Do you think you need a new spa cover?

Rick the Spa guy

If you need a crane to open your spa cover, I think you're ready for a new one. Here are a few tips that you should know. Spa covers have a life of about 3 to5 years.

One of the first things you should look for is the taper of the cover. This is where the cover looks like the roof of a house to allow rain to run off the cover and not pool in the middle. Most replacement covers out there offer a 3" to 2" taper. This is good because it will do what it's designed to do. A 4" to 3" taper is better but usually offered at an additional cost.


The next thing should be the density of the foam core inside the vinyl. I recommend a 2 lb Density foam core. Also you want steam stoppers, these will prevent the steam from escaping and lowering the water level prematurely. Most times you will have a good selection of colors to choose from, if you want to match your house color or patio set. In most cases if you purchase one on-line, you will have to supply the spa dimensions to the company. This should be done with the cover off the spa.(Always measure the spa itself NEVER the old cover. The old cover has probably taken on water and swelled up, if you use those measurements the new cover will not fit correctly.


If your spa has Radius corners you will need to supply that dimension as well. This is easy to figure out. Get 2 rulers lay each ruler against the outside edge of the acrylic where the radius just starts to make it's turn, extend both rulers outward until they intersect each other. Now measure out from where the radius first starts to bend, to where the rulers intersect. This measurement is the radius. Be sure to measure all corners to be sure they are the same.


Rule of thumb: When unsure, a slightly smaller radius is better than a bigger one.


The last thing I want to mention is that after you have purchased your new spa cover you should be cleaning the vinyl about every 6 months and using a spa cover cleaner and protection, this will recoat the UV protection and help shield the vinyl from the suns rays. A cover lifter will also improve the life of your new cover and make it a lot easier for you to open and close.


Oh yeah, and if you want the straps to line up on the new cover to the old locks you will need to give them those dimensions as well, It sounds worse than it is...Its easy... Hope this helps .......


Until next time.......

Why Is My Spa Cover Heavy?

Rick the Spa Guy

I get a lot of people asking me why their spa cover is getting so heavy, there are many reasons that can contribute to this dilemma. First I will discuss the obvious.

If you had an object of more than 10 pounds land on your spa cover it has most likely damaged the inside Styrofoam core and now the foam core is exposed to the water on the underside of the cover, and as you may or may not know Styrofoam has great absorbency potential. Even though the vinyl may look perfect, if the wrap that covers the Styrofoam on the inside gets torn it will take on water.

Now lets say you are in a windy area and just for a precaution you tell yourself to put a couple of bricks or planters or even rocks on the corners of the cover to hold it down, you may have just damaged the cover. The covers are designed with straps and locks that need to be screwed into the spa cabinet and then every time you are finished using the spa you insert the male part of the lock into the female part of the lock and this will hold the cover closed. (If installed properly)

Hurricane Straps

There are other options out there as well, you can purchase hurricane straps for your spa, these are long straps that can be attached on one side of the spa then lay the strap over the entire top of the cover and it should reach down to the opposite side where you install the other locks, now you have the straps going from the bottom on one side up and over the top and down the opposite side for extra wind protection.

One thing also to remember is that the life expectancy of a basic spa cover is 3 to 5 years as a rule, so unless you spend the extra money on a reinforced cover do not expect miracles. Sometimes there are no explanations as to why your cover is heavy except to say it is old and in need of replacement.

Many Cover Lifters are available

Another reason could be that when you take the cover on and off the spa, if you are alone you may tend to drop one end down on the ground or onto the spa because they can be big and bulky, but this too WILL damage the inner core. There are cover lifter's out there to assist you in the cover removal process they range in price from $199.00 to $299.00 depending on how easy you want the cover to operate.

So remember, it is not always the cover being defective or the spa guy sold you a junk cover, sometimes as much as you may deny it, it is the users fault. Sorry!!

Until Next Time...