10 Tips to Make Your Hot Tub Cover Last Longer
A hot tub cover is arguably the most important feature of a hot tub when it comes to energy efficiency. When a hot tub is not in use, a spa lid works to keep debris out and to keep heat in, which improves your hot tub experience and saves you money. From our experience hot tub covers can last between 3 and 10 years depending on a variety of factors. The difference between hot tub covers that last 3 years and hot tub covers that last 10 years tends to be a variety of factors but care and maintenance has a huge impact of the longevity of the cover. In this handy guide we will provide some handy tips to make sure your hot tub cover lasts as long as possible.
Use a Cover Lifter
A cover lifter is a bracket that makes the removal of your hot tub cover much easier than removing it manually. By preventing manual handling and dragging, a lifter extends the life of the hot tub cover. Cover lifters cannot be used in all scenarios due to space limitations and sometimes hot tub shape/sizing but where possible we would always recommend fitting a cover lifter to your hot tub.
Fit a Thermal Blanket
A floating thermal blanket is a cover that is used in addition to your regular thermal hot tub cover. These covers sit on the water surface and have multiple benefits. The main benefit is to take the brunt of chemical vapour and reduce condensation, which in turn protects your hot tub cover above. Another benefit is to save money on heating/energy. By reducing the amount of condensation, you will reduce the need for your hot tub heater to operate which will save you money!
These covers are much cheaper than replacement hot tub covers, with our budget blankets starting at just £29.99 so for just a small fee, you can add longevity to your hot tub cover. We also offer a Raeguard Premium Blanket which is produced in the UK and offers superior insulation and technology.
Protect the Vinyl with UV Spray
One common issue with hot tub covers is vinyl breakdown/cracking. This is most commonly caused by sustained UV damage. Although this issue tends to only occur during Spring/Summer in the UK, it is still a factor to consider. To help protect your cover from UV, you can apply a vinyl protectant spray like 303 Protectant or Hot Spring Cover Shield periodically. These sprays can also be used in Winter to offer a layer of protection against leaves, debris and harsh weather.
Use a Cover Protection Bag or Cap
Another way to protect the outer vinyl of your hot tub cover from UV damage or debris is to use a Hot Tub Cover Protection Debris Bag or Cover Guard Cap. A protection debris bag goes over the whole hot tub unit and therefore offers some protection to the side panelling of your hot tub, whereas a cover guard cap just drops down to cover the depth your hot tub cover (approx 30cm). The benefit of choosing a cover cap over a protection bag is that they are easier to remove so better for the keen hot tubber who just wants to jump in!
Both these products will protect your cover vinyl from UV damage, debris and bad weather. This will help to prolong the life of your hot tub cover.
Balance Your Chemicals
Hot tub chemical balance is not just important for bather safety but also to protect your investment and your hot tub cover. If you overdose your water with sanitiser for long periods, have imbalanced PH or allow your water to stagnate then you could cause damage to your hot tub cover. Here are some easy tips to help you protect your hot tub cover:
- Keep your PH between 7.2 and 7.6
- Use granules rather than tablets (less risk of high sanitiser levels)
- Keep Free Chlorine between 3-5ppm (or Total Bromine between 4-6ppm)
Find Out More in Our Hot Tub Water Care Guide
Lock it Down in Wind
Sounds rather self-explanatory and it is! When winds are high, keep your hot tub cover locked down or even place something heavy on top to secure it. A hot tub cover that goes flying does not usually come out in good condition and to prevent the awkwardness of collecting your hot tub cover from your neighbours garden, we recommend locking it down!
We sell different types of storm straps that work in addition to the straps attached to your cover.
View our range of straps and locks
Clean Regularly
Debris from trees like sap and bird droppings can cause damage to your hot tub cover vinyl. By regularly cleaning, you can ensure that you prevent damage from such debris. The best way to clean a hot tub cover externally is by scrubbing with some warm soapy water followed by a thorough rinse. Then once the cover is dry, apply a vinyl protectant as recommended above.
Avoid Misuse
Hot tub covers can often be mistaken for sun loungers, seats, dog beds and more! But with all of these uses issues can arise. Although we do offer specialist Walk-On Hot Tub Covers, most regular hot tub covers cannot withstand the weight of a human and therefore the foam can break if weight is applied to the cover itself. To avoid misuse we recommend educating friends and family on usage and/or using a hot tub cover lifter to ensure easy removal.
Leave the Cover Off When Dosing Chemicals
When adding chemicals to your hot tub, we advise to leave your cover off for up to 5 minutes. By doing so you allow the initial chemical vapour to burn off into the air rather than it sitting between the water surface and the cover where it can attack the underside of your hot tub cover. A floating thermal blanket will help defend against this chemical vapour but if you do not have a blanket then we just advise to leave your cover off for a few minutes.
Maintain Surrounding Vegetation
If your hot tub is surrounded by trees or bushes then it is important to keep these maintained in order to reduce risk of debris falling on to your hot tub cover. If you are a keen gardener and do not want to trim bushes or trees around your spa then using a hot tub cover cap will offer a secondary barrier which will defend your cover from any leaves, bird droppings or falling branches.
