After giving a seminar to a group of Las Vegas maintenance guys/Pool operators for the local casino pools – I was asked to help solve a staining issue in one of their main commercial pools on the strip.  I went poolside and grabbed a stainless-steel pool rail to balance myself and lean down to get a good look at a large stain on the steps.  I immediately jerked my hand away due to the intense burning I felt…did I mention it was 108 degrees out that day!  The service manager smiled and radioed to one of his techs to join us.  He then asks his tech to show me his hand.  The techs hand had a terrible scar that looked like a pipe shaped branding.  He explained to me that on a 110-degree plus day he grabbed a steel pool rail to avoid falling into the pool.  His hand stuck to and fused with the rail, which left skin behind when he pulled it off! This is a common problem in the hotter climates (NV, AZ, High Desert, FL, TX, etc.).  Fortunately, I have a simple solution to these types of dangerous scenarios.  There is an incredible South Florida manufacture called Saftron that produces weather-able high impact Polymer (special plastic blend) pool rails, ladders, and fencing.  They come in many colors and based on the specialty-blended material; they won’t get burning hot!  They will get warm to the touch in 100 plus degree heat but will not burn you if you bump into or grab it.  Over the past 5-6 years, most major hotel pool rails and ladders on the Vegas strip have converted to Saftron from steel to protect their customers and employees. This is also happening on both commercial and residential pools throughout the country as the awareness grows.

Saftron’s unique manufacturing process produces products that offer the same rigidity as steel but also provide an abundance of advantages over steel.  They use marine grade aluminum as their skeletal structure for structural integrity.  All the products are encapsulated with their special blend of high impact polymer.  This makes the product non-conductive in which electricity cannot pass through.  In fact, Saftron has approval from a federal government testing facility that uses a 50,000-volt test to ensure that NO electricity passes through! This is critical when it comes to our safety from lightning strikes when we are in or around the pool!  Steel pool rail installations must pass local city inspections (on new pools or remodels) and require a new bonding wire (for safety purposes).  This makes installation much more troublesome and expensive.  Over the years residential pools are being built without pool rails and ladders due to the issues associated with poor quality Stainless-steel.  Slowly but surely the pool industry is finding Saftron products and offering safe rails and ladders on their pools – especially since the millions of, “baby boomers” are getting older and require more assistance getting in and out of the pool!  All Saftron products do not require bonding and they fit inside standard deck anchors which make a ladder or a rail swap out a breeze!  Saftron products offer all the standard pool rail and ladder sizes and shapes.  The factory also makes custom bends based on any odd angles or sizes that aren’t in our offering. They are chemical resistant, scratch resistant (softscrub and a microfiber cloth will polish out a scratch), non-fading, no-cracking, easy to install, and comes with a full 5-year warranty!  Saftron products are used all over the world and I challenge anyone to show me an outdoor product that will look as good 10 years down the road as the day it was first installed!!  Check out their website, www.saftron.com and see for yourself!