How long does your cover last?

[Susanj]

How long before you needed to replace your cover? The salesperson told us they should last 6-7 years, but a friend told me hers lasts only 3 years, but hers in is full sun. She said they fade and look bad and the fasteners and handles rip off and the skirting or seam tears.  We just had to replace at 5 years . We had none of the problems she mentioned -just the center seam split halfway across the top and the white filling was poking through. No warning really and there's such a wait on ordering them.

[castletonia]

4-5 years is what I tell my outdoor customers to expect and 7-8 years indoors, maybe more.

If you condition the outside of the cover with a product like 303 Protectant or comparable product and take good care of your chemicals, that will extend the life of your cover. 

[Cusser]

13 hours ago, castletonia said:

4-5 years is what I tell my outdoor customers to expect and 7-8 years indoors, maybe more.

If you condition the outside of the cover with a product like 303 Protectant or comparable product and take good care of your chemicals, that will extend the life of your cover. 

I'm in Arizona, have had my CalSpa since 1988.  My 7-foot spa is on my 8-foot covered patio, so doesn't get full Arizona sun in the warmer months, shielded by the patio roof.  So in those 32 years I've gone through at least 4 covers.  The sun is way worse than the air temperature, but a cover in the sun gets quite hot.

I've never tried a protective product on mine.  Right now my cover "probably" needs replacement due to the seam starting to show wear.  I've had longer cover life in the last 15 years once I installed cover holder so I can fold back rather than lift the awkward cover off and put on the patio.

 

[Susanj]

S you don't have a metal lift?

The arm on one side of our lift kept coming off so we think that might have compromised the cover.

[CanadianSpaTech]

What I see most common mistakes when people install cover lifters that can shorten the life of the cover are...

The bar going across the spa if placed in/at/on the fold and when the half cover is flipped open the bar thickness will cause the 2 halves to separate and over time will split the fold material. The cross bar should be fitted about 3/4"-1" below the center of the fold crease so when the cover is opened the fold can operate as designed and the bar is not forcing the 2 halves apart.

Next is the screws holding the cross bar need to be pointed to the ground when the cover lifter is fully opened and in the upright position. If they are pointed/attached in any other location/direction they will dig into the cover or the fold. When they are pointed to the ground they won't ever touch the cover.

Locking straps: The straps are designed to lock your cover so unwanted people (Kids, drunk neighbours) can't get in. Yes they will also provide a bit of protection from wind blowing the cover open but that is secondary. When installed properly there should be a little bit of slack. A common mistake here in Canada is they get installed in the summer and they are pulled tight and attached actually pulling the cover downward. Then in Winter when its cold and there is no stretch in the material they rip out.

If you live in a windy area most cover MFGs sell a "Hurricane Strap" See Photo below. a 4" wide strap that goes from one side to the other and through the cover handle and attaches to the cabinet. When opening the cover you only have to detach the one side and it will stay in place when folded open.

Wash the cover with mild soap and water every 3 mths max.

When using a UV protectant just spray a bit on the cloth and not directly on the cover and wipe it into the cover so you can control the amount used. You don't want to use any more than what is needed or when it rains the excess protectant will end up in your water.

Last is turn off you water features when you are closing the cover. Waterfalls left on when the cover is closed will push water along the underside of the cover and force water into the drain holes on the underside of the cover and also as the cover gets older and the material starts to decay from chemical burn that water running along the underside of the cover will contribute to it getting heavy/waterlogged.

Don't just add chemicals and close the cover. It needs to off gas. If you do it will burn the underside of the cover. Leave cover open a minimum of 20 mins before closing. When opening the cover don't breath in and get a nose full. Allow the air that is trapped between the top of the water and the underside of the cover that can be filled with chlorine, ozone and a bunch of other nasty stuff. Give it a few seconds to off gas before sticking your nose or face in.  

The End.

 

[Susanj]

So we got lucky and found a cover in stock. Otherwise I was told by places that the wait was anywhere from 2-6 months due to Covid.

We hadn't realized our cover was waterlogged until we felt the difference in weight on the new one. I suppose it happens so gradually. There were no tears in the underside of the cover, so how does that happen?

Maybe because it had become waterlogged is why the arm on the side of the lift kept coming off. We repaired it and it happened again. Now we've ordered a new one. 

[CanadianSpaTech]

I laugh when I see resellers offering 3 or 5, even 7 year warranties. The cost to ship a waterlogged cover back to the MFGs would be more than a new one. Not to mention the fine print that basically clears them of everything anyway. 

[Cusser]

23 minutes ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

I laugh when I see resellers offering 3 or 5, even 7 year warranties. The cost to ship a waterlogged cover back to the MFGs would be more than a new one. Not to mention the fine print that basically clears them of everything anyway. 

Yes, not too uncommon. I should tell how Doughboy kept trying to weasel out of replacing my 1-month-old liner for my 15 ft. round pool, installed by a professional pool installer !!!  They would not accept one of their local dealers to inspect the pool, wanted parts of it shipped back to them at my cost, then I should wait 3 weeks for their "decision".  I told them I'd just post the truth of what happened and how I was treated online everywhere I could.

No Susan -I don't have a cover lift, just a pair of bent metal cover holders that hold the cover up.  I bought this like 20 years ago; may not still be commercially available.

 

[The_Penguin]

55 minutes ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

I laugh when I see resellers offering 3 or 5, even 7 year warranties. The cost to ship a waterlogged cover back to the MFGs would be more than a new one. Not to mention the fine print that basically clears them of everything anyway. 

I was just noticing how heavy our cover is. Looked up the warranty, 7 years. Hmm a few months left.

Oh pro-rated. in the 7th year you pay 95% of the replacement cost. 

[Susanj]

So how DO they get waterlogged? 

[CanadianSpaTech]

40 minutes ago, Susanj said:

So how DO they get waterlogged? 

Covers live in a very harsh environment weather, sun, snow sticks and branches and even dogs. Ozone, Chlorine/bromine  from the underside. Water falls left on. All of this with 104 degree water. The foam inserts are wrapped in plastic with taped or heat sealed seams. All of the above mentioned will deteriorate the plastic and water, steam and moisture will penetrate the poly wrap and soak into the foam from above and/or below.

[RDspaguy]

On 5/30/2021 at 4:02 PM, CanadianSpaTech said:

Don't just add chemicals and close the cover. It needs to off gas. If you do it will burn the underside of the cover.

 

48 minutes ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

will deteriorate the plastic and water, steam and moisture will penetrate the poly wrap and soak into the foam

Chemical deterioration is the #1 cause of waterlogged covers. It is, unfortunately, unavoidable, the only variable being how long it takes. This is greatly affected by your maintenance routine and how much chemical fumes and ozone are being trapped beneath the cover.

Susan, in your situation (vacation rental) I doubt there is a "normal" lifespan as your spa and cover are frequently at the mercy of renters. Frankly, I am impressed it lasted five years under those circumstances.

3 hours ago, Susanj said:

Maybe because it had become waterlogged is why the arm on the side of the lift kept coming off.

👍 It is also probably the reason it tore. Some lifts are harder on covers than others as well. I suspect from your description that you have a piston assisted lift, which are the worst on covers.

[Susanj]

Thank you CanadianSpaTech and RDspa guy for those clear explanations. 
 

When I balance it , I always leave the cover open, but though our service person knows that , do they do it every time? Maybe not , if in a hurry. 
 

Must you off gas for everything? I would think not as important with calcium and  baking soda?
 

So now my question is, how do we know when it’s waterlogged and needs to be changed out before it splits again like this time , and not only looks terrible (we had to duct tape it until we installed the new one) but with the structural integrity damaged it was difficult to open?

[Susanj]

I did notice a color change on the underside quite a while ago. Part of it , maybe 1/8 of it was a darker gray and the rest was the original color- lighter gray ( though I don’t think it got worse/spread). I guess that was a clue. 

[ferrisDJB]

I'm in need of a hot tub cover. My current one has lasted 7yrs., which is awesome considering it sits outside, maybe 8hrs . of sun per day in the midwest. So my problem is, I go to "resellers" rating site and this company has a 1 star rating and comments are crazy bad, and not just a few but hundreds to give it a flat out 1star rating. The cover prior to this one lasted 3yrs., water logged so bad, due to interior dbl wrapped foam bags were TAPED SHUT. Tape had failed, of course, and foam inserts became water logged so bad the weight of the cover damn near broke the lift. Who the heck makes a quality,  reliable cover for outside use. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[RDspaguy]

1 hour ago, Susanj said:

our service person knows that , do they do it every time? Maybe not , if in a hurry. 

Not sure about your service arrangement, but I can tell you from experience that it is unlikely that they are, or they would be charging extra for it. I would typically see 20-30 spas A DAY, and have to return twice more to some that were dumping or filling. Do the math and you will see how long I spent at each one. That 30 minute wait is 3x as long as I will be there. I could only manage it because they were all so close (lots of vacation rentals in Tahoe).

1 hour ago, Susanj said:

Must you off gas for everything?

Oxidizers (sanitizer/shock) and acids (ph/alk reducer).

1 hour ago, Susanj said:

do we know when it’s waterlogged

Weight.

1 hour ago, Susanj said:

guess that was a clue.

👍 Bleaching is common, but happens gradually. You will see the original color where it sits on top of the spa shoulder.

Darker stains are often from water hitting the cover, such as from a waterfall or volcano jet, or water leaking through from the top.

@ferrisDJB, please start your own thread and we will be happy to help. Though, frankly, what you describe is the norm for spa covers, and the tape adhesive also breaks down from chemical fumes. All those 1 star ratings are from people who use floaters full of tablets and shock right before closing the cover. It's their own fault, but they don't know it or won't admit it, so blame the cover manufacturer. There is very little difference between vinyl spa covers that you don't have to pay extra for, and the extras are offered by everyone I have seen. Pay more money, get a better cover. But even the best can be destroyed in a few years with excessive chemical fumes.

I suspect your first cover was a higher weight foam, and possibly thicker as well. This is normal for the cover that comes with the spa. Or perhaps you changed your maintenance routine, amount of chemicals used, or type of chemical (bleach, dichlor, tricolor, etc.)

[Susanj]

We didn't even realize it had gotten heavier! It happens so gradually. Didn't realize till we lifted the new one. 

[CanadianSpaTech]

In my area there are a bunch of online (Craigslist/Kijiji/Facebook Marketplace) Reseller or and I love this one.. "Factory Direct" (with the reseller in the middle) All advertising "Ours are the Best"... "Ours last longer"... and 90% of the covers being sold in my area all come out of the SAME factory...Even a lot of the OEM covers come from them as well.

Having said all that there is not a huge margin selling covers.

 

 

 

[Cusser]

My current cover came from a local pool supplies store that had about a dozen assorted covers stacked in the back of the store, and at a real good price.  One was exactly what I needed (had a big manufacturer's name on it), so I bought it and threw it into the back of my truck.  This was about 6 to 8 years ago though, and that store is no longer in business.

Prior to that, a local cover company made cover for me (Phoenix AZ).

[mrwrick]

I have a Hot Spring Classic spa that sits outside. It needs to be replaced as something caused little circular scars in the vinyl (1/2 inch circles, looked like a small knife scored the material. Eventually birds tore into the vinyl to get at and peck into the foam, so it leaked water when it rained and snow melted.

I also use an ozone generator that runs the fine bubbles into my water through the 24/7 recirculation pump. That gas has degraded the interior vinyl above the water where the ozone comes in. 

I do not like to have to buy a new $500 cover every 3 years or so. I am looking at a company in Colorado called Modern Spa Covers that advertises materials and construction that prevents water leakage and sun damage. Their covers are up to over 3 times the cost of the HotSpring model. Does anyone have an actual experience with one of these covers?

Does any cover material stand up to ozone?

Thanks to all in this Forum. Great help.

[mrwrick]

Oops, my first line should have read "The  cover needs to be replaced"

[RDspaguy]

I am not familiar with that brand of cover, but few things stand up to ozone for long.

Older tubs weren't properly plumbed for it, and it was an issue for all brands with ozone. If your spa has this issue I would recommend installing an aftermarket ozone mixing chamber or unplugging the ozonator.

However, ozonators have a fairly short lifespan (3-5 years is typical) so, unless you have replaced it recently it probably doesn't work anyway. You can get a discoloration just from the bubbles (which are just air with no ozonator) agitating the water and releasing chemical fumes 24/7.

But you can't blame the ozone for the vinyl, that was lack of maintenance and a hail storm, or even big raindrops. Vinyl gets brittle in sunlight and must be treated periodically with 303 aerospace protectant to remain flexible.

[Ellisz]

I always feel like I am replacing mine but I think it is mostly due to losing track of time!  I am on my 3rd cover for the Hot Springs Vanguard and I have had the spa for 12 years.  I put some shade cloth on my pergola to help with the sun beating down on it but I had read what he others have said about chemical burn being the biggest issue.  You need to keep teenagers from sitting on the corners as well.  

I am on my second heater as well but I think water chemistry was the downfall of the last one.  Staying up on everything is hard to do sometimes.