Pool Safety Net
Pool Safety Net Materials & Components
See the mesh, anchors, Central Tension System, fasteners and tools specified together as one custom-fitted system.
One Custom-Fitted System
Mesh, Central Tension System, tension rope, fasteners, anchors, tensioning tool and storage roller are specified together and fitted to the individual pool.
- Custom mesh
- Central Tension System
- Tension rope
- Fasteners
- Brass or nylon keyhole anchors
- Storage roller
- ASTM F1346-23 label, where the completed installation qualifies
Hand Tensioner (not shown).
What Comes With Every Pool Net
Included With Every Standard Pool Net
- Custom-fitted net.
- Central Tension System.
- Standard anchors.
- Hand Tensioner.
- Storage roller, except for a standalone spa net.
Selected According to the Property
- Brass or nylon anchors.
- Wood-deck plates.
- Vertical-wall or specialty anchoring.
- Additional CTS systems for unusual or irregular pools.
Optional Upgrade
- EZ-Close Tensioner.
UV-Stabilized Mesh Designed for Pool Environments
Katchakid pool-net mesh is manufactured from 4 mm high-density polyethylene selected for strength, low water absorption and resistance to sun and common pool chemicals. During manufacture, the netting is stretched and heat-set to help maintain consistent mesh openings and stable knots under tension.
The mesh returns to its narrower diamond shape when tension is released, helping it roll smoothly onto the supplied storage roller. Each net is custom-cut and fitted to the individual pool.
Katchakid Central Tension System
Katchakid founder Blair Esson patented and pioneered the Central Tensioning System (CTS) in 1988, building on his earlier central-spring design, the Octinet. Today, the CTS is a multifaceted system that uses a series of pulleys set in a circular fashion to open and close the tension ring of the net.
The CTS is often misunderstood: people assume it is what pulls the net tight. In fact, a Katchakid net is fitted and tensioned with the CTS closed — the tension comes from the custom fit itself. What the CTS really provides is release. Like the drawstring on a bag, letting off the central tension cord gives the net extra material and room, so an adult can open the net and take it off the pool — and closing it again returns the net to its fitted tension. Removal requires deliberate release using the supplied Hand Tensioner.
A Katchakid pool net typically uses 12 to 16 pulleys. Certain pools with unique design features or a pool with more than one clearly defined center may require two or more CTS systems. The central tensioning system makes the net easier for an adult to remove, replace and tension.
Katchakid’s Pulleys
After decades of refining the CTS, Katchakid uses durable nylon pulleys over internal steel shafts. The selected pulley construction provides strength, low friction and corrosion resistance in a wet pool environment.
Katchakid’s Fasteners
Katchakid fasteners are precision-engineered from corrosion-resistant Grade 316 stainless steel and designed to reduce tangling during removal and replacement.
Component Specifications
These are the same specifications we publish for commercial and institutional clients — we believe pool owners deserve them too.
| Component | Specification | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Netting | 4mm high-density polyethylene, machine-made, heat-set knots | Uniform mesh size; stretched and heat-set to help maintain consistent openings and resist knot movement |
| Mesh treatment | Laboratory-developed UV-stabilized inhibitors | Designed to resist fading and stiffening in sun, heat and pool chemicals; very low water absorption |
| Central tension rope | 5mm braided polyester, continuous multifilament core, tested to MIL-DTL-24677B | Breaking strength: 3,400 lb — low-stretch construction helps maintain consistent tension |
| CTS pulleys | Modified nylon over an internal steel shaft | High load, low friction; corrosion-resistant |
| Anchors | Corrosion-resistant brass or color-matched nylon, fitted flush or close to flush with the deck | Corrosion-resistant; nothing to trip on when the net is off |
| Vertical Wall Anchor | Stainless steel pad eye, typically fixed to the vertical face above the water line | Used where the deck is narrow or unsuitable — rock features, infinity edges, spillways; anchor selection and spacing are determined onsite by the pool, deck and wall materials |
| Fasteners, mounts & connectors | Grade 316 stainless steel | Grade 316 is selected for wet and chlorinated environments |
| Hand Tensioner | Nylon body, die-cast anti-friction mechanism | Rated pull force: 250 lb |
| EZ-Close Tensioner | High-carbon steel, full-length drum bearings | Rated pull force: 900 lb; designed to reduce the effort required for tensioning |
| Roller | Rigid PVC, Type 1 Grade 1 | Stores the net cleanly and speeds refitting |
Technical review: Brad Esson, Katchakid · Product review: Clare Esson, Sales & Marketing Director, Katchakid · Last reviewed: September 2026.
Why the Mesh Is the Size It Is
The 3.75-inch mesh geometry is designed around the applicable opening test in ASTM F1346-23 when the net is correctly installed and tensioned. The test assesses whether the specified test object can pass through the completed system under load.
Performance depends on the entire system, correct installation and secure replacement after every use. No barrier is childproof, and none replaces close, constant adult supervision.
The Test Behind the Net
The net is independently tested as a complete installed system — not judged by strand thickness alone. ASTM F1346-23 evaluates static load, perimeter openings, mesh openings, drainage, labeling and owner documentation. The detailed requirements are summarized below.
Nets installed to meet the standard carry its required warning labels — including the one we believe matters most: the net is a supplementary layer of protection, and no barrier replaces close, constant adult supervision. The labels document how the qualifying completed installation is classified and must be used and inspected.
Testing to ASTM F1346-23 tells you what the net was built to do and how it was measured. It is one layer of protection — no barrier is childproof, and none replaces close, constant adult supervision.
State and city building inspectors, day care and adoption officials often request evidence of the independent testing to ASTM F1346-23. We are happy to talk your inspector through how the net is built and what standard it is tested to. Whether your installation satisfies your local barrier requirements is the inspector’s call, not ours.
ASTM F1346-23 at a Glance
ASTM F1346-23 is the Standard Performance Specification for Safety Covers and Labeling Requirements for All Covers for Swimming Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs. It applies to safety covers on residential pools, spas, hot tubs and wading pools — and it is the standard the Katchakid pool net is independently tested to. A net placed by hand is assessed under the standard’s manual safety cover (MSC) classification.
The cover must hold a 485 lb static load — roughly the combined weight of two adults and a child — without allowing any test weight to pass through; for pools or spas 8 feet or less across, the requirement is 275 lb. That figure exists so the cover can take adult weight in an emergency. It does not make the net a walking surface, and nobody should be on it otherwise.
With a 50 lb weight on the cover near the pool’s edge, the cover must not deflect enough to let the test object — an ellipsoid roughly 3.7 by 5.7 inches — pass between the cover and the side of the pool, gain access to the water, or become entrapped.
No opening in the mesh, or between the edge of the cover and the deck, may allow a 4.5-inch sphere — sized to represent a small child’s head — to pass through under a steady 40 lb force.
The cover must drain substantially all standing water within 30 minutes of normal rainfall ending — measured against a child-sized torso test object, which standing water must never completely cover.
Every cover carries a permanent warning label — the signal word WARNING with the message AVOID DROWNING RISK — plus the manufacturer’s name, the date of manufacture or installation, instructions to inspect the cover for wear, and the cover’s classification. On a Katchakid, the ASTM F1346-23 label is applied where the completed installation qualifies.
Unless the cover is installed by the manufacturer or its responsible parties, detailed installation instructions must be provided with it, and owners must be instructed to inspect the cover for premature wear or deterioration.
Does a Thicker Strand Make a Safer Net?
Strand diameter alone does not establish the performance of an installed pool safety net. ASTM F1346-23 evaluates the completed system under load, at the mesh and perimeter openings, and for surface drainage.
A heavier material can also add weight that the tensioning system and the user must manage during removal and replacement. The Katchakid net uses 4mm high-density polyethylene, stretched and heat-set for uniform mesh size and knot tightness, and is independently tested to ASTM F1346-23. Whichever system you consider, ask the manufacturer for independent test documentation to the current standard.
Katchakid Anchors
The Katchakid pool safety net is secured to the swimming pool’s perimeter by attaching fasteners into a series of anchors. In a typical installation the anchors are set roughly 30 inches apart around the pool’s border and about 10 inches back from the water’s edge; the completed pool, its surfaces and any features determine the actual layout onsite. With a diamond-tipped core drill, a small three-quarter inch hole is made into the pool’s surrounding surface, and the countersunk anchor is inserted. Custom anchors are available for above ground pools, wood decks, ponds, and rockeries.
Katchakid’s anchors are designed to be feet-friendly and discreet.
Nylon Anchors
Countersunk, durable high-density nylon anchors are available in Cream, Gray or Terracotta; color-coordinated to match pool decking. They are typically used in a wood deck or Trex.
Brass Anchors
Deck-flush brass anchors are available for surfaces including concrete, flagstone and pebble finishes. Over time, the brass develops a natural patina that makes the anchor less visually prominent.
Anchors by Surface
Every pool edge is different. These are some of the surfaces our installers anchor to — each fitted onsite with the anchor type the surface can take.
Stone & Paver Decks
Raised Coping
Flagstone Facing
Natural Rock Ledges
Boulders & Rockeries
Grotto & Feature Walls
Pebble & Rock Borders
Composite Decks
Hand Tensioner
The standard Hand Tensioner is included with every pool-net system. Its injection-molded body contains a die-cast, low-friction mechanism designed to make releasing and retensioning the net manageable for an adult.
Advantages
- Lightweight
- Quick & convenient
- Faster tensioning and release
- Easy to use and store
- Gives a 4:1 pull ratio
Release the tension, unclip the anchors and roll up — typically just a few minutes on an average-sized pool.
Roller
EZ-Close Tensioner
Available as an upgrade, the EZ-Close Tensioner makes tightening the pool net smooth and straightforward — requiring far less strength and effort. A stamped carbon steel frame houses efficient gear ratios and full-length drum bearings, rated to a 900 lb pull.
Request a Quote
A few quick details and a specialist will contact you.
Anchoring Beyond the Deck
Not every pool edge can take a conventional deck anchor. Where the net meets a raised rock feature, a boulder or a vertical face, our installers may switch to a vertical wall anchor — typically a low-profile stainless steel pad eye fixed above the water line, securing the net’s edge to the feature itself so coverage continues without a gap.
Wall anchors are generally used on:
- Rock features and boulders
- Infinity edges and spillways
- Troughs and raised walls
- Narrow or unsuitable decks
Anchor selection and spacing are determined onsite — the pool, deck and wall materials govern — and unusual surfaces such as stacked stone are assessed case by case.
If your pool has a separate spa or hot tub, our guide to separate spa covers walks through the one-cover-or-two decision.
Rock, Ledge or Curve — Fitted Onsite.
Available in Three Colors
Every Katchakid net is made in the color you choose. Ocean Blue is the classic choice and blends with the water it covers; Jet Black tends to read almost translucent over darker finishes; Desert Sand sits quietly against stone, travertine and lighter decks. The right one depends on your water color, deck and landscape. See All Three Colors on Real Pools · Try Them on a Photo of Your Pool
Ocean Blue
Jet Black
Desert Sand
Ready For A Quick Quote?
If you already know you want a Katchakid Pool Safety Net or Katchaleaf Debris Pool Cover, jump straight to our Quick Quote process. Simply submit your details, and we’ll get things moving for you.
