Kube Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 Just wondering who out theres is sporting a little duct tape on there covers....mine has about 3 roles so far....darn boxer got an urge for a chew and took the part that hangs over the edge and ripped it off and split the seam on half it.....foam is still good on the inside....replaced less than 6 months ago...but the cover it self was probaly close to ten years old..... So my question is where to buy a new cover from....I was looking at spa depot or possibly the cover guy.....local shop wants 500 for a new one, seems a little steap, has anyone on here bought one from an online shop, if so how was the fit and quality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razorhog Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 Excellent question, and one I have been pondering too. Every aftermarket spa cover advertises as the "best", so who do you trust? As far as I can tell, there seems to be an overabundance of generic covers on the market. My guess is that 90% of them are junk and not worth the money. The ones at spadepot sound good, but I don't know of anyone that has bought one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailing_Faith Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 I am getting ready to duct tape my cover also.... ... it is so heavy from the water that it takes 2 people to move it. My local Hot Spring dealer wants $450 for one, there was another spa shop that had one for $350, but they went out of business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razorhog Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 This might be a stupid question, but why doesn't someone make a water proof cover? I guess nothing lasts forever, but I have read about spa covers that get water logged within a year or two. Seems like you could make a hard cover out of fiberglass or something, but it might be hard to hinge.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kube Posted October 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 what upgrades are actually worth it? 2lb or 1.5 lb foam? 4>2 5>3 6>4 in taper? Full length seam insulation? Double wrapped foam? Has anyone on the board bought a cover online? Also wonder since the local places are getting 450-500 for a cover, if they arnt just getting them from spa depot for 299 and marking them up since the 299 included shipping, 150-200 profit on each cover isnt bad at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 We can make you a water proof cover. They're $1200.00 A well made, standard insulating spa cover, SHOULD last at least 5 years at the minimum. The problem is determining what's "well made". Placed side by side most people couldn't tell the difference from a well made cover that will last 5 to 9 years, and a piece of junk that will last 2. You have to compare the materials used in the construction of the cover. Foam density and thickness Vapor barrier thickness Metal re-enforcement thickness Vinyl weight, UV rating and pigment rating These are the most important...and anyone not openly telling you the specs on the above is trying to hide something from you. (both sites mentioned above have ommited some of this info). Grab your bottle of White Out and start marking up your monitor. Best ... Highest ... Top Grade ... Thickest ... Heaviest Forget the adjectives...No numbers = no good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spa_Guru Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 Keep in mind a cover that is heavy because it is full of water is now a heat sink, not an insulator, the insulating power of a cover comes from the air that is in it, if those dead air spaces are now water, you have little insulating ability left. Spa covers are very costly to ship (UPS and Fedex won't take 'em), consequently, anything cheap and shipped is automatically junk. Bite the bullet, buy a good cover, good covers cost money, but have a written warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaamus Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 what Doc said... SpaDepot's vendor builds a nice cover for them. The sealing is by hand-held wand which isn't as good as some, but overall they make a respectable cover. Prestige makes Cover Guy's covers (as well as a lot of bargain sellers on eBay, BeyondNice, Poolandspa.com and Discount Spa Covers). Their standard film is 2mil. Their vinyl is 25oz. from Pielles. I can tell you from my experiences with TCG, they probably aren't asking Prestige to upgrade those specs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Takoma Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 What do folks think about the aluminum covers? Our tub is in an area with trees and we often get a stray fallen branch that pokes a hole in the tub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFC5 Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 what upgrades are actually worth it? 2lb or 1.5 lb foam? 4>2 5>3 6>4 in taper? Full length seam insulation? Double wrapped foam? Has anyone on the board bought a cover online? Also wonder since the local places are getting 450-500 for a cover, if they arnt just getting them from spa depot for 299 and marking them up since the 299 included shipping, 150-200 profit on each cover isnt bad at all I wonder how much energy could be saved in typical 20-30 degree weather going from 3>2 or 4>2 up to a 5>3 or 6>4 tapered cover? I also wonder how much energy could be saved using 1lb, 1.5lb or 2lb insulation in them as well. I am surprised no one has any info on the actual energy saved from these variations. I guess one good thing about the Green Movement is that maybe some Energy guide can be developed for this industry which is sorely needed IMO. They do it for other high consumption devices so they should be able to do it for spas/accessories as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFC5 Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 We can make you a water proof cover. They're $1200.00 A well made, standard insulating spa cover, SHOULD last at least 5 years at the minimum. The problem is determining what's "well made". Placed side by side most people couldn't tell the difference from a well made cover that will last 5 to 9 years, and a piece of junk that will last 2. You have to compare the materials used in the construction of the cover. Foam density and thickness Vapor barrier thickness Metal re-enforcement thickness Vinyl weight, UV rating and pigment rating These are the most important...and anyone not openly telling you the specs on the above is trying to hide something from you. (both sites mentioned above have ommited some of this info). Grab your bottle of White Out and start marking up your monitor. Best ... Highest ... Top Grade ... Thickest ... Heaviest Forget the adjectives...No numbers = no good Numbers are good and better than adjectives alone, but what good are the numbers if they do not also provide info on things like how much actual energy is saved choosing 2# density over 1# density. ALso how much energy is saved with a 6>4 taper cover over a 4>2 cover? Higher numbers are better of course, but will the added cost for the higher numbers result in lower energy costs that save more energy costs than the increased price of the thicker cover? I am surprised no one uses the hard numbers that we REALLY care about which is energy savings and return on investment in the better/thicker covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 The chart below compares the overall strength of different foam densities and thicknesses. This comparison is based upon an 8' square cover, of the longest industry standard, of 4" to 2" tapered foam with a density of #1 (with a strength rating of 1). A rating of 2 would be twice as strong as a rating of 1, a rating of 3 is 50% stronger than a rating of 2 etc. ALSO SHOWN is the approximate weight of the cover, AND INSULATING FACTOR Or, how about this?... http://www.extreme-spa-covers.com/R-value_compare.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFC5 Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 Thanks for that chart and link. I had a hard time trying to figure out how much a thicker cover could save. Now I just have to figure out how much in $$ savings those lower therm loss numbers equal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.