Cover Care

Care of your Hot Tub or SwimSpa Cover

A hot tub cover is designed with three things in mind; to retain heat and reduce your energy costs, to stop foreign objects getting into the water, and to keep pets and young children out of the tub where they could come to harm.
They are not designed to be used as human or pet sun loungers, or to be propped up and used as windbreaks, or stood on, walked on or crawled across, or used as seating.
Hot tub covers are pretty fragile items and these types of misuse are common reasons why spa covers become damaged, (and why manufacturers necessarily have a number of warranty exclusions in place).
Fact is, even at the best of times, hot tub covers do not have an easy time of it; they usually spend their entire lives exposed to the elements on the outside and having to withstand a constant bombardment of chemically charged steam on the inside. Then they are constantly being opened, closed or moved and often with little care - it's not much of a life for a hot tub spa cover! However, there are things you can do to prolong the life of your cover:

• Never stand, sit or crawl on the hot tub cover - they are not designed to support weight.
• The cover handles are not intended for carrying or removal of the cover from the hot tub - use the handles only for gently opening or closing of the cover only. Similarly straps are for securing the cover only. They should not be used for carrying the weight of the cover.
• Don't lift cover by the skirting, as this will stress and eventually rip the bottom seams.
• Never drag your cover along the ground.
• Handles and securing straps on covers are designed for 'positioning' and 'securing' respectively. They should not be used for carrying the weight of the cover.
• Use a cover lifter - covers used with lifters invariably last longer than those that don't. It puts less stress on the seams and keeps the cover out of harm's way when the hot tub is in use.
•  Use a floating EnergyGuard cover beneath the hard cover - this saves more energy by virtually eliminating the loss of energy by evaporation and helps protect the underside of the hard cover from the chemically charged steam.
• Always remove your hot tub spa cover completely when you add chemicals - particularly 'Shock' or 'Oxidising' chemicals. Leave the cover fully open for 30 minutes. This is another good reason to use a cover lifter.
• In climates which are very sunny use a quality product like 303 Cleaner & Protector on your hot tub cover regularly. Not only will it look its best, but 303 adds all-important UV protection that will stop the vinyl degrading in the sun.
• Every few weeks, hose down the underside of the spa cover, but avoid using a jet wash.
• Always secure the locks when the cover is in place & always unlock them before trying to open/remove the hot tub cover.