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.

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.

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.

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.

Easy to use and set up. A great way to make sure your pool is safe. Met all safety codes (currently) for my home in Florida that I didn't have to install pool alarms on my windows.

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 spent a week working out which pool alarm to buy. They are in a category of product where there is a very wide spread of success or failure. I usually add up the 1* and 2* reviews and see what the overall percentage is. I don't usually order anything where more than 10% hate it. This sits at 34% and shouldv'e warned me off. It comes in a nice printed box. The instructions are clearly written by an Engineer as they are overly long and wordy (I know because I'm an Engineer and it's how I would write them). Installation is easy. Just find a spot along the long edge of the pool, mark up the position for a hole and drill it. They don't give a template or include a drill bit which for $200 is pretty shocking. The thing is turned on and off with a little "key". It's basically just a magnet in a rubber case. You only get one and it doesn't secure to the unit. Again, poor for $200. There is an extension sounder that looks like a 4th grade electronics project. It's the cheapest piece of crap I've ever seen. To use the unit, you put it in the water, wait for the waves to subside, and then turn it on with the key by touching a pad for several seconds. There's a dim green LED that flashes to tell you it's working. Our first test worked and the thing went off, as did the extension box in the house, about 30 feet away. It then took me about 5 mins to disarm the thing with the key. It's deafening so you end up shoving your finger in the hole of the sounder, while someone unplugs the house unit. Just when you think its disarmed it goes off again, and again, and again, ad infinitum. Eventually you think it's OK. You walk away, a light breeze comes over, and it's off again. After trying this over a couple of hours I gave up and sent it back. There is no adjustable sensitivty on the unit. None. There is no control app to turn the thing on and off. I'm an Electronics Engineer. I've been desiging products for 30 years. I had a quick look at the parts in this thing. It's essentially a float valve with an actuator that gives a value proportional to its position in the water. Some very basic electronics samples this, looks for an average and fires if the thing is triggered by a large value being sampled outside of the average. The magnet key is almost certainly a reed switch. The entire BOM cost of the thing can't be more than $20, and most of that is the cardboard box! The unit could be vastly improved with some intelligence from a cheap microcontroller and an app on your phone to manage it, which is presumably how lifebuoy etc work. This is like something from the stone age.

Installé dans une piscine de 16 X 32 pi. Apparence discrète. Simple d'utilisation, pas de fausse alarme jusqu'à présent.

This monitor would be set off by wind which does not work in most places I would imagine. I am upset that I cannot return or replace

Not too hard to install - needs a concrete bit. Easy to remove and replace silently, as long as you carry the disarming key. No false alarms yet. Alarm is loud enough that it can't be ignored. Depends on wave action - a quite entry won't trigger it. May not detect a very small toddler going in by the stairs. Pool water surface has to be pretty close to the deck - may not work for some pools. (The corner of my pool where I initially wanted to install it was too far off the water.) In my opinion, this is something Poolguard should correct.

Worked for about a month.. Then it started giving false alarms and sometimes wouldn't go off when I tested it. Sometimes it wouldn't shut off... Extremely annoying!

First rain we had it went off in the middle of the night.. off switch with the key very inconvenient (and loud) Not easy to use. If you want something that you arm and dont want to worry about it, this won't work for you. You have to arm only when kids are around to minimise false alarms so for us it defeated the purpose. We returned it.