We often speak to customers who have had a bad experience with a poor quality pool fence. Part of the problem is that buyers don’t know what to look for when making their purchasing decision.
Frameless glass fences may all look similar on first glance but upon closer inspection the difference in quality becomes apparent.
Glass quality and thickness is what most buyers check up on. The glass must meet or exceed Australian Standards to be able to be certified.
Cheaper frameless glass pool fences almost always use friction style spigots which clamp the glass in by tightening against the glass, rather than premium compression spigots that mechanically fix the glass to the spigot. Premium compression spigots reuire the glass panels to have a pre-cut hole where a fixing bolt can pass through. Friction spigots don’t pass through the glass at all, they simply clamp.
Whilst good results can still be achieved with good quality friction spigots it is important that they are engineered correctly as poorly made friction spigots have a tendency to allow the glass to move and come loose. High flex areas such as panels that are either side of the gate are the most likely to come loose.
Cheaper friction spigots have poor quality rubber/plastic spacer systems that don’t contact the surface of the glass properly and in some cases the material that is used to make the spigot may even have flex in it causing poor performance over the longer term.
It is also worth mentioning that it can be difficult to gain certification for your fence if your products have not been purchased from a reputable supplier. For instance, we won’t certify any fence unless it is constructed completely of our own products.
It is important to look around when choosing a frameless glass pool fence.