To get the best use from pool covers, it is essential that they fit well, so they must be measured accurately. A correctly fitting cover will reduce your pool chemicals usage and time commitment to cleaning. Ill fitting covers will also suffer wear and tear much more quickly and have to be replaced sooner.
Simple shapes such as a rectangle are easy to measure, but more complex shapes, for example a kidney, require some expertise. There are several ways to survey a kidney but this method is the best, and if followed closely will produce accurate covers time after time. We recommend the Triangulation Method, where a number of points are marked around the edge and distances recorded to them from two other points A and B. These points, when put together, will give us an accurate plan.
Start by marking a number of points around the pool edge. As a guide these should be about 18 inches or 2 feet apart. However, on straight or reasonably straight areas they can be further apart, whilst on highly curved areas they need to be closer together. Place a chalk mark right on the edge of the coping, and number it. Proceed clockwise around the edge until you come back to your starting point. Typically you will have marked and numbered between 25 and 40 points.
The next step is to mark the A and B reference points. Ideally these should be to one side of the pool, approximately 10 feet from the edge, and slightly wider apart than the pool is long. Mark one as point A, and the other as point B.
Now, starting from point A record the distances from A to each point around the pool starting with 1, and marking them down as A1, A2, A3, etc. Repeat this process using point B. It is essential that the end of the tape is held securely. Any movement of the end of the tape will cause inaccuracies in the survey. It is possible that you will need someone to hold the end of the tape, or possibly secure with a stake or something similar. Another thing to look out for is making sure that the tape is held tight and straight at all times and does not become bent around any obstructions such as planters or diving boards.
If there are any obstructions that the cover manufacturer needs to be made aware of, then these should also be recorded on the sheet, again with measurements from A and B and a note to say what they are. For example if a ladder is fixed, the position of all the uprights need to be recorded in order for the manufacturer to put appropriate slits in the cover.
Lastly, it is important to provide a sketch diagram of the pool showing approximate location of points A and B.
