Custom Pool Safety Covers

Custom Swimming Pool Safety Covers – Tailored to Fit Your Pool’s Shape, Size and Accommodate any Unique Features

Custom Swimming Pools require a “Made to Order” Custom Pool Safety Cover.  Regardless of your pool’s shape or size it may require a Custom Safety Cover.  While your pool might be a Common Shape, like a Rectangle, Oval or Grecian, it may be a unique size or it may have an adjacent feature such as an attached or spa, waterfall or raised wall.  More common features such as steps that are outside the perimeter of the pool shape, or permanent handrails, slides and diving boards or diving rocks require a Custom Cover.  In addition, limited deck space or landscaping features such as gardens or decorative rocks can all make a swimming pool unique and require a custom cover. 

A Custom Safety Cover is designed and manufactured specifically for your swimming pool. Instead of trying to force a predetermined cover shape, size and strap configuration to fit your pool, the cover is engineered around the Pool’s Actual Dimensions, Shape, Surrounding Deck and Permanent Features.

Custom ‘Made to Order’ Safety Covers are the engineered alternative to ‘Stock Standard Covers’ which fit a very limited number of Shape and Size Pools.  If you are uncertain about the appropriate Safety Cover for your pool, this article will help determine if a Custom Inground Pool Safety is the right choice for your pool resulting in a Safety Cover designed specifically for the pool it will protect.

When Does an Inground Pool Need a Custom Safety Cover?

Many Common Size Rectangle and Grecian Shape Swimming Pools can use a Stock Safety Cover when the pool dimensions, step size and location are known and the pool has 2’-6” of unobstructed deck width on all sides of the pool.  Rectangle and Grecian Shape Pools that are Uncommon Sizes, have Unique Step Locations, have Deck Obstructions or less than 30” of deck at any location, require a Custom Cover. All other Shape and Size Pools require a Custom Cover.

Custom Safety Cover Checklist

If any of these conditions apply to your pool, then a Custom Safety Cover is required:  

• A Rectangle or Grecian Shape Pool is not a ‘Standard or Common Size’
• A Rectangle or Grecian Shape Pool has Deck Obstructions, Deck Features or Decking less than 30” wide at any point on the pool’s perimeter
• Any Shape Pool other than Rectangle or Grecian, such as:  Oval, Lazy L, Full L, Kidney, Humpback Kidney, Patrician, Roman or Free-Form
• Any Shape or Size Pool where the Steps lie outside the perimeter of the pool shape and are unusually shaped or positioned on the pool perimeter
• The Pool has an attached/adjacent Spa or attached/adjacent Raised Spa
• There is a Waterfall, Raised Wall or other Water Feature on the pool perimeter or adjacent to the pool.
• Permanent (non-removable) Handrails, Slides or Diving Board or similar components within the area that will be covered
• Deck Width is Less than 30” around the entire pool or portion of the pool.
• The pool has other Permanent Deck Obstructions
• An Existing Safety Cover is being replaced, and the new cover needs to Match the Existing Anchor locations.

The important distinction isn’t the Pool Shape; it is a combination of factors as listed above.

A Safety Cover is a complete system consisting of the Cover, Straps, Springs, Anchors and Attachment Points, which may include Stainless-Steel Cable System(s) when required. All of those components need to work together seamlessly to create a Custom Cover that matches the exact requirements of a Unique Pool.

If the shape of the pool or conditions surrounding the pool prevent a Stock Cover from being installed and tensioned as required, then a Custom Cover allows the system to be designed and engineered to meet those specific conditions and to provide an ASTM – 1346-91 compliant cover.

Engineered Around Your Pool — Not the Other Way Around

One of the principal advantages of a Custom Safety Cover is that the design begins with your pool.

The manufacturer isn’t trying to determine how closely your pool resembles a predetermined cover size. Instead, the pool’s actual dimensions and installation conditions become the basis for manufacturing the cover.

Custom safety covers can accommodate an enormous variety of pool shapes, including:

• Freeform pools
• Kidney and Humpback Kidney shaped pools
• Lazy L and Full L shaped pools
• Roman and Patrician pools
• Oval shaped pools
• Irregular Geometric pools
• Pools with unusual step configurations
• Pools incorporating multiple angles and or radii

But the shape of the pool is only the beginning.

Your Pool’s Unique Features Matter Too

Many inground swimming pools incorporate permanent features that need to be considered when designing a safety cover such as:

Attached Spas & Tanning Ledges

An attached, integrated or adjacent Spa and/or Tanning Ledge can significantly affect the cover design. Depending on its location and construction, the safety cover may need to incorporate the spa, fit around it or use a specialized treatment where the pool and spa meet.

Raised Walls and Waterfalls

Raised bond beams, waterfalls, rock formations and other elevated features can interrupt the normal path of the safety cover and its straps.  These features need to be identified and accurately located so the cover can be designed appropriately and may require Wall Anchors and a Stainless-Steel Cable System to properly support the cover where typical Deck Mounts are not an option.

Steps, Benches and Tanning Ledges

Many pools include steps or other features that extend beyond the primary shape of the pool. When those features change the perimeter of the pool, they become part of the cover design.

Handrails, Slides and Diving Boards

Permanent equipment located near the pool can affect the positioning of the cover, straps and anchors.  In many cases these features can be accommodated. The important part is identifying them before the cover is manufactured.  In most cases, handrails are removeable before the cover is installed for the winter.  In situations where they are not removable the cover must be designed to accommodate them.  

It’s Not Just the Pool — The Deck Matters

This is one of the most overlooked parts of selecting a safety cover.

Safety covers require secure attachment points for the straps. The straps mostly extend beyond the pool and connect to anchors installed in the surrounding deck or another suitable anchoring surface and that means the area around the pool is an important part of the cover design.

A pool may have:

• A Concrete Deck
• Paver or Interlocking Decking
• Wood Decking
• Lawn, Garden or Landscaped areas
• Sections with Limited Deck Space
• Changes in Deck Elevation
• Multiple Deck Materials
• Walls, Buildings or Landscaping Features located close to the pool

Each of these conditions can influence the cover design, strap positioning, anchor locations and hardware requirements.

A custom safety cover provides flexibility to design around these conditions rather than attempting to force a standard anchoring configuration into an installation where it doesn’t belong.

Different Decks May Require Different Hardware

Pool Fits can provide the appropriate hardware and anchoring solutions based on the installation requirements.

A conventional Concrete Deck typically uses standard brass anchors installed into the deck surface. Other installations may require different anchoring.

Paver or Interlocking Decks, Wood Decks, Lawn & Garden areas and other surfaces can require hardware specifically intended for those applications.

A single pool can even require more than one anchoring method.

So, a pool might have Concrete Decking around most of its perimeter but have Paver Stones, in another area and limited deck width in another area.

These situations don’t necessarily prevent the installation of a safety cover. They simply need to be identified so the Cover and Anchoring System can be designed accordingly.

Replacing an Existing Custom Safety Cover

Custom safety covers aren’t just for new installations.

Thousands of pools already have custom safety covers that eventually need replacement because the cover material, straps or other components have reached the end of their service life.

If the existing anchors remain properly positioned and serviceable, one of the goals of a replacement project may be to manufacture the new cover so it corresponds with those existing anchor locations.

This is an important distinction.

Because purchasing a similarly shaped stock cover and attempting to make its straps line up with existing anchors is generally not the correct approach. Differences in strap locations and cover geometry can prevent the new cover from being properly positioned and tensioned.

A custom replacement cover can instead be manufactured using information from the existing installation.

Depending upon the project, useful information can include:

• Manufacturer of the existing Safety Cover
• Serial or Identification Numbers
• Measurements of the Existing Cover
• Existing Anchor Locations
• Pool Measurements
• Using the Previous Cover as a Template
• Photographs of the Pool and Installed Cover
• Details about any changes made to the Pool or Deck since the original cover was installed

Pool Fits can review the existing installation and help determine what information is needed to manufacture the replacement cover.

Accurate Measurements Are the Foundation of a Great Fit

Because a custom safety cover is manufactured specifically for one swimming pool, accurate measurements are critical.

So, simple geometric pools can often be documented using conventional measurements.

Freeform and highly customized pools require more information because the manufacturer needs to accurately reproduce the pool’s shape and locate the surrounding features that affect the cover.

The measurement process may need to document:

• Pool Perimeter and Geometry
• Steps and other Extensions outside the Perimeter of the Pool Shape
• Attached Spas & Tanning Ledges
• Raised walls
• Waterfalls
• Handrails
• Slides & Slide Legs
• Diving-Board Stands
• Deck edges
• Changes in elevation
• Permanent Deck Obstructions
• Existing Anchor Locations for Replacement Covers

Accurate information at this stage helps ensure an excellent fit and easy installation.

Pictures Are Extremely Helpful

Measurements tell us where things are, but photographs help us understand what they are.

When requesting a custom safety-cover quote, providing clear photographs of the pool and surrounding deck can be extremely helpful.

Additionally, wide-angle photographs can show the overall pool configuration, while closer photographs can document unusual conditions such as an attached spa, waterfall, raised wall, limited deck area or permanent obstruction.

The more clearly the installation can be understood before the cover is manufactured, the easier it is to identify potential issues during the design process rather than during installation.

Complex Pool or Measure? Pool Fitter Can Help

Some swimming pools are relatively straightforward to measure, others aren’t.

Freeform Pools with multiple radiuses, unusual geometry, attached or adjacent spas and tanning ledges, raised walls and other features can require considerably more detailed measurement.

For these projects, Pool Fits offers the Pool Fitter – The Swimming Pool Industries 1st Drone Measurement System as another way to accurately capture the pool’s geometry and important features.

Pool Fitter helps reduce the uncertainty associated with measuring complex pools and provides the detailed and precisely accurate measurement needed to manufacture a cover for the individual installation, particularly when Exisiting Anchors are being matched for a Replacement Cover.

Choose the Safety Cover Material That Fits Your Needs

Custom refers to the fit and configuration of the safety cover. You still have choices regarding the material from which the cover is manufactured.

Pool Fits offers custom safety covers in several premium material options.

Standard Mesh Safety Covers – 95% Shade

Traditional mesh safety covers combine strength with relatively light weight and easy handling.

Rainwater and melting snow pass through the mesh rather than accumulating on the surface of the cover, while leaves and larger debris remain above the pool.

High-Shade Mesh Safety Covers – 99% Shade

High-shade mesh uses a tighter weave designed to block substantially more sunlight than conventional mesh while retaining the drainage advantages of a mesh cover.

Reducing sunlight penetration can help reduce algae growth and make spring pool opening easier.

Solid Safety Covers – 100% Shade

Solid safety covers provide the highest level of sunlight and debris blockage.

Because the material does not allow water to freely pass through, water accumulation on the surface must be appropriately managed according to the cover configuration.

Solid covers are also heavier than mesh covers, which can be a consideration when installing, removing and storing the cover.

Each material has advantages. The right choice depends on your priorities, climate, surrounding environment and maintenance preferences.

Premium Materials and Quality

A custom safety cover is a long-term investment in your swimming pool.

Pool Fits custom safety covers are manufactured in the United States for our American Customers and in Canada for our Canadian Customers, using premium safety-cover materials and components.

Depending upon the selected cover, multiple material and color choices are available. New installations include the hardware package required for the specified installation, and each qualifying safety covers are manufactured to meet ASTM F-1346 standards.

The objective isn’t simply to manufacture a cover that follows the shape of the pool. It’s to provide a complete safety-cover system designed for the individual installation.

How Do I Order a Custom Inground Safety Cover?

Despite the engineering that can go into a complex custom safety cover, getting started is relatively simple.

Step 1 – Request a Quick Quote

Start with the Pool Fits Quick Quote form. Provide the basic information about your pool along with any measurements and photographs you already have.

Step 2 – Tell Us About Anything Unusual

Let us know about attached spas, waterfalls, raised walls, handrails, slides, diving boards, limited decking or other conditions that could affect the cover. Photos are particularly useful here.

Step 3 – We’ll Review the Project

Pool Fits will review the information and help determine whether additional measurements or information are required.

Step 4 – Complete the Required Measurements

Depending upon the complexity of the pool, this may involve conventional measurements or a more detailed measurement process. For complex projects, Pool Fitter measurement services may be an option.

Step 5 – Select Your Material and Options

Choose the safety-cover material, color and applicable options that best fit your needs.

Step 6 – Your Cover Is Manufactured for Your Pool

Once the design information has been finalized, your safety cover can be manufactured specifically for your swimming pool and installation.

Not Sure Whether Your Pool Actually Needs a Custom Cover?

You don’t need to make that determination before contacting Pool Fits.

If you have a relatively standard Rectangle or Grecian Pool, a stock safety cover may provide an excellent solution and potentially save you the additional cost of custom manufacturing.  Pool Fits can assist in making that determination and can supply a Stock Standard Safety Cover made to the ASTM- F-1346 standards as our Custom Covers

If your pool shape, dimensions, deck configuration or permanent features require something different, we’ll help identify the appropriate custom solution.

The easiest place to start is with your pool dimensions and a few photographs.

Frequently Asked Questions About Custom Inground Safety Covers

Can you make a safety cover for a freeform pool?

Yes. Custom safety covers can be manufactured for virtually any pool shape when accurate measurements and the necessary installation information are available.

Does an unusual pool shape automatically require a custom safety cover?

Usually.   The pool’s dimensions, step configuration, surrounding deck and available stock-cover sizes all need to be considered. Pool Fits can help determine whether a stock or custom cover is appropriate.

Can a custom safety cover accommodate an attached spa?

In many cases, yes. The appropriate design depends upon the spa’s location, dimensions, elevation and relationship to the swimming pool.

What about waterfalls and raised walls?

These features can frequently be accommodated with a custom design. They should be clearly documented with measurements and photographs.

Can slides, diving boards and handrails be accommodated?

Many permanent pool features can be incorporated into the cover design. Their exact location and configuration need to be documented during the measurement process.

What if I don’t have concrete decking around the entire pool?

Other deck surfaces and even lawn areas can often be accommodated using appropriate anchoring hardware. Pool Fits can review the installation and determine what is required.

Can you make my replacement cover fit my existing anchors?

In many situations, yes. Existing anchor locations can be an important consideration when designing a replacement custom safety cover. The existing cover and installation need to be properly documented before manufacturing.

Should I send photographs of my pool?

Absolutely. Photographs are particularly helpful for custom safety-cover projects because they provide context that measurements alone can’t always communicate.

How do I know which measurements are required?

Start by submitting a Quick Quote and Pictures. Pool Fits can review your pool and help determine the appropriate measurement requirements.

What material should I choose?

Standard mesh, high-shade mesh and solid safety covers each offer different advantages. Pool Fits can help you compare the options based on your pool environment and maintenance preferences.

Your Pool Is Unique. Your Safety Cover Can Be Too.

A Custom Inground Swimming Pool Safety Cover provides a solution when a standard-size cover simply doesn’t match the pool or the environment surrounding it.

Whether you’re covering a freeform pool, accommodating an attached spa or waterfall, working around limited decking, or replacing an existing custom cover while retaining existing anchor locations, the process begins with understanding the individual installation.

Pool Fits can help you determine the appropriate cover, measurement method, material and hardware for your pool.

Ready to get started? Request a Pool Fits Quick Quote and send us a few photographs of your pool. We’ll help you take it from there.

About Pool Fits

Pool Fits specializes in premium new and replacement swimming pool liners and safety covers for pool owners throughout the United States and Canada.

Our Safety Cover offering includes both Stock and Custom Inground Pool Safety Covers as well as specialty Onground Safety Covers and Replacement Covers manufactured to match Existing Anchors.

Our goal is simple: Quality Products, Expert Support, Personalized Service.