Some of our competitors boast about their bend and dent-resistant Fiberglass poles but there is a reason Guardian stopped using Fiberglass in our pole construction.
Logically Fiberglass seemed like a good choice for pole strength and durability, which is why it was used as a reinforcing component in our first upgraded pole. It passed all of our strength tests and, in a controlled environment, appeared to be a great option. After seeing it perform in the field however, we came across a potentially hazardous problem in the case that a pole did break.
Broken Fiberglass can cause irritation of the eyes, skin, or respiratory tract and, here in California (as of 1991), must be labelled as a potential cancer causing material. When a pole reinforced with Fiberglass broke, an installer was required to wear long sleeves, pants, gloves and eye protection during the removal process. They would then have to clean the affected area with soap and water to make sure all of the fibres were collected, so as to not expose our customers to any potential issues. These potential risks to the families and employees we aim to protect were not worth the extra bit of durability offered by these Fiberglass-reinforced poles.
We began brainstorming to find a safer option. Learning from past trials, we knew reinforcing the entire aluminum pole with only PVC wasn’t going to give us the strength we desired. During testing, the poles reinforced with PVC would break at the fulcrum (where the pole and ground meet) at lower pounds of pressure than with the Fiberglass poles and we would not settle until we found an alternative at least as strong as our first upgraded pole. Then it occurred to us… stainless steel!
To keep the pole lightweight and durable, we chose to reinforce the bottom portion of our pole with a stainless steel rod and therefore strengthening the fulcrum area. This is, after-all, the most common area for a pole to break. During testing we were amazed to find out just how strong this combination of materials was. It is far superior in strength, durability and safety than Fiberglass.
After many years of testing and trials we are proud to present the SAFEST and STRONGEST removable mesh pool fence in the industry, Guardian’s Premier Safety Pool Fence.
