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Childproofing Hot Tub Cover?


sfoanna

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Hi, any ideas for how to childproof a hot tub cover? Those plastic buckles are a joke. I am very handy, I could probably DIY if you have a good idea for me! thanks!

Teach your children to stay away. Or fence and gate access to the tub. You could put a stap over the cover and lock it down on one end.

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Hi, any ideas for how to childproof a hot tub cover? Those plastic buckles are a joke. I am very handy, I could probably DIY if you have a good idea for me! thanks!

Teach your children to stay away. Or fence and gate access to the tub. You could put a stap over the cover and lock it down on one end.

Hi roger, thanks for your reply. I like the strap idea best. I could install two over the cover. I researched online and found Steelcore - they don't list prices but i suspect well over $100 for the straps. I know I could just check out my local hardware store, and maybe the local outdoor store, and buy metal keyed locks that handle straps - I just don't know where to start to look for these hardware items. I guess I should just pay the people who've already made the straps!!!

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Hi, any ideas for how to childproof a hot tub cover? Those plastic buckles are a joke. I am very handy, I could probably DIY if you have a good idea for me! thanks!

Teach your children to stay away. Or fence and gate access to the tub. You could put a stap over the cover and lock it down on one end.

P.S. My son is 3 and is a special needs child (although his special needs are very minor/mild), so the teaching to keep away is of course very important, but I cannot rely on it. thanks for the suggestion, I do agree with you.

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P.S. My son is 3 and is a special needs child (although his special needs are very minor/mild), so the teaching to keep away is of course very important, but I cannot rely on it. thanks for the suggestion, I do agree with you.

Special needs or not, teaching is a very important part of it. Even if you do strap it, as you already know parenting goes on forever. And the most important years of it are from 3 untill 20 After that if you haven't done a good job you'll either get lucky or find out how you did when you bail them out of jail...LOL

I've never made any for anyone but I would think some kind of clasp mechinism that will hold a strap (preferable flat 1-2" nylon) and will except a lock. Hardware store good idea, see what they have first. The back side can be permanently afixed, no lock.

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P.S. My son is 3 and is a special needs child (although his special needs are very minor/mild), so the teaching to keep away is of course very important, but I cannot rely on it. thanks for the suggestion, I do agree with you.

Special needs or not, teaching is a very important part of it. Even if you do strap it, as you already know parenting goes on forever. And the most important years of it are from 3 untill 20 After that if you haven't done a good job you'll either get lucky or find out how you did when you bail them out of jail...LOL

I've never made any for anyone but I would think some kind of clasp mechinism that will hold a strap (preferable flat 1-2" nylon) and will except a lock. Hardware store good idea, see what they have first. The back side can be permanently afixed, no lock.

"Essentials" makes a cover strap (weak straps). SUNSTAR makes very nice straps and are very solid with cushioning for the parts that strap over the edge of the cover. Generally they are wind straps, however most people use them to secure the tub even better from children.

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If you dont want to rely on straps you can always go with the alarm route Pool alarms such as the Turtle are awesome beacuse you can have the alarm base where you are and your child has a wristband that doesnt come off. The alarm sounds as soon as the band comes in contact with water.

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If you dont want to rely on straps you can always go with the alarm route Pool alarms such as the Turtle are awesome beacuse you can have the alarm base where you are and your child has a wristband that doesnt come off. The alarm sounds as soon as the band comes in contact with water.

That is a very good alarm but keep in mind if you live in new york it doesn't beat ASTM requirments. Every new pool built in NY requires an alarm that meets these requirments.

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If you dont want to rely on straps you can always go with the alarm route Pool alarms such as the Turtle are awesome beacuse you can have the alarm base where you are and your child has a wristband that doesnt come off. The alarm sounds as soon as the band comes in contact with water.

How long is that child going to keep the strap on? Is he or she going to keep it on? And luckily it is a spa :)

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The turtle bands are difficult for the kids to get off. But like anything it is possible. If the parents sell the band to the child the right way the child keeps it on. Every parent I know that has one has made the band into something special or cool. If you force it on the child yes of course they will rebel and try to take it off.

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I have a five year old son and use the plastic locks and straps every time I'm not in the spa, and I always lock them. If they are locked you can't get the cover off unless you rip the hardware out of the spa sides. If these locks aren't enough to keep your family out of it when your not there then your family needs to learn the rules, as any lock you have on it may someday not be locked and the consequences of that could be deadly. My son knows not to even go near that spa when I'm not around. You can never truly rely on fool proofing a pool or spa, so make sure that everyone knows what is, and is not allowed.

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  • 11 months later...
Hi, any ideas for how to childproof a hot tub cover? Those plastic buckles are a joke. I am very handy, I could probably DIY if you have a good idea for me! thanks!

We fond out about these Child Safety, Wind Straps online and checked them out. They recived a award for home safety from Disneys, Iparenting.com here is there link for there award http://www.send2press.com/newswire/2008-05-0520-009.shtml We have used Iparenting for advice in the past for buying childrens furniture and we total trust there advice. We are going to buy a spa and our fences here are low (CCRs) so we are defintly are going to put them on when we get ours. Surfside sam

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I've been thinking about this because we have two small children, and although I try to teach them a lot of good things they should and shouldn't do, I realize they may occasionally do something different.

Anyway, the thought I had was to attach metal rings (not sure the name for this piece of harware, but basically a rectangular piece of metal with four screw holes and a half ring coming off the top) where each of the straps hangs down. Then rip off the stupid plastic latches, and instead run a padlock through the strap and the metal ring. The big disadvantage would be the inconvenience of taking off four locks each time you used it, but it seems to me if you had a cover lifter, there might be enough play in the straps on that side that you wouldn't have to undo those.

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The plastic buckle locks that came on our tub seem to be plenty. If they are locked (and are working correctly) they can not be unlocked without breaking. Actually... ours have kept my 40 year old wife from getting in one night! LOL! They look cheap but are pretty effective. I have seen metal replacement locks... maybe try a boating/marine store.

ANY locking system will not make it impossible to get into, only discourage someone from doing so. Look into some of the cover lifter systems that also have locks. These prevent it from being opened at all, plus it will open it for you when you want it opened... Win-Win.

Good Luck & let us know what you come up with.

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  • 12 years later...
On 8/28/2007 at 12:00 AM, sfoanna said:

Thank you everyone - I agree with all - can't rely on the straps, alarms nor teaching alone!

I am so sorry these people have no idea what it's like apparently to have a child with special needs or maybe a housing situation where it is demanded to have a locking cover.. did u find anything?

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Somehow, I don't think the OP of a 13 year old post will answer you. 

Why not start a new thread asking the questions you would like answered? There are a lot of people that are winning to help, they just don't want to wade thru old threads to see what else was proposed.

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