Automatic Pool Cover Drawing Checklist
A 12-point drawing checklist that helps GCC pool contractors get a usable automatic cover quote with fewer supplier clarification rounds.
Missing edge and roller details can leave civil work outside an automatic pool cover quote. Send a dimensioned plan, an edge section and site photos, with the cover system and unresolved inputs clearly identified. This 12-point drawing checklist separates an initial budget request from the measurements needed before manufacture.
A quote-ready automatic pool cover drawing pack identifies the finished pool geometry, cover travel path, mechanism location and site interfaces. State whether you want a guided fabric cover or a slatted roller cover: the track, roll space and motor arrangements differ. For the first review, a marked PDF or sketch is useful; for ordering, the contractor must verify dimensions against the selected system's revision-controlled drawing. Mark unknowns TBC and name the person who will resolve them.
Updated October 2026.
Mark anything uncertain as TBC. An open item with an owner is safer than a guessed dimension hidden inside a quotation.
Start with the geometry
1. A dimensioned waterline plan
Show the waterline length and width, the direction the cover will travel and any feature crossing that path. Written dimensions are required because a PDF scale can change during printing or export. Add units, drawing number, revision and whether dimensions describe the shell or finished faces. For a guided fabric cover, also record the proposed track lines; waterline width alone is not an order width.
Measure both diagonals between the same labelled corners and record opposite side lengths. A disagreement is a question for the site team and supplier, not a reason to average the readings. Equal diagonals alone do not establish that an arbitrary four-sided pool is rectangular.
Figure 1. Same-boundary rectangle check, schematic and not to scale. Record L, W and both diagonal readings; the selected-system drawing sets the acceptance requirements.
For an ideal rectangle, diagonal d = √(L² + W²). Hypothetical inputs: √(12² + 5²) = 13 m. That calculated diagonal is a reference for the stated geometry, not a permitted site deviation or fabrication size.
2. One section through the pool edge
Include the coping, finish build-up, structural wall, operating water level and adjacent deck. This single view often answers more cover questions than another plan dimension. Show finish thickness on both sides and identify the common level datum used in all views.
Figure 2. Finished faces move inward from the structural opening. The coloured bands represent finishes, not a specified material or thickness.
For two parallel walls, finished clear width = shell width − left finish − right finish. Hypothetical inputs: 5,000 − 25 − 25 = 4,950 mm. Use the verified finish schedule in the real drawing; this example does not define cover width or required clearance.
Hold point: if the finished space is smaller than the requirement on the selected-system drawing, resolve that interface before ordering or concealing the work. If the requirement is absent, request it instead of assuming an allowance.
3. The water-level system
Write skimmer or overflow/deck-level on the file. For an overflow pool, show the channel width and depth, grating and water path. The skimmer vs overflow cover guide explains why the category changes the interface.
4. Levels, drainage and access
Record the water, finished deck and proposed pit levels. If the roller is recessed, check our automatic pool cover recess dimensions guide to compare the available finished space with the selected configuration. Show the drainage route and how technicians would reach and remove the mechanism. Identify wet and dry compartments separately; a submerged roller does not establish that its motor or connectors may be submerged.
Show how the cover should sit on the project
5. New pool or existing pool
Record the current construction stage and dated site photos.
Figure 3. Record the measured edge and the drawing together. Photos help locate a feature; written, verified dimensions establish its size.
A pool before concrete, a tiled shell and an operating pool offer very different options, even when their finished dimensions are identical.
6. Preferred roller end and motor side
Mark the first choice. If either end or motor side can work, say so. That flexibility can avoid a conflict with access, services or landscaping.
7. Recessed pit, bench or visible roller
Tell the supplier what matters most. If the architect wants the mechanism concealed, state that. If the contractor wants minimal civil work on an existing pool, state that instead. For built pools, use the retrofit cover options and measurement guide.
8. Obstacles along the cover path
Show ladders, handrails, waterfalls, bridges, infinity edges and movable-floor details. A small obstruction in the wrong place can change the available arrangement.
Add the information needed to price and deliver it
9. Site electrical data
Confirm voltage, frequency and phase from the project documents. If the values are awaiting approval, mark them TBC. The GCC electrical checklist explains why the country name is not an electrical specification.
10. Slat preference and operating conditions
State whether the pool is indoor or outdoor, the sun exposure, water-treatment method and preferred colour. For a slatted system, request the exact profile reference; if the material is open, request separate PVC and polycarbonate options and use the slat material comparison. For a guided fabric system, request its own fabric, track and housing specification instead. A slat profile is not a fabric-cover specification.
If the project brief calls for a safety cover, request the applicable test documentation for the exact supplied configuration. ASTM F1346-23 addresses safety-cover performance and cover labelling; its public scope does not establish that a proposed product complies or that it meets the project's local requirements. Keep this as a documented specification question.
11. Destination and delivery scope
Give the city or port and the commercial boundary you need, such as factory collection, FOB or delivery to port. The China-to-GCC scheduling guide helps connect this decision to the site programme.
12. The required-on-site date
Keep the quotation deadline and site delivery date separate. The supplier needs the second date to plan approval, production, QC, packing and shipping.
Compare quotations against the same drawing and scope
Ask each supplier to reference the same drawing revision and to list exclusions. The lowest equipment line can leave deck work, drainage or future access outside the comparison.
| Drawing or scope item | What to compare | Dominant failure mode & prevention |
|---|---|---|
| Cover family and geometry | Guided fabric or slats; verified finished boundaries | Wrong interface or size: reconcile the exact configuration and drawing revision. |
| Housing, lid and access | Who supplies civil work, finishes, supports and removal access | Mechanism cannot be serviced: agree the removal path before closing the housing. |
| Drainage and electrical work | Responsible designer, connection routes and installation scope | Water exposure or service conflicts: coordinate the selected-system requirements with civil and MEP drawings. |
| Maintenance and delivery | Warranty terms, consumable parts, packing and shipping boundary | Unpriced repeat visits or landed costs: record inclusions and compare the same ownership period. |
For a common ownership period, use total cost = equipment + civil/MEP work + freight/import costs + maintenance/consumables + access and service labour. Fill each category from the quotation or your project budget; record exclusions rather than entering zero. The cover pricing factors explain the cost boundaries. Coordinate obstructions such as ladders with the wider pool accessories package before freezing the plan.
Close TBC items before releasing the order
Keep an issue record alongside the marked drawing. A usable row reads: Item | Drawing/revision | Measured value or TBC | Responsible person | Required decision date | Written resolution.
Example: “Roller-end finished opening | P-101 Rev C | TBC after tiling | Site contractor | Before order approval | Awaiting measured section.” This is a sample record, not a completed project check. Request budget pricing with open items identified; release fabrication only after the responsible parties confirm the final inputs and approved drawing revision. Freeze the quote, drawing and agreed inclusions together.
No CAD file? Send a marked sketch and these photos
A readable PDF or hand sketch can support the first review. Add one photo along each long side, a close view of the edge from above and from the side, a wide view of the roller end, and a view of the electrical or plant area.
Photos reveal details that a plan can miss. They do not provide safe fabrication dimensions, so the project team must still verify the final measurements.
When the pack reaches us, we run the drawing and BOM review, return the open questions and coordinate an indicative configuration and budget with the China-side supplier. Site measurement, civil work, electrical design, installation and final approval stay with the contractor and project engineer.
| Item | Why we need it | Example format |
|---|---|---|
| Plan, edge section and revisions | Identify finished geometry, levels and cover family | Dimensioned PDF or marked sketch, with units |
| Site photos and open-item record | Locate obstacles, access and unresolved inputs | Labelled photos plus issue/owner/date rows |
| Electrical data and operating conditions | Coordinate supplier questions with the MEP team | Project schedule; label pending items TBC |
| Destination, supply boundary and dates | Define the quotation and delivery basis | City/port, project stage, quote deadline and site date |
Use the configured WhatsApp button below to send the plan, edge section, site photos and open-item record. Attach files after the chat opens. PoolProject reviews the supply inputs, returns clarification questions and coordinates the quotation basis with the supplier.
Add the wider project BOM if the cover belongs to a new pool package. It lets us keep the cover discussion connected to the rest of the order.
Useful next pages
Method and sources
Updated 20 October 2026. This checklist combines drawing-review inputs with OEM interface examples. The geometry examples use stated assumptions; no generic pit size, tolerance, electrical rating or product certification follows from them.
- General automatic-cover installation overview, 800024 Rel-0024 (2015): track geometry, housing and pool-edge interfaces. Used for arrangement principles; obtain current documents for the selected system.
- Submerged-cover installation manual, version D (May 2024), pages 8–10: shaft alignment, civil interfaces and the motor compartment for that configuration.
- ASTM F1346-23 public scope: safety-cover performance and labelling scope only. Product conformity and local approval require their own documentation.
Sources accessed 20 October 2026. The project contractor and appointed designers approve site measurements, civil work, electrical design, installation and final acceptance.