How are pool gates meant to work?

Pool gates have to comply with the same rules as pool fences.  They need to be at least 1200 mm high, they need to have no more than 100 mm ground clearance, and they need to obey the same rules about construction (strength, positioning of horizontal sections, etc).  However, there’s more: in addition, there are quite a number of rules specific to gates.

The first is that they have to open away from the pool. There are a couple of exceptions to this in the early standards, but the vast majority of gates need to open away from the pool. So the gate in the picture? You’re right - it’s not compliant.

The second is that they need to swing freely through their full range of operation. That means you can’t have a gate that scrapes on the paving, for example, or that runs into overhanging trees. The reason for this is that we have to be confident that when the gate is released, it will close by itself, and if it’s going to snag on paving or vegetation, we can’t have that confidence.  It doesn’t matter whether the full range of operation is 90°, 180°, or anything in-between.  The thing that matters is that whatever it is, the gate swings freely.

Sometimes we find a gate that will snag on something (like brickwork or paving) if you open it up wide enough.  There’s nothing to stop you putting in a stop so that the gate hits the stop before it hits the paving.  Provided that it will swing smoothly until it hits the stop, that’s perfectly fine.

The third is that the gate has to close and latch by itself, and it has to do that from every position in its range of motion, from wide open to just barely open and resting on the latch.

This is where most gates fail. It’s easy for a gate to close and lunch if you open it wide and let it build up some momentum, but if you open the gate just a centimetre or so and then release it, in many cases, it won’t latch successfully. It needs to.

Latch positions often catch people out.  If the latch is on the outside, it needs to be 1.5m above the ground.  That means that the operable part of the latch (that’s the bit that you lift or slide) has to be 1.5m above ground (or more).

If the latch is on the inside, it gets more complicated.  The latch needs shielding.  Latch shielding is a complicated topic all by itself, and there’s a separate article about it over here.

There are other requirements of gates, concerning construction, strength, rigidity, and so on, but the above are the things that cause problems for 90% of gates.

Similar rules apply to doors that lead into pool areas.  This depends a little on your Applicable Barrier Standard (ABS), because this is one of the areas where the rules have changed over time.  Under Part 9A and the 1986 standard, doors and gates are treated the same way.  Under the 1993 standard, the rules for doors and gates are different, but only slightly.  The same with 2007.  Under the 2012 standard, you can’t have a door leading into an outdoor pool area.  So, as is often the case, it’s complicated.

That’s why you have us.