Expert tips for safety cover installation

by jason_cramp | April 11, 2018 4:25 pm

By Paul Hunter

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While there are still some standard pools around, an increasing number of homeowners are opting to renovate their backyard oasis, adding walk-in stairs, slides, and waterfalls. In fact, most new pools today have unique, irregular shapes and, with custom safety covers becoming the industry norm, ‘A-B’ measurements are required to obtain the correct pool dimensions.

Most expert safety cover installers start this process by using chalk to make small marks along the pool edge (on the coping or deck) approximately 0.6 to 0.9 m (2 to 3 ft) apart, including the edges of walk-in stairs and attached spas—the space between these markings do not need to be exact. The first mark should be identified as number ‘1.’

Next, two stakes (e.g. pipes, rebar, or screwdrivers will suffice) are inserted into the grass or garden alongside the pool. These stakes should be at least 0.9 m (3 ft) away from the water’s edge, and a minimum of 3 m (10 ft) apart. The installer should record the distance between these stakes on paper.

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When standing beside the stakes, facing the pool, point ‘A’ is identified by the stake on the left, and point ‘B’ is the stake on the right. The entire pool should be on one side of the ‘A-B’ line. If this line is set-up within the curve of an irregular shaped pool, or within the corner of an L-shaped pool, the measurements will be incorrect.

Using a 30-m (100-ft) tape measure (or longer if required) attached to the end of point ‘A,’ the distance between it and mark ‘1’ is recorded as ‘A1.’ All of the measurements should be rounded to the closest inch. The distance from ‘A’ to the second mark is recorded as ‘A2,’ and so on. Measurements are taken around the pool circumference, and always end with the same point started at (A1), to double-check the stake has not moved.

Once the ‘A’ measurements have been taken, the tape end is attached to stake ‘B,’ and the measurements for ‘B1,’ ‘B2,’ etc., are then recorded.

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If there are obstructions within 457 mm (18 in.) of the pool’s edge, such as slide legs or non-removable handrails, these measurements are taken as the ‘A’ and ‘B’ measurements are being done, and recorded as, for example, slide leg point ‘AA1,’ slide leg point ‘BB1,’ slide second leg point ‘AA2,’ slide second leg point ‘BB2,’ etc. These measurements will identify areas of the safety cover where cutouts are necessary. Some cover manufacturers provide measurement sheets which provide space to list point ‘1’ and point ‘2’ for specific obstructions, or for changes in deck material or height.

Water features, rock walls, or gardens that are close to the edge of the pool need to have their size, location, and proximity to the pool edge noted in the measurements. The cover needs to be made to fit these obstructions; therefore, providing the manufacturer with drawings or photos is also helpful. In these instances, rather than using cables to secure the cover, the installer should consider requesting that ‘D’ loops be attached to the cover, as they can be directly fastened to the obstruction (e.g. a poolside waterfall/rock wall).

The installer should also indicate areas where the deck is less than 0.3 m (3 ft) wide, so the cover manufacturer knows to supply shorter springs or garden stakes. Some manufacturers offer software, which allows installers to input the ‘A-B’ measurements and view a diagram to check for accuracy.

The right tools for the job

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The safety cover will arrive as a kit, complete with cover storage bag, anchor springs, appropriate hardware anchors (e.g. brass, wood deck, waterfall, or lawn tubes), tamping tool, an installation bar, and a hex key.

Standard cement decks, which must be at least 0.9 m (3 ft) wide, use brass anchors. If the deck around the pool is less than 0.9 m (3 ft) wide, short springs are available, or the anchors may need to be placed into the grass or garden. Garden stakes or lawn tubes, which resemble 457-mm (18-in.) long nails, can be used. If there is less than 0.9 m (3 ft) of deck and a fence or obstruction prevents anchoring in the grass/garden, short anchor springs should be requested for these points.

Decks built using interlocking bricks use brass anchors that are set into a steel pipe and driven approximately 0.3 m (1 ft) into the ground, while decks made of wood use special anchors.

The anchors used in flagstone decks depend on the material beneath the flagstone. If the flagstone has been installed on top of concrete, a standard brass anchor can be used; however, if it has been installed on top of landscape screening or sand, steel pipe and brass anchors should be used.

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For waterfalls and rock walls, ‘D’ loops should be attached to the cover in these areas instead of straps. This loop attachment style is preferable over the cable-and-hook method, as they attach securely to the wall and provide more strength and safety. Sometimes, the gap left between the wall and the cable is large enough for a small dog or child to fall through.

Installing the new cover

When installing the safety cover, it should be spread out across the pool. If the pool is an irregular shape, the installer can use water bags or buckets of water as weights to hold it in place.

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To ensure a symmetrical and visually appealing installation, it is important the installer centre the cover, makes certain all folds/wrinkles are removed, and ensures an equal overlap on the deck around the pool. If the cover has cutouts for slides and/or non-removable handrails, they should be carefully aligned with the matching obstruction.

The first anchors to be installed are those at each end of the pool, starting in the middle and working outwards. To start, the installer should identify the centre of a strapline with chalk after measuring from cover edge to cover edge. A full-width strapline should be selected by choosing one that is closest to the end of the pool. Next, the width of the pool under the selected strapline should be measured. The centre of the pool’s width can then be marked on the deck by keeping the measuring tape in place across the pool width and holding a vacuum pole perpendicular to the measuring tape at the middle of the pool.

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The next measurement the installer should take is from the chalk mark identifying the centre of the strapline on the cover to the next closest strap running lengthwise. Using this measurement, the same distance is measured from the pool centre chalk mark on the deck and a line is drawn away from the pool. This marks the strapline where the first anchor hole will be installed, but not the exact place on the line. Finally, the length of the pool and the cover are measured at these deck strapline marks. Subtracting the length of the pool from the length of the cover and dividing by two will give the installer the base amount of cover overlap from the pool’s edge to the cover edge.

All the careful measuring in the world will be useless if each cover strap is a different length. The easiest way for an installer to ensure the strap lengths are consistent is to use the spring cover as a guide.

The strap length, from the edge of the cover to the end of the spring, should be measured next. This number is added to the base cover-overlap measurement obtained earlier, and another 102 mm (4 in.) are added. This final number tells the installer how far the main anchor holes should be from the edge of the pool. This can be referred to as the ‘magic number.’ It is important the springs are attached right side up.

This ‘magic number’ is used to measure the first hole location from the edge of the pool along the chalk line for the strap, and marked with an ‘X.’ The installer, using a rotary hammer drill with a 19-mm (0.75-in.) masonry bit, should drill a 51-mm (2-in.) deep hole at this location. The pile of cement dust that accumulates around and in the hole should be washed away with a hose, vacuumed, or blown away with a shop vac. The anchor will not sit right if debris remains in the hole.

To install the anchor, the installer must first separate it into two pieces. The outer half is placed into the hole and with the tamping tool inserted, the anchor should be hammered down until it is flush with the deck. The other half of the anchor should be fastened until the unthreaded portion remains above the deck.

This process is then repeated at the other end of the pool, marking the centre of the vessel’s width on the deck, the centre of the cover width on the cover, and determining where the strap line should be on the deck for the same strap that was just marked on the opposite end. The ‘magic number’ is used again to mark the second hole before drilling and installing the anchor.

The cover is then attached to the first two anchors using the installation bar. The tension should pull the cover up off the water.

With these anchors in place, the installer can now mark the drill locations on the deck for the anchors on either side of the centre straps, by measuring the distance between straplines and marking the deck that distance from the existing hole. They should be moved away from the centre strap by an extra 25 mm (1 in.) to allow for stretching and to ensure the straps remain straight.

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Once the cover is attached to the three centre strap anchors on both ends of the pool, the installer should ensure the cover is centred. This can be done by pulling the sides of the cover as taut as possible and visually inspecting if the ends are on centre. If necessary, adjustments can be made by loosening or tightening the straps on the six anchor points.

Once the cover is locked-in lengthwise, the installer can move on to attaching the first straps across the pool’s width. In doing this, the width of the pool, and the cover, should be measured to determine the base overlap using a strap in the centre of the pool, not one on a large radius. Once again, 102 mm (4 in.) is added to the strap/spring length, plus the base overlap to obtain the ‘magic number’ for the sides. In most cases, this will be the same as the first ‘magic number,’ but not always; therefore, it is best to double-check. Once the centre strap is lined up, the required distance is measured, and the anchor is drilled and installed on both sides, followed by the straps on either side of the centre straps. (A chalk line can be snapped along the ‘magic number’ measurement for perpendicular pools.)

With the cover now completely locked in place with three straps anchored on each side, the installer can work outwards, one strap at a time, and back and forward across the pool, the remaining anchors are measured, drilled, and installed, all while remembering to skew the drill holes slightly away from centre to allow for stretching. This will help to keep the cover taut, the straps straight, and eliminate any puckers in the fabric.

On curved and freeform pools, sometimes the ‘magic number’ will fail due to the angle of the strap and the curve of the wall. Therefore, it is important each hole is measured and marked, and then with the strap pulled tight the marked anchor location should be checked to be 102 mm (4 in.) past the spring.

Corners and extra support straps should be installed last. This allows them to be aligned perfectly straight after the cover has been fully stretched.

Waterfalls and rock walls

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The strongest and most esthetically pleasing way to secure a safety cover around an obstruction is by using ‘D’ loops. The manufacturer installs these attachment points on the cover by request when it is ordered. Wall anchors will be supplied, which will need to be installed to hold the ‘D’ loops securely against the obstruction. The anchor holes are drilled with a smaller bit and an expanding sleeve is installed into the obstruction. A stainless steel head is then screwed into the anchor to hold the D loop. These anchor points can be left in permanently, or removed for the summer and replaced with small cap screws for esthetic purposes.

The location of the obstruction can also determine when the installation of the anchors takes place. For instance, a waterfall centred along the wall in the deep end would need to be installed first.

The same method used to determine the location of the first strap would be used, but then the wall anchor would be installed at that mark and the cover would be tensioned from the installation of the straps and springs at the other end.

A waterfall on the side of the pool, for example, would require the cover to be installed as per normal instructions until the waterfall location is reached, then the anchor locations can be marked and drilled. Many of the straps might need to be released from the cover so it can be pulled into place and the D loops can be clipped in.

Bad installations related to safety

A professional safety cover installation means every cover strap is attached to a solid anchor point. The straps cannot be wrapped around a 2×4 and laid alongside an obstruction. Further, the straps should not be held down by a rock, either. Finally, standard cement anchors cannot be drilled into the centre of interlocking bricks, as the tension will pull them out.

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Unfortunately, some inexperienced cover installers or do-it-yourself homeowners may choose to handle difficult anchor points in this fashion, but by doing so they compromise the intended safety of this type of cover.

Bad installations related to esthetics

On rectangular vessels, all of the safety cover anchors should be positioned an equal distance away from the pool’s edge. All of the main springs should be attached to the straps the same distance away from the cover for irregular/freeform pools. The overlap should be consistent around the entire pool. It is important for installers to measure and drill the anchor positions in the right location.

If a mistake is made, miss-drilled holes can be repaired with mortar mix; however, the repaired spot will remain visible, which can ruin the look of a stamped concrete deck. Therefore, the better option is to leave the extra brass anchor installed.

Paul Hunte[11]r owns Hunter’s Pool & Spa in London, Ont., and has more than 30 years’ experience as a service technician. Hunter was one of the first Pool & Hot Tub Council of Canada (PHTCC) members to earn both the expert and specialist certification. He can be reached via e-mail at paul@hunterspoolandspa.ca[12].

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/features/expert-advice/expert-tips-for-safety-cover-installation/

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