Aquamatic Cover Systems SETTING THE BAR

When it comes to automatic pool covers, Aquamatic Cover Systems has been a leader for over four decades and is dedicated to serving customers all over the world. Founded in 1978, the company has spent the last 43 years perfecting their craft and creating some of the most innovative and reliable pool covers on the market. With a focus on durability and simplicity, Aquamatic’s patented dual-motor hydraulic design is unmatched when it comes to reliability.

Aquamatic’s commitment to innovation has allowed designers and builders worldwide to custom install covers on nearly any type of swimming pool application. They have developed some of the most durable automatic pool covers on the market while keeping true to their mission of making products that are elegantly simple with the least amount of moving parts.

A thought leader and innovator, Aquamatic holds more patents relative to automatic and manual swimming pool safety covers than all other cover companies combined, proving their dedication to quality and innovation.

To get a better understanding of their product line and why the firm remains a preferred brand with consumers, we spoke with Tom Dankel, VP of Aquamatic Cover Systems. We started off with one simple question, we wanted to know what differentiates Aquamatic from other pool covers on the market.

“That’s a great question. If you look at a photograph of two pool covers side-by-side, the photographs for all intents purposes look the same, almost like certain automobiles. Styles are also the same. But what makes our system different is the heart and soul,” said Dankel.

“While we started with electric covers in the late seventies, in the eighties, we began to experiment with hydraulic drives. We wanted to remove electric motors away from the poolside. By the late 80s, we did our first prototype units, and by 1994, we were exclusively hydraulic,” said Dankel.

“What makes our system different is the drive unit.” explained Dankel, “it’s an all-fluid hydraulic drive with no mechanical linkage. There are no service requirements on the mechanism and no lubrication points. It’s a closed-loop dual motor system and there’s no mechanical linkage of any kind, meaning no clutch. Every other domestically produced automatic cover has some kind of a clutch system.”

Aquamatic is widely considered by industry experts to be on the bleeding cutting edge of technology for automatic pool covers, it’s also backed by a superior warranty. “We didn’t invent hydraulics, but we invented the hydraulic pool cover. What we did is we looked at how we could build this as robust and as simple as possible at the same time. The brushes in a car wash are driven by hydraulic orbital torque motors. Well, we use that same motor on our automatic pool cover system,” said Dankel.

“The wear a typical car wash might see in one day could very well be the entire service life of one of our covers. That’s why we could back this up with a 20-year warranty, because the components we use are over-engineered for use in our application, and they just don’t wear out. If for some reason the motor were to fail, we’ll happily give you a new one, no questions asked,” said Dankel.

While Aquamatic Cover Systems has several lines, Hydramatic is the flagship product they hang their hat on. “That is our fully automatic system that is also an ASTM-approved safety cover, then we have the accessories to the Hydramatic,” said Dankel.

Versatility and ease of use are the hallmarks of the EZ Cover, another top seller for Aquamatic. “That’s our entry-level cover and it’s a single-user manual cover that looks and installs just like an automatic system but without the automatic component,” explained Dankel, “it’s the only manual cover that can be operated by one person in one comfortable standing position without ropes to pull or cranks.”

The Hydralux provides a high level of customization to allow for more custom applications. The unique design eliminates the need for a traditional automatic pool cover’s rope/track/leading edge bar interface and can automate pools that previously couldn’t accommodate an automatic pool cover

“Every automatic safety cover has tracks. Even though the pool may be freeform, the cover is always rectangular in shape. The Hydralux utilizes extruded PVC or polycarbonate slats that we can cut to any converging shape,” said Dankel.

Aquamatic is also known throughout the industry for their highly sustainable solar cover solutions. “One actually was right here in our backyard, and it was a local community college where the pool has two sections to it,” said Dankel.

“The main body of the pool is 60’x95′ on the east side and 45’x65′ on the west side. They were using traditional insulating blankets with multiple rollers and multiple people to deploy. They have quite a wind problem there,” explained Dankel, “the wind would just take these covers and bundle them up. It was quite labor intensive.”

“Now we have this cover that doesn’t get affected in that regard. Also with these commercial pools, you can’t have an obstruction around the pool. For that, we adopted solar to power our hydraulic drive unit because these superstructures actually move. This particular pool moves 10ft away to allow the operator to put in starting blocks in for competitions. It was a very cool project,” said Dankel.

It’s clear why Aquamatic Cover Systems has remained a top choice among pool owners for over four decades. Exceptional quality, versatile customization options, commitment to customer service, and innovative technologies are the hallmarks the firm is known for. Aquamatic Cover Systems’ has well earned its reputation for quality and reliability, making them the gold standard in the pool covering industry.

Want to learn more about Aquamatic Cover Systems and their line of products? Listen to our entire conversation with Tom Dankel on the Pool Magazine podcast.