I have owned a hot tub for a few years and it has been my experience that I am having to replace the hot tub cover because it gets full of water and extremely heavy. Any suggestions on how to prevent this from happening or on how to prolong the effect? It seems like we need to replace the cover every 2 to 3 years. Thanks!
I used to have that problem. Then I bought a cover online from a place called Roberts Hot Tubs. I ordered the "thicker" cover for better insulation, but also ordered the optional "double wrapping" of the foam blocks, which helps keep them dry longer. That cover is now 5 years old and is still okay. The top surface is finally starting to rot from exposure, so I used contact cement to glue a piece of matching green plastic tarp over it. I expect I have a few more years to go before replacement. It was a little cheaper than what my spa dealer wanted for an exact replacement of the original cover that completely fell apart, got water-logged and failed after 3 years. Roberts doesn't make the covers themselves, so I expect you may find the same thing from other sources, too.
I have no connection to Roberts, except as a satisfied customer, but since I bought that cover, someone from Roberts has posted here a few times. I chalk that up to eerie coincidence. It's a small world.
I built my own cover our of 3" urethane foam and fiberglass. That, and a 1/2" ethafoam layer between it and the tub, which isolates it from the humid heat of the water seems to last well. It's over 15 years old now. The ethafoam layer could help with the commercial covers also. I got that at a "foam shop". The heavier blue stuf lasts a lot longer than the cheaper white stuff with the chlorine exposure.
When you lay the first glass cloth, make it the bottom. Support the edges on bricks or 2x4 chunks, and the center will droop. The result, when it is turned over, is a slightly dome shaped cover so the water runs off when it rains.
I bought a replacement cover online that was made to my specs from a place in TX about 6 years ago. It's still doing OK, but it is starting to get heavier. The original one lasted twice that long, but it was indoor for 10 years, which I think makes a big difference. Outside with cold temps, you get more condensation that eventually water logs them.
ours also lasted almost 3 years before it weighed about a ton. The Hot Springs guy said it's normal. I don't know how the hell it gets in though.....
We had a spa that was used year round for about 8 years without a problem with the cover. Maybe it depends on both the core material and the exterior covering. It never absorbed water.
Wayne
On Fri 21 Nov 2008 11:24:52p, Steve Barker DLT told us...
Stitched vinyl cover over something porous will do that. (At least on the few covers I have seen.) Boat cushions and old kapok life vests we had in my youth did the same thing. My BIL, on his retro wooden wood-fired hot tub, just buys a sheet of blue foamboard every year for
20 bucks, and weighs it down with brick chunks. Not pretty, but effective. I think I told him he should go with foil-skinned style next year, to cut down on the UV breakdown, and that an RV store probably has some sort of plastic edging that could dress up the cut edges of the circle to keep the crumbs from flaking off. High-quality aluminum furnace tape, applied when the foam was brand new, would probably work as well. A couple long bungee cords would keep it from blowing away unless wind was strong enough to actually break it up. Or even a couple smooth 2x2s that fit into decorative wood handles around the edges, which would also make it easier to get in and out of his climb-in tub.
I oughta make up a spec sheet and a sketch, and send it to him, while I am thinking about it....
Of course, if cost was no object, a non-folding slab cover dipped in vinyl (like a pool float or gym workout pad) would probably be rather waterproof, unless the skin got nicked. It'd take two grownups to get it on and off, though.
I suspect that most of the water comes from the spa. A vapor proof layer between the spa and the cover might make a huge difference, if anyone wants to try an experiment.
There is a vapor proof layer already, Bob. The foam blocks in covers are wrapped with a layer of poly. That poly breaks down over time and then the foam starts to retain water. Some manufacturers use better poly and heat seal it, while others just use a sheet of poly to wrap it like a christmas present and hold it together with masking tape. Beyond that, I discovered that some manufactures have an option for double wrapping the foam with two layers of poly. It's not an expensive option and it results in a cover that lasts a LOT longer.
The poly breakdown happens faster if the cover is exposed to intense sunlight all day long (as was the case with our hot tub, located on the south side of the house). The new covers have not only the double wrapping, but also a sloped shape to the poly to get the water to run off faster, which also should help the cover last longer.
I saw a tip for keeping water from collecting in a boat cover. Seems like a simple solution - keep and inflated beachball in the boat to support the cover. Got a beachball in yer tub?
Hot tub covers are stiff and at least 3" thick. There's nothing to "hold up". Many of them are now made strong enough for people to stand on them. A beach ball isn't going to do anything.
Not that kind of cover. Hot tubs usually have a slab-style cover made of vinyl-covered foam, to keep the hot water hot longer, so you don't burn up quite all the gas or electric heating from scratch every time you use it.
If you have never had one, there?s no reason you would know. The covers are constructed that way to provide insulation and hold the heat in, as much as for simply covering the tub to prevent evaporation and debris.
no biggie. Unfortunately, the life span is usually between 3-5 years depending on it's initial quality, exposure to the elements etc.
They can be quite expensive as well. We just replaced ours and it was $400 (7'x7'). The covers are thick so that they insulate the water and prevent it from getting cold. Most hot tubs are used more extensively in the winter so keeping a hot tub at 102-105F can be quite expensive if you don't have a cover that keeps the heat in.
The problem arises when the condensation creeps into the insulating foam. The foam, over time, then absorbs the water and when that happens, it become one massive, heavy (think 100+lbs) PITA to try and wrestle around. That's usually the primary reason that people replace their covers. Not so much that it's *broken* as it is the foam is no longer protected from the evaporating water.
I've heard of people actually unzipping the outside protective cover and taking out the foam inserts and covering them with waterproof sealants but I have no idea on their success doing so.
If the cover comes off the foam, removing it during the summer, remove the deteriorateing waterproof layer and letting it dry out in the sun, then adding a new waterproof layer might lengthen its life.
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