According to the National Construction Code (NCC) Part 11.3 (formerly Part 3.9.2) a balustrade is a fall prevention barrier which must be provided alongside any stairway or ramp, any floor, corridor, hallway, balcony, verandah, mezzanine or path of access to a building if it is not bounded by a wall or any level more than 1 metre above adjoining floor or finished ground level.

There are many different types of balustrades available in Australia. We have prepared an unbiased comparison showing the pros and cons of the various types available commercially.

What is ‘best’ is highly subjective although we would say that ‘best’ refers to a balance between safety, cost and looks. Until Sentrel Australia introduced the Vertical Cable Pool Fence product to the market, the options for pool fencing were very limited – powder coat aluminium or glass.

Lightweight aluminium products that often just pass stringent NATA certification (sometimes they don’t!) are inexpensive but they also have cheap finishes that will deteriorate rapidly in a chemical/salt water environment. Additionally they are not really an addition to the value of your backyard and they deform easily if impacted – check out this strength test comparison.

On the other hand, glass is very nice to look at but requires an enormous amount of cleaning in a pool environment with constant splashing from chemical/salt water. Further, glass will stop airflow, often turning what is supposed to be a comfortable outside area into an incubator! And then another unfortunate occurrence with glass is that birds often fly straight into it and injure themselves or die.

With our vertical cable system, we claim that we have the perfect balance of style, cost and functionality.

The Sentrel Australia balustrade system is compliant with all current building codes in Australia. The pool fence system is compliant with the relevant pool fence standards.

The two most important things to consider – from a cost point of view – are:

No.1. As much as possible (ideally completely) keep your fence installaion on the same plane. Pool fencing (any type, ours included) gets more expensive when working with level changes. This is because the ‘no-climb’ zones for pool fencing compliance mean that special panels must be constructed, and this costs significantly more money for both manufacturing and installation. An installation with a compliant fence to meet level changes can also look less attractive.

No.2. Keep the fence more than 1250mm away from the water. If your fence is closer than 1250mm, it will need to be ‘earth bonded’. This can become expensive because we need to construct our panels differently, and you will neeed to engage an electrician to earth the finished panels – all unecessary costs, unless it cannot be avoided.

For the best looking and most cost-effective installation, take the time to plan your pool area well before ordering your fence.

Yes. The vertical orientation of the cables allows cable balustrade systems to be used on decks and verandahs 4 metres and above.

We work with builders in many areas across Australia including Sydney, Newcastle, Central Coast, Mid-North Coast of NSW, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Perth & surrounds. These builders can provide a full service for you. Please enquire with our sales team. In other areas we can advise of installers who are familiar with the Sentrel Australia system.

We have designed the system to be as simple as possible so the handy homeowner or a qualified licensed tradesperson can install it. See our printable instructions for Aluminium, Timber or iRail, or check out the video instructions for Aluminium, Timber or iRail

We make standard panels that will fit every opening size from 100 to 2700mm in the aluminium system, and 100 to 2400mm in the timber system. In cases where structurally sound posts are in place (like where posts are an integral part of a building that supports a roof), we can supply panels up to 3000mm in the aluminium system.

We can supply any powder coat colour, however our standard range and recommendation is Dulux Duratec which has 19 colours and up to a 20 year warranty*.

* Written warranty from Dulux must be applied for.

Powder coated poles can be supplied upon request.

Yes, we are happy to help. Our sales team will ask some basic questions and we can then tell you what will be required for your project. We can also provide a layout drawing for you.

The Sentrel Australia Aluminium system requires very little – if any – maintenance. It incorporates marine grade stainless steel and quality Duratec powder coat. If you live close to the sea, we advise washing regularly to avoid any damage that may result from mineral build up on the stainless steel and powder coat finish.

Timber is a beautifully natural material but will require more maintenance if you want your installation to perform well and look good over time. Please see our Product Information brochure for more information.

The Sentrel Australia aluminium system incorporates a unique, proprietary self-tensioning mechanism that ensures cables are kept at the correct tension throughout the life of the product.

The cables in the timber system require checking periodically and re-tensioning over time is necessary.

We offer a 15 year warranty on our aluminium system and a 7 year warranty on the timber system.