Automatic Pool Covers: Blending in with a vanishing edge pool design

by habiba_abudu | August 21, 2019 2:35 pm

By Michael Shebek

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Automatic pool covers are quickly becoming the preferred option in today’s marketplace. Not only do they allow pools to be easily opened and closed at the push of a button, but also provide protection for pools not in use. However, the installation of these covers does require a certain amount of technical skill. This is especially true when one is installing covers on vanishing edge pools.

Infinity pools are built for their esthetic qualities, and an auto cover is the perfect complement to the clean lines of water falling over the edge of the pool. However, a few variables must be considered when working with this type of pool design, such as water displacement, track height differential, etc. This article explains why expertise is key to successfully selling, designing, and installing automatic covers on these pool types.

Installation expertise is key

Becoming an expert in auto pool cover installation requires experience; it is hard to develop in-house talent working on just five covers a year. Unlike a pump or a filter, every installation is different.

“The first thing I tell builders and installers is ‘yes,’ it is possible to put an automatic cover on a vanishing edge pool,” says Allan Horwood, owner of Pool Patrol in British Columbia.

Horwood is one of a growing number of professionals who specialize in the installation, service, maintenance, and repair of automatic pool covers. It requires even more know-how to install a cover on a vanishing edge design as compared to a standard rectangular pool.

Auto covers have very tight tolerances when installed on infinity pools. Errors can occur quite easily if the architect, builder, or installer does not fully understand the mechanics and physics of these covers.

“We made a few mistakes when we first started installing automatic covers on vanishing edge pools,” says Horwood. “Therefore, it is really important to include your pool cover installer and supplier into the design discussion very early in the building process.”

An auto cover complements the esthetics of an infinity design, but function is key to the product. Installers cannot put a cover on a vanishing edge pool and walk away, as it is critical to ensure the cover will function properly in the long run.

“It’s all in the planning,” says John Moss, pool safety consultant at Poolsafe in San Diego, Calif. “Pool builders must not make any assumptions about how the cover will be installed. There must be complete co-operation between the installer and the builder. This means, planning the structure together. An automatic pool cover is not the type of product that can be built first and fixed later.”

Horwood says the first infinity pool auto cover he installed was more than 20 years ago and admits the process was long and involved.

“We stumbled through our first installation, but now we know the importance of providing extensive measurements, photos, and even videos to our cover supplier, so that we get the perfect fit,” says Horwood.

Measurements are critical to the installation process, including those of the pool, the height of the vanishing edge, the distance from the top of the wall to the track placed on the vertical wall, etc.

Tight tolerances

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Unlike the installation of an auto cover on a standard pool, a vanishing edge pool cannot be ‘out of square.’ The tolerances for a cover on this type of pool design cannot be off by more than 26 to 51 mm (1 to 2 in.). Unfortunately, the cover installer is often brought into the discussion very late in the construction process.

“Builders and architects don’t like to hear that they need to make a wall shorter to have an auto cover on the pool,” says Horwood.

Many designers do not realize the water level on a vanishing edge pool is much higher—to achieve the falling water visual—than a standard pool. The level must remain at the top of the pool wall, not only to create a vanishing edge visual, but also because the water supports the cover. The water level and the tracks need to align for the cover to function properly.

Some designers also make the mistake of telling their client that just one section of the length of the wall can have a vanishing edge—this will make it virtually impossible to achieve a properly functioning cover. The auto cover track cannot make the transition from regular to vanishing edge on the same plane—the entire length or the entire width of the pool needs to ‘vanish.’

Track height differential

A standard auto pool cover design is simple. There are two tracks that run parallel to one another on either side of the pool. Both these tracks are hidden under the pool’s coping, creating a clean, almost magical look to the opening and closing of the cover.

However, when one is working with a one-sided infinity edge design, one side of the pool’s track cannot be at the same elevation as the track on the opposite side of the pool. To have a track on the vanishing edge side of the pool, it must be flipped over and brought down on the wall just below the level of the track on the opposite side of the pool.

The goal is to have minimal track height differential to accommodate the track that has been flipped and placed down on the wall that leads into the catch basin of the vanishing edge.

“You don’t want to place the track on the infinity edge wall down more than 26 to 51 mm (1 to 2 in.) if possible,” says Horwood.

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The importance of hiding the track below the wall is critical to the installation.

“We had a customer who could see the track on the vanishing edge wall as he drove up to his house,” says Horwood.  “And it was very important to him that the track ‘blended in’ or was ‘invisible’ along the blue tiled wall of his vanishing edge.”

Horwood’s company took the aluminum track to a local powder-coater and had them paint it to match the colour of the tiles in the catch basin.

“We had to take it to a recreational vehicle (RV) paint shop to powdercoat the 7-m (22-ft) long track.”

One must also remember to consider the elevation of the house or deck in relation to the pool. Depending on where the pool is located or how it will look from the house or deck, one may completely choose to eliminate the vanishing edge effect—if they can see over the edge.

Wall height and design

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One of the most common mistakes builders make is to construct the beam wall, separating the cover trough from the pool, much higher than the vanishing edge wall. The infinity edge wall must be roughly 12.7 to 25.4 mm (0.5 to 1 in.) lower than the separation beam wall. Since the tracks on either side of the pool are not perfectly parallel in this case, the auto cover must be modified using gliders to compensate for the height difference between the two tracks. Gliders are added to ensure the cover operates smoothly.

One of the most important parts of this pool design is the vanishing edge wall, which drops into the catch basin. These walls are generally designed as 90-degree vertical structures. In some cases, designers may create a 45-degree angle, so the water falls off more slowly and quietly than at a 90-degree angle. However, one of the drawbacks of a 45-degree angle is the track is not completely hidden as it is on a 90-degree wall. In the latter, the track remains concealed unless one is looking up from behind the wall.

There are many ways to build a vanishing edge pool, and certain methods of construction work better than others when installing an auto cover. For example, the slope of the wall that flows into the catch basin can either be sloped toward the pool or away from it.

“In our experience, the walls that slope in or toward the water hide the track better compared to when the wall is sloping out or away from the pool,” says Moss.

Water levels and water displacement

Another factor to consider in all infinity pools is water displacement, which is critical to the installation and proper functionality of an auto cover.

“Hydraulics is key to vanishing edge pools,” says Moss. “The water that goes into the drain must be pumped back into circulation immediately to keep the hydraulics of the pool working.”

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This is especially important as a lot of water is displaced with bather activity as well as the opening and closing of the cover. The water has to go ‘somewhere’ when the cover rolls up or retracts. As a result, it is pushed into the catch basin at the bottom of the vanishing edge as well as into the vault area where the cover rolls into when it is opened.

“To accommodate this, we ensure the drains from the automatic cover trough drain into the catch basin to capture the water that is displaced, so this water will not go to waste,” explains Horwood. “It’s an extra plumbing step, but is crucial to ensure we do not lose too much water.”

The containment basin must be large enough to catch all of the water or the auto-fill feature will keep kicking in to raise the level back up. Homeowners must keep in mind the auto cover cannot be closed immediately after a lot of activity in the pool as the water level will be too low (because of displaced and lost water) for the cover to move across the top of the pool. The design of the cover requires it to be ‘held up’ by the pool water; hence, the customer may need to wait 20 to 30 minutes to put it back on. During this time, the water returns to the pool after being pushed into the catch basin. Note: Auto covers travel well over pool water and along wet walls; they do not complement dry walls.

Cover fit

A perfectly fitted auto cover is necessary for it to function smoothly on a vanishing edge pool. The slack has to be minimal with this pool design; otherwise it will be baggy or too small and will not move. In addition, the cover will want to ‘travel’ in the direction of the water current (toward the vanishing edge); hence, the fabric migrates to that area. If the cover does not fit right, the fabric travels to the edge and bunches and puckers.

There is a certain amount of built-in slack on auto covers by code—for it to be considered a safety cover. But this slack has to be adjusted with a vanishing edge because the water level is much higher on that side. The author’s company has a ‘slack formula’ that it uses to ensure the fit of the cover, which is critical for esthetics and functionality; otherwise, one may end up with ‘running’ issues.

Here are a few dos and don’ts to successfully install an automatic pool cover on a vanishing edge pool:

• Do consult an auto cover specialist early in the design process of your pool project;
• Do understand the nature of water loss on a vanishing edge pool versus a normal pool and how this affects the functionality of the cover;
• Do understand that water gets into the trough of the auto cover as well as overflows into the catch basin. Be sure to include a drain in the trough of the cover area, so the water finds its way back into the catch basin and ultimately re-circulates into the pool; and
• Do understand the importance of having minimal track height differential to keep the track ‘hidden’ as well as for the cover to function smoothly; and
• Don’t rush through the installation without consulting an auto cover specialist. If a cover is important, integrate it well into the design.

[6]Michael Shebek is owner and CEO of Automatic Pool Covers Inc., a cover manufacturer based in Westfield, Ind. The business was started in 1979 as a pool cover installation and service company. Shebek has performed nearly 1000 installations and has more than 20,000 hours of in-field pool cover experience. He can be reached via e-mail at mshebek@apc-mfg.com.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/features/automatic-pool-covers-blending-in-with-a-vanishing-edge-pool-design/

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