Squeezing The Last Year Out Of My Spa Cover

[B0Darc]

My foam cover is approaching 3 years old. It was very nice quality but I understand 3 years is about it lifecycle-wise. A few months back the black plastic wrap on the foam cores started to deteriorate. The things has zippers so I imagine it can be dismantled and re-wrapped to get another year or so before replacing (some stitching also showing signs of age.)

Is it a certain kind of plastic (or mil thickness?) to stand up to the chlorine/chems? Can I just walk into the local hardware and buy heavy duty drop-cloth kinda plastic? The foam has started to take on moisture. I was imagining letting it get some warm sunshine for a day, re-wrapping, and saving myself $300 (84" X 84" spa) Typically I like to save the $300 to give it to the electric company over the next couple months (sarcasm) please save me from myself ...I mean is my dreamlike scenario acceptable (drying foam cores? using over-the-counter plastic?) Also I know about different types of plastic like HDPE etc. Is there a certain chem resistant stuff I need?

Lastly as advice. I just slide my cover off and on. I use it as a privacy block. The plastic failed only on the half that constantly gets slid over that back edge (makes contact/friction). Good reason to get a lift of some kind... extend the life of your cover. The stitching also is suffering (only slightly) where I grab it to slide it back on ...thinking a lift would eliminate that problem too.

[Dr. Spa]

3-6 mil polyethylene...the tape is special (Cheap packing tape will begin failing within 2 months. Electrical tape works much better). You might be able to dry it out, IN THE SHADE OUT OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT, in about 3 months (takes a while).

[salp]

what about tuck tape?...

[Sailing_Faith]

I wish you well. I have been nursing the same years old cover for the last couple years.... I lift each side daily to drain the water... I have not come up with any repair I can picture working....

Good luck.

[B0Darc]

Thanks. Yeah the foam is in great condition, but I have seen older going-south covers. If mine was NOT STILL rigid I would replace. Watching TV I see them using a special tape on moisture barriers (walls of houses) I'll see what they have at he Hombre Depot tape-wise. I'm pretty sure that's the secret ingredient in this fix. I previously had the cover take on a little water from water penetrating the stitching (hose pressure), Obviously the plastic can fight moisture directly, but once it gets between/under the Vinyl it can bypass the seam where it was overlapped topside. Since I'm in Texas maybe I won't have to wait 3 months for warm/dry shade ;-)

[Dr. Spa]

Water gets through the stitching from day one. Sewing the cover creates thousands of holes in the vinyl that water penetrates. Yes, sealing the foam IS the key. Keep in mind, unlike a building's moisture barrier, you're dealing with heat and steam (though, being in Texas... ).

There's a special tape made for Tyvek. The stuff is stickier than anything I've come across, though, I haven't experiment with it on a cover...might just have to give it a try as I'm awaiting a new cover for myself, and have some of the tape left over from an addition I recently did.

[Shaamus]

If you're going to use tape, try to find an acrylic-based adhesive tape. It is much more resistant to the environment in this application resides (water and heat).

[B0Darc]

Thanks guys. I think I just saved myself $300 for $8.95. I went to the Hombre Depot and bought a roll of 4 mil vapor barrier black plastic in a roll 10' X 25'. I cut it in half for two pieces 10' X 12.5' The cover is 84" X 84" and is made in the familiar two piece hinged way (two foam cores).

TECHNOTE: I have been using various car vinyl protectants on the cover over the last two years. They all worked well to make it shiny and clean but the plastic was feeling extremely stiff. I knew I was going to have to manipulate the vinyl and it needed to be more flexible so as not to get damaged, so I thought back to a recommendation I got from this forum for a product called 303 Aerospace Protectant. It's just a familiar vinyl spray like all the rest, but everybody raves how wonderful it is, and that turned out to be TRUE. It's easy enough to Google yourself, so I am conspicuously leaving out a link. Also it's available everywhere. I went to the store, bought, came home and applied the day before. This stuff fully restored a high degree of flexibility to the cover ...and in the cold. If all the other claims are true, why use anything else? The only con is that it is very slippery, be careful where you spray! ...and I only used it on my vinyl cover and NOT on any of the other surfaces of my spa.

I unzipped the vinyl cover halves and the foam cores came out easily. The original vapor barrier black plastic had been seamed thermally for a complete seal, but that didn't help the plastic from deteriorating where it was exposed to the water/steam/chems ...the daily friction sliding it on/off didn't help. I removed the plastic and found Styrofoam slabs with a metal reinforcing beam embedded on the thick edge. They were not waterlogged and it was somewhat impossible as they are Styrofoam. I let them air out in the shade for about 18 hours after washing them with some sanitizer and a big soft tire brush.

The next day I cleared a large work area and spread out one piece of my new black plastic (tabletop) The plastic was large enough to get 3+ wraps on the core. I started by overlapping the side of the core that faces up/sky about 4 inches and wrapped the first layer on the side that faces down/water. That means I wrapped the wet side, then the top side then continued around the bottom/wet side (3 wraps) so that the wet side had two layers and the seams were all on the top. The ends extended 2+ feet and I was able to fold them also up onto the top. I used Gorilla Tape which is like a thick black duct tape (had it on-hand), but the Tyvek Vapor Barrier tape would probably be closer to perfect. Gorilla tape seems fine but we'll see how well it holds up after Summer in Texas. ;-)

Before my repair, the moisture was building up and freezing inside the cover, and it seemed like I was trying to insulate my hottub with two blocks of ice. Now I know there was a thick layer of Styrofoam actually in there, I feel better. I was also worried about the foam tea that was brewing as chlorinated water was bathing the unprotected cores... and dripping back down in the tub. First thing post-repair, the wife gets in the next morning and goes to slide the cover off and it goes flying. "Is it lighter!?" Yes it is! It's working great, looks great.

Don't think I have to worry too much as the way the seams face up and are close to the middle and Gorilla taped like a Gangsta Christmas present ...should be good. Plus it fits so perfectly (wrapped core) inside the vinyl that there's little to no room for the moisture to make it's way up top and cause it all to fail. The cover is in good condition and the threads are now all soaked full of 303 Protectant for reasonable exterior water/moistureproofing. It's amazing how perfect a condition it was still in (no signs of mold etc.), regardless of spa water exposure inside and the elements (heat and cold) after the failure of the moisture barrier. Other than the black plastic, the level of overall quality will surely translate into another two years ...hmm maybe I can re-wrap it one more time ;-) I'm cheap! Thanks again guys

Bo

[B0Darc]

OMG It's time to do this again!! I had to come back here to get my own tips, like plastic thickness etc. Now my cover is now SEVEN years old. The black plastic liner looks like it did originally when first replaced, and the vinyl cover is now unfix-ably stiff but in reasonable condition/appearance ...I'm going to attempt this re-redo anyway. The Gorilla tape worked not problem, but it was likely the manner in which I wrapped the plastic itself that allowed the tape to be successful for FOUR YEARS. Wow 2010 sooo long ago. ThX! Bo

[Dnepr Dave]

My cover is ten years old and is still looking and performing good. My spa is under a porch, so it is out of the sun and weather, I also clean and spray it down with 303 aerospace protectant annually.

Dave

[Dr. Spa]

Just for a bit of info. I read you post of a few years ago;

" They were not waterlogged and it was somewhat impossible as they are Styrofoam."

Styrofoam is actually a brand name for expanded polystyrene (EPS) ...which it what it is. EPS is made by taking very small "beads" of foam and compressing them together. While the "beads" themselves wont absorb water, water CAN AND WILL penetrate between the beads, water logging the cover. THIS is the reason for the vapor barrier.

[Nautigirl]

Hi Bodarc,

I ordered a top from Beyond Nice.  I need to add vapor barrier to my new cover before install.  Is there any wrapping tips you can mention?  I will look for the product Tyvek Tape to seal. 

Was it difficult to take out the foam and and put it back in?  

 

Thanks,

crash

 

[Cusser]

On 10/10/2014 at 1:50 PM, Dnepr Dave said:

My cover is ten years old and is still looking and performing good. My spa is under a porch, so it is out of the sun and weather, I also clean and spray it down with 303 aerospace protectant annually.

Dave

My cover is ten years old and is still usable. My spa is under a porch, so it is out of the Arizona sun and weather somewhat.  I think I've gotten 3 replacement covers in the 30.5 years I've had my CalSpa.  My current cover has been the best, got it for like $125 at a local pool store by accident (store apparently bought some surplus covers in assorted sizes and colors for quick sale, and I found a perfect one).

[north_of_boston]

I'll be criticized for this - shields are up.

I bought my Arctic Spa hot tub in 2010.   Around 18 months ago,  the cover - the fold between two halves,  ripped.   And the vinyl cover was showing its age.

So I bought a new vinyl cover.    The other morning mrs north_of_boston and I unzipped both halves of the old cover.   We pulled out the foam inserts.

BONE DRY.  Sealed.   Not a drop of water inside them - they're sealed in plastic.

We wiped them down.   We inserted the foam into the new cover.   I think I paid $350 or so for the vinyl cover.   Given the quality - THAT WAS INEXPENSIVE and I hope to get eight-nine more years out of it.

Now - the initial cover came with the tub - and probably accounted for $700 of the price although I can't say for certain.    BUT it performed better than a cheap cover,  especially in my climate (coastal Massachusetts) and I only had to replace the vinyl.     And it was far more energy-efifcient than a cheaper one.   If anything bad could be said about the old vinyl cover,  it was a pain in the a** to cut up and put into a yard waste bag.

When you think about replacing that cover,   think not just about PRICE but COST.

And Dnepr Dave said it correctly = Aerospace 303 Protectant.   Here in my neck of the woods - twice a year.   Yes it costs around $25-30 a bottle.   It's worth it.