arnspa Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 After 6 years the black plastic surrounding the styrofoam insulation in our Master Spa cover is disintegrating. Taking it apart I see that each piece of syrofoam is contained in a black plastic bag of sorts. Does anyong know how to get replacements for these bags? Alternately I can just put plastic sheeting around it but the bag would work better. Any help? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 It's not a "bag", but polyethylene sheeting that's vacuumed and heat sealed around the foam cores. It prevents the foam cores from absorbing moisture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopcity Posted October 19, 2014 Report Share Posted October 19, 2014 Basically, he is saying that you cannot replace the black plastic. Unless of course you have the proper vacuum sealer. You can purchase new foam cores (sealed in plastic) if your vinyl is still good. It can be tricky to do. It helps if you have the vinyl laying out in the sun for a bit first, to loosen it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnspa Posted October 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2014 Below I show Before and After photos of my DIY to replace the plastic surround of the insulation in the cover of our MasterSpa 2X Crosstrainer (12x8') . The black plastic was showing cracks long ago and I should have got to it at once, especially because the side I couldn't see, the top side, was much worse that what I could see on the bottom. I bought a roll of 10x25 ft 6mil black plastic at Lowes's ($25), and a roll of 3 " Gorilla duct tape ($14). I have more photos and will try later to post a How To here. I have lots of tips to make this easier. As my father enjoyed saying, Don't do anything the first time. Check with me before you begin this, The replacement costs for the covers are $1200. I spent $40 and a weekend. This will probably last for for the remaining life of the cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopcity Posted October 24, 2014 Report Share Posted October 24, 2014 The weak point is the seam with Gorilla Duct tape. My guess is that moisture will still get to the cores through that seam. I think the fact that there is air in there will also allow for condensation. That's why they use a vacuum sealer in manufacturing. I'm not 100% on that. Doc? Keep us posted though. It would be great if it worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted October 25, 2014 Report Share Posted October 25, 2014 The vacuum sealing is to help prevent the cover from ballooning, but only works to a point. A little blown out of proportion, but... imagine taking a solid plastic pellet the size of a BB, and expanding it to the size of a marble, filling it with air. Take a bazillion of these "marbles" and compress them together into a sheet of foam. This is basically how the foam cores are made (REALLY basic description, there's a bit more to it). Wrap plastic around it, quickly vacuum out any air, and seal up the plastic. Ok, so there's a WHOLE lot of air still inside. In between the "marbles" that were compressed together, and inside the "marbles" themselves. Anything that might change the volume of that air, such as rising temperature or increasing elevation, will expand the air, increase it's volume, and make it look like the cover is inflated. Gorilla Duct tape? No clue. Never tried it. It's VERY difficult to get ANY tape to seal over any amount of time. Between the temperature and humidity, most adhesives break down rather quickly. The best thing, I've always been told, was PVC tape. Basically electrical tape, and they do make it 2" wide. I'd be curious to try Tyvek tape. It's some of the stickiest stuff, initially, I've come across. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnspa Posted January 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 Just a few months later. It still looks great. Gorilla brand is a super heavy duct tape. It comes in two widths, wide and wider. In black only I think and costs much more than the cheap stuff. Because the seams are on the edges covered by the vinyl, and very tight, I really do expect the seal to last as long as the original did. Concern for the vacuum seal may be overstated. Any vacuum was broken with the first tiny hole that came years ago. My guess is that the mechanical seal can be better than tape but largely dictated on manufacturing efficiency. Commercial mailers seal their plastic packages with heat rather than tape. Quicker, and cheaper for large production. Tyvek tape? That may be smart. Haven't used it. Glad to hear from others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisvillediddy Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 Good Stuff... I just bought a used 2006 H2x and will be building from scratch a hot tub cover. I will post pics when done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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