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Measuring exactly how much fence will be
required is always the first consideration, of course.
Pick a start point such as the steps of the pool, using
the rolling measure stay a minimum (if possible) of two
feet from the water line of the pool and simply walk the
roller around the pool and back to the starting point.
We try to encourage customers to maintain at least the
two foot distance to allow for easy walking, playing,
cleaning, etc.on the inside of the fence so that pool
use and care are easily accomplished by just opening the
gate section at the steps. If the two foot clearance can
not be maintained
then you will have to compromise and bring the fence in
closer. Do not set up a layout in which you will be
drilling closer than 2 inches from the outer edge of a
concrete pool deck.
Fence can be ordered in a variety of section
lengths in multiples of either 36 inch pole spacing or
30 inches depending on the model chosen. It is
recommended that you remain consistent with full 15 foot
sections (All models). Order fencing by dividing the
total footage required and round up to the nearest whole
section. guarantee
Example: The job is 129 ft. total. Your order
would be for 9 sections of fence which totals 135 feet.
Cut sections of fence that are left over from this job
can be applied to a future job or cover any errors you
may have made in doing your estimate. Keep this in mind
when ordering for your next job, over several jobs you
will accumulate cut sections and may not have to order
additional footage. Do not mix and match the two
different pole spacings in one job. This makes it
difficult for the home owner to take up and down their
fence and confuse you on the installation
layout.
TOOL
LIST: LAYOUT/INSTALLATION
-
48"
STEEL RULER (for measuring between holes)
-
BULLSEYE TEMPLATE
(3.5"X4.0" piece of Lexan with a one and a 1/8" hole
in the center of it).
-
MARKING
PENCIL (Magic Marker, grease pencil etc.)
-
STRAIGHT
EDGE (8 ft.- 2"x4" / used to maintain a straight line
while sliding your bullseye along between measuring
holes)
-
FULL
SECTION TEMPLATE (a template which allows you to mark
a full section of fence. This is a must for
Distributors, but optional for a single
installation)
-
CORE
DRILL* (water cooled, and it must be able to accept a
one and 1/8" diamond core drill bit) *Available at
most rental centers
-
DRILL BIT (one and 1/8"
diamond core drill bit)
-
GARDEN
HOSE (used for drilling and rinsing off the deck
)
-
EXTENSION CORD (to operate the drill
)
-
NEEDLE
NOSE PLIERS (to remove the cores from the holes after
they are drilled)
-
SLEEVE
SETTER (a 1" diameter pipe or wood dowel used to set
the sleeves in their holes)
-
HAMMER
(for setting the sleeves)
-
SCISSORS
(for cutting the mesh on the fence)
-
STAPLER
(used in reattaching the border material after a fence
cut has been made)
-
CORDLESS
SCREW GUN (installing screws in the poles)
-
Number
10 Sheet-Metal Tap
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The
first consideration for layout is the location of the
gate. Gate sections are
setup so that they are easily opened and closed by the
average adult. The only difference between a gate
section and where two standard sections meet is the way in which it is
installed. In the majority of your installations,
consider an opening at the steps as the only true gate section specified for the installation. Special
circumstances such as additional openings at the ladders
or skimmers will be covered separately.
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All layouts will begin at
the gate section. Locate the center point of the steps
and measure 24 inches straight out from the water line.
This will be where the gate section opens. Place the
bullseye template under the steel ruler with the inside
side of the hole at 24 inches. Draw the hole using the
template and mark the centerline in the front inside of
the hole facing you (the outside of the fence). A
standard section is installed 2 ½ inches on center
between sections; the gate section is measured
differently
to allow for easier use by the homeowner.
Measure over 2 ¼ inches to where the next gate section
will start and mark for the centerline only. Put the
bullseye template centerline on the mark you just made,
verfiy that the inside of the hole is also 24 inches
(Fig 2, C) from the pool, draw the hole.
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On all
section panels except the gate, pole spacing will be
measured and marked at 30 inches on front center
exactly. For the two opposing section panels that form
the gate opening, deduct between 1/8 to ¼ inch from the
normal 30 inch spacing, i.e. when measuring from either
gate hole to where the next pole will be located,
measure out between 29 ¾ to 29 7/8 inches (Fig 2, A) for
the centerline of the next pole. Start the measurement
at the front (the side facing you with the holes between
you and the pool) centerline of the first hole of either
section. Don’t forget to also check the distance from
the pool, 24 inches (Fig 2, C) for our example. Rotate
the bullseye to maintain the centerline orientation to
the pool maintaining the desired pool spacing dimension
at the front of the hole. A second ridged ruler can come
in handy trying to juggle between placing the bullseye
template properly, measuring for the pole spacing and
still maintaining the desired distance from the pool.
Once the bullseye is set properly, draw the hole and
mark the centerline.
Repeat the
same procedure outlined in paragraph 1b for the other
gate section panel (Fig 2, A) going in the opposite
direction.
The 1/8 to
¼ inch extra allowance on these two opposing section
panels provides for much easier opening by the homeowner
at the primary gate section. Use this technique only
where the two primary gate section panels meet.
Now select
a direction to continue the layout from. You have two
holes each already marked for two separate sections,
select the last hole marked from one or the other
section and proceed in that direction with the
layout.
2. For
standard elongated and rectangular style pools you can
greatly speed up the layout process by using the full
section (7 pole) template on straight runs. But first,
you need to complete the curved end of the example
pool.
All layout
spacing will be standard from this point on, 30 inches
on front centerline between section panel poles and 2 ½
inches front centerline between joining sections. For
the next four holes the bullseye is still required to
measure the correct distance between holes. This is
because of our example pool’s curvature and the need to
maintain centerline orientation to the pool.
Place the corner of the
ruler on the front centerline of the last hole drawn.
Slide the bullseye template under the ruler with the
front centerline of the template at 30 inches on the
ruler. Measure 24 inches off the pool and position the
template with correct pool orientation making sure that
30 inches is maintained at the front centerline of the template (Fig. 2, B). Mark the hole and the
next four in the same way.
You now
have marked out holes for a complete 15 foot section of
Model C fence. The next step is to mark the first hole
for the next section. The bullseye template measures
exactly 2 ½ inches from its edge to its front centerline
mark. Lay the edge of the bullseye template along the
centerline of the last hole drawn. Double check the
measurement from the pool (24 inches for our example) to
the inside of the template hole. Mark the hole for the
beginning to the next section.
Lay the
first hole of the 7 pole template over the hole you just
drew on the deck and unfold the template in the
direction you’re going with the layout. Measure from the
pool to the inside edge of the template for a reference.
Measure again at the hinge (mid-point) of the template
and one more time at the end of template; adjusting as
necessary to maintain a straight line. Mark all your
holes from the template, including the double at the end
of the template for the next section.
Slide the
template down to the start of the next section and
repeat step D above. Continue this way until you reach a
point where turns for the other end of the pool are
coming up. Measure into the turns and mark your holes
just as we did starting with step A above.
Once
you’ve marked approximately half way around the pool;
and have marked the first hole of a new section,
stop.
Go back to
the second hole marked for the gate section at the pool
steps going in the opposite direction and repeat
procedures from steps A to E.
The final
hole you mark on the deck will more than likely not
measure 30 inches from the last hole you marked in step
F. We’ll address this later.
Mark the
extra holes (lay back holes) that the gate section poles
will fit into when the fence is opened.
DRILLING
Do not attempt to install
a fence in a concrete deck using a hammer drill or hand
drill. To maintain a straight fence, properly angled
poles, and complete a professional installation, you
will need a full size diamond core drill setup with leveling adjustments and a bubble level.
Setup the
drill on the deck. Attach water hoses, layout enough
electrical cord to go around the pool (not through or
across it).
Taping the
drill bit at 4 inches with electrical tape provides a
good method of measurement for drilling depth.
 After completing the
layout of the fence on the deck, it’s now time to figure
out how to drill the holes. The most important step in
the drilling process is the leveling of the drill. Your
first thought would be to make sure that the drill is
perfectly level before drilling each hole. If this were a regular (wooden, chain link) fence you would be
correct. However, this is a tension-based system that
will require you to lean the drill on various holes. The
amount of lean that is placed on the drill is not as important as the direction of the lean. By following
some simple rules your fence installation should go
smoothly.
1. Start by standing on a marked hole somewhere
along a straight section of your fence.
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We will name this the number one
hole.The double holes where two sections come
together should be treated as a single hole when
figuring out how to lean the drill. Every following
hole will also be assigned a number (2,3,4…). While
standing on number one draw an imaginary straight line
between one and number three. Whichever side of that
line number two falls on, that is the direction that
the top of the drill will lean when drilling number
two. The farther the distance from the line, the more
you will need to lean the drill. The difference
between a large lean and a small one is only a few
degrees. While drilling number two draw an imaginary
line between number two and four. Whichever side of
the line three falls on that is the direction that the
top of the drill will lean. Remember that the greater
the distance from the line, the greater the lean. This
rule will work in determining how to lean each hole in
your layout. The design of the pool will not
matter.
2. Please take the time to walk around the pool
and survey how each hole should be drilled. When the
direction of the lean has been determined on a
particular hole place a small arrow inside the marked
circle showing the direction. This will save a lot of
guessing when it comes time to drill the fence.
Adjust the
water flow to meet the application and drill to the tape
line.
Proceed to
the next hole and repeat until all the holes are
drilled.
Using the long nose needle pliers, go around
and pull all of the cores out of the holes.
Using the sleeve setter and hammer, set the
sleeve the rest of the way into the deck until the rim
is flush with the deck.
3. Once
all of the sleeves are installed, it will be time to
measure for the odd section of fence at the back of the
pool.
Note
whether you will be cutting from the right or left side
of a full section.
Measure
the outside centerline of the odd panel. Add ¼ inch to
this measurement and write it down.
Count the
number of poles that will be in this section and again
note if the odd panel will be a right hand or a left
hand cut (facing the fence).
Count
poles from the opposite side of where the cut panel is.
Example: for a 5 pole left hand cut section, count over
4 poles from the beginning of the section starting at the right. From this pole measure from the centerline on
the cove molding to the point that the panel will be
cut. Measure at both the top and the bottom. Using a straight edge, mark the cut line with a white china
marker.
Double
check that you are cutting the proper panel (left or
right) at the correct pole and make the cut.
Staple the
end cut border material to the open cut you just
made.
Now attach
the end cove molding over the border to the pole.
4. Now
install all standard sections and the special cut
section of fence.
Turn poles
to adjust bottom tension and bring the cove molding
inline as you go.
Install
the latching hardware onto the fence at each joining
section; placing the eye on the left and the latch on the right. The holes for the hook and eye are
pre-drilled to a smaller size on the end poles to allow
for a snug fitting connection. It is suggested that you use a number 10 sheet-metal tap to initially thread the
pre-drilled holes. Be careful not to exert too much force when screwing in the brass hook and
eye.
Connect
the latches and eyes as you go; turning poles so that
the mesh becomes tight at the bottom and the cove molding is facing out.
When
latching to an independent structure, install the hook
portion of the latch on the fence. Install the eye into a substantial surface of the adjacent structure or use
with an appropriate anchor.
5. Instruct your customer on how to open the main
gate.
Squeeze
the poles together using one hand and open the latch
with the other .
Put one
arm over the fence facing the gate opening and place
your thumb and forefinger on the top of the pole. Push towards the gate opening in line with the fence and the
pole will turn in your hand once it is centered in the sleeve. Push again on the top of the pole and lift out
as the pole centers in the sleeve. This can obviously be done in one step, but make sure that your customer
understands the process.
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