Childproof Your Stock Tank Pool With This Genius Pool Noodle Hack
Stock tank pools are great outdoor accessories that can make any backyard more fun, but if you have children, you'll want to make your pool as safe as possible. When kids play, they can get rowdy, and the galvanized steel that most stock tanks are made of can pose a risk. If someone were to hit their head on the edge of the tank, it could cause a serious bump. Additionally, stock tank pools in sunny spots will sometimes become hot along the edges. By using pool noodles, you can cover the edges of your tank and protect your children from hitting the hard metal or burning themselves.
Though this hack is rather simple, leaving the foam noodles on your pool all the time could result in rust. While this method does help to make your stock tank pool safer for children, it will not prevent drowning, and children should never be left alone by a body of water. You can use pool covers to help keep them out when the stock tank pool is not in use, or try to enclose and lock the area.
How to childproof a stock tank pool with pool noodles
To start, you will need to measure the diameter of your stock tank pool. Once you know how big it is, you'll need to purchase an amount of pool noodles that will cover all the edges. For an 8-foot-wide tank, six regular-size pool noodles will likely be enough. The noodles could all be the same color for a neater aesthetic, or you could try alternating two colors or even have a rainbow of pool noodles. Whatever design you choose, the functionality will be the same.
Use a box cutter to cut your pool noodles lengthwise. Once they're all sliced open, you can simply stick them onto the edge of the stock tank. You might need to cut one of the noodles to a different size to get the perfect fit around the tank. If you plan to take the noodles off to let them dry when the pool is empty, try super-gluing the flat ends together, making a ring that can easily slide on and off the edge of the tank. While leaving your noodle bumpers up all the time could result in them staying wet and rusting the steel of your tank, this can be prevented by using a liner. The liner should cover the inside of the pool and come up over the edges, which can also help to protect the interior of your DIY stock tank pool over time.