mentioned. High winds seem to make it go off so we take it out during big storms.

We mainly got these to pass our pool inspection, but now that we have them, we are really glad and are using them on an ongoing basis. We have had NO false alarms, and have even had a few rainfalls, so it seems to be very well programmed to recognize the ripples that would result from a splash-type movement as opposed to other continuous movements. I have tested it a few times by splashing into various parts of the pool and the alarms have sounded as expected. We did not want to drill holes in our concrete, so we removed the pin, which was extremely easy to do with just a pair of pliers (you just have to unscrew it, the hardest part is just getting it to loosen at first). As long as you have a flat-ish surface (and I don't think sloped surfaces are allowed around pools anyway!), the weight of the casing itself is plenty to keep it from moving around inadvertently, even if you have a little bit of a "lip" around the pool (which we don't). Pleasantly surprised as there have been some reviews about it being too sensitive.