Laser Measuring for Vinyl Liners

As a pioneer of Laser Measuring of Pools for Vinyl Liners, I thought I would share some guidelines on the type of measuring equipment available and where it is used. Firstly, assess what type of pool you want to measure to determine which device is required. Most pools are measured using a fibreglass tape measure which is okay for basic pools, but other devices are better when you have a lot of measurements or need to measure with more accuracy.

If you just want to use a laser device to measure A-B points and write them down, you can probably get a laser measuring device with +/- 2mm accuracy for around $200 from a trade tool outlet. This is a basic handheld device which will display the distance between two points but, in my view, is not all that useful when working with a lot of measurements. It doesn’t really save you any time because you still have to manually record each measurement, either on paper or on a computer.If you want to measure 2D style lined pools, capture the measurements on a device then download them to a PC or to liner order software. You can start with either a Leica brand “Disto” device which stores 1000 measurements to +/- 1mm accuracy, or a Hilti brand device. These handheld devices store the measurements on board so you can capture one or more pools of data and download them later onto your PC. These are a definite time-saver when working with a lot of measurements, but there are some limitations.

Let me explain.... One of the limitations of a handheld device is, exactly that, you hold it in your hand. This means your hand can move around and the laser point can easily stray off the desired target point in the pool. Ideally, you need a steady hand, or you may prefer to use a professional measuring instrument like a Total Workstation, as used by surveyors. These devices can be hired, but I recommend that you have sufficient training and experience before measuring a complex shaped pool for a vinyl liner.

For complex "3D" style pools, I suggest you engage an experienced surveyor to do the pool measuring for you. There are plenty of surveying companies around, but the key to a well-fitting liner is to ensure that the measured data points are located in the right place. This is something which requires the input from someone experienced in measuring pools for liners and cannot be left to the surveyor to decide by themselves. I recommend that you accompany the surveyor to site for at least the first ten pool measures to make sure they understand where you want the measurements taken. I suggest you mark the pool for the surveyor the first few times to help them understand where the seams on the pool liner will be located and therefore where the data points need to be. The pool liner seams are linked to the location of the data points so it is important the points are measured in the right spot, for smooth flowing lines through the pool. You can download a 3D laser markout sheet from ABGAL's web site which has more detailed information on what is required to measure these types of pools. ABGAL can also put you in contact with an experienced surveyor you can contract to measure complex 3D pools.

For information on handheld measuring devices please click here

Vinyl Liner Tile look

The largest pool liner market for Inground Swimming Pools is North America. The majority of the liners are manufactured with a "tile border" print wall giving a pool the look of a ceramic tile at the water line. The same style is quite common in Europe as well but not here in Australia. When I ponder this difference and having been involved in the Inground liner industry for over 30 years, I believe it has a lot to do with tradition and what patterns have been available in the market place.

In the past the Australia pool industry has had limited access to tile border PVC liners and therefore they are not common. The tile border patterns that were available in Australia looked "fake" and were quite boring as well, so not many pool owners chose them. In fact, for a while there were none available here due to a total lack of interest by pool owners.

Improvements in graphics with the use of computer technology has meant more design options and therefore much more realistic looking patterns. You now have a fabulous 3D effect in the design and so the opportunity for growth in this product is here in Australia with the availability of the pattern Reflections Tile from ABGAL. If you are looking for a traditional tile look in your pool with the low maintenance benefits of a vinyl liner, then try the Reflections Tile pattern from ABGAL. Whether for a new pool, or updating an old pool, this is great new look available now.