Automatic pool covers continue to grow in popularity and are being requested by homeowners for every size and shape of pool. In the past, some pool shapes and sizes made it difficult to design and install an automatic cover. However, builders are getting creative and finding that by installing multiple covers on a pool is the way to avoid some of the construction obstacles for L-shaped pools, extremely long pools, or those with varying elevations. By installing multiple auto covers and having them ‘meet in the middle,’ these challenging pools can now have the convenience and safety of an automatic pool cover installation.
Pool shapes and sizes that are ideal for multiple covers
Automatic pool covers are part of the wave of ‘automation’ in today’s homes. From home security systems and outdoor lighting to in-pool robotic cleaning and chemical controllers, consumers want push-button convenience—and this is what auto pool covers provide. These devices allow homeowners to open and close their pool with the push of a button, while still ensuring their pool is safe.
However, when clients have an L-shaped pool or an extremely long, lap-type pool, many installers have turned away the business, as a single cover would drag over a lot of deck, or the amount of material needed on a single cover creates too many challenges with the cover housing. This is where the design creativity of using multiple covers comes into play.
In fact, Allan Horwood, the owner of Pool Patrol in British Columbia, a company specializing in the installation of automatic pool covers, selling a 100-plus every year, has completed several of these specialized projects. He enjoys coming up with creative cover solutions for extra-long, L-shaped, and other unique pool shapes that can be divided into separate rectangles.
“It’s interesting, now that I’ve started putting multiple automatic covers on pool installs, I wish I would have done this on some of my past projects,” says Horwood. “For example, I did a 29-m (95-ft) long cover that was featured in Pool & Spa Marketing a few years ago, and on that particular pool it was extremely challenging to create a bunker room for the large amount of cover material that needed to roll up when the cover opened.
“It also needed a drainage system for all the water that came off the cover as it opened and closed. In hindsight, if we had installed two covers that met in the middle, the project would have worked better.”
