How-To Guides | Spa Cover Care & Maintenance
Spa covers are an investment in your hot tub. Like any investment, you would like to protect it. This guide presents maintenance tips that can save you money and maybe even some grief in the long run.
About Spa Cover Jackets
Most inexpensive hot tub covers use vinyl for the jacket or skin. Marine-grade, heavy-duty vinyl used to be the best material for this job.
Technology has caught up with hot tub covers so it’s time to say goodbye to vinyl and hello to durable WeatherShield Outdoor Fabric! WeatherShield is our extremely durable fabric that is 3 times stronger and weighs 25% less than marine-grade vinyl.
Sounds good right? In addition, nothing on the market is more resistant to harsh UV rays than WeatherShield.
Protecting your Investment from Damage
303 Protectant cleans and prevents fading & cracking. We advise using only 303 Aerospace Protectant on hot tub covers.
Don't worry if you have a new high-tech fabric spa cover, the same UV-blocking technology is also available to protect outdoor fabric covers and furniture: 303 High Tech Fabric Guard.
We've tested them all, and these are simply the best products of their kind. Earth-friendly, non-toxic formulas add years to cover life. With regular use, 303 blocks up to 100% of harmful UV to prevent sun damage.
When applied to the underside of your cover, they also help prevent mildew. 303 Protectant is very economical, and you'll find many other uses for it around the home, RV, boat, and car.
Using the wrong vinyl treatment product is worse than using nothing at all! In fact, a well-known automotive vinyl treatment contains silicone oil, which is a death sentence to vinyl. Avoid products that contain any type of oil or petroleum distillates, have a greasy feeling, or leave a waxy coating.
If a vinyl protectant product label says "flammable" or contains petroleum distillates, keep it away from your spa cover! These products look good when first applied, but actually accelerate spa cover deterioration and offer little or no UV protection.
Periodic Hot Tub Cover Cleaning & Maintenance
Cleaning your spa cover is an important part of routine spa maintenance. Dirt is abrasive to the outer skin, and causes wear to fold, seams, and stitching. Mildew which grows on damp, dirty vinyl begins to root in the fabric, accelerating failure.
Routine cleaning for fabric and vinyl covers, prior to application of UV protectant:
- Rinse with cool water using a garden hose
- Spray with a gentle, non-foaming cleaner such as our Earth-friendly ecoTUB Spa Clean and wipe clean. Never use laundry detergent, abrasives, bleach, alcohols, dish soaps, or harsh cleaners. These products can actually remove some of the topcoat and cause premature vinyl failure.
- TIP: Tree sap can be removed by rubbing with a little vegetable oil or margarine.
- For stubborn dirt, use a non-abrasive sponge such as our Spaange.
- Rinse again thoroughly with water and allow to dry.
- Repeat monthly, or as needed.
Applying 303 Protectant:
- After cleaning the cover, spray a light coating of 303 Protectant on the top and cover skirt.
- Spread evenly with a damp terry cloth or use the yellow side of our Spaange.
- Repeat the procedure on the underside of your cover. This will help prevent mildew formation.
- Repeat monthly in summer... every 3 to 4 months the rest of the year. There's never a buildup.
Dealing with Mildew Inside the Outer Jacket
(Indicated if odor is a problem)
- Unzip the jacket and carefully remove the foam cores.
- Clean the inside of the jacket with ecoTUB Spa Clean and a soft brush.
- Clean the core's plastic vapor barrier.
- Spray off surfaces with garden hose.
- Towel-dry all surfaces, and allow for additional air-dry time of the jacket.
- Sunlight exposure for an hour or two helps rid residual mildew from inside the jacket.
- Keep foam core in the shade while drying.
- Carefully reassemble when dry.
Note: If the foam core is rotten and waterlogged, replace the cover.
Care Tips for Prolonging Spa Cover Longevity
Warranty
Treat your cover as you would a fine automobile. A new car comes with a warranty covering mechanical defects. Its warranty doesn't cover dents, rock-dinged windshields, or tire wear. Premature engine failure in a car not properly maintained also is not covered.
Similarly, a spa cover warranty covers material defects, but not damage caused by abuse, accidents, neglect, or normal wear-and-tear. We've put together the information you need for proper maintenance to get the most life out of your spa cover.
Protecting the Foam Core
Spa covers have a core of polystyrene, which can be broken if abused. Never allow children to jump or play on a cover, which can cause breakage of the core.
Grit from shoes or bare feet can also mar the vinyl covering, causing premature failure. Avoid placing sharp objects on the cover, which can puncture the core liner, permitting water absorption by the foam core. Animal claw scratches or chewing can have the same result, so try to keep pets away.
Avoid placing glass or other objects on the cover, which can create excessive heat from the magnified effects of sunlight. This heat can actually cause the foam core to melt which is not covered by the warranty.
Sheathing the insulating core in clear plastic prevents water from being absorbed into the insulation. Condensation and rainwater seepage between the outer vinyl skin and the clear liner of the foam core is normal. All spa covers should have weep holes in their undersides to allow this water to drain out.
Dealing with Water Intrusion
Although a few water droplets inside the clear plastic liner are not a major concern, larger water accumulation requires attention. The cause is normally a puncture or a break in the vapor barrier, which is easy to fix yourself. (A heavy, saturated foam core is a different matter, indicative of an old waterlogged spa cover that needs replacement).
If your cover core liner has water in it, open the zipper and carefully remove the form core for inspection. Look for punctures or openings around the perimeter seal. Even a small hole can let in a lot of water over time.
Patching Holes in Clear Core Liner
After locating the hole, drain as much of the accumulated water out of the clear plastic liner as possible. This will prevent it from eventually absorbing into the foam core.
What if you can't evacuate the water through the entry hole? Try cutting a small slit in the plastic liner near one of the corners. Set the core on edge so that the water flows down and out of the slit.
Don't expect to get out every last drop-- if you get most of it out, you'll be in good shape.
Liner holes are simple to fix with Spa Bond Leak Seal Patch Kit. This inexpensive product is the only permanent sealing solution around water. Make sure the plastic is dry around your repair so that it will adhere.
Fixing a spa cover yourself is easy, and eliminates the considerable expense of shipping off the large core for repairs.
Repairing Minor Spa Cover Rips and Tears
Small holes and tears in a spa cover should be repaired with Spa Bond Leak Seal Patch Kit. This special clear elastomeric material permanently adheres to vinyl while making a very neat mend.
Just make sure the surface is clean and dry prior to application. Again, fixing it by yourself is easy and economical.
Tie Down Straps & Broken Latches
Tie-down straps are there for one purpose: to secure the cover of the spa. To avoid ripping the straps, never use them to carry or remove the cover. Another cause of ripped straps is forgetting to unlatch the locks before lifting the cover of the spa. No warranty covers this type of damage.
Replace broken cover locks/latches. It's easy with our Sure-Lock replacement set of four with mounting screws.
Avoiding Fabric, Vinyl, Seam, & Stitching Damage
- A high-quality Spa Cover Lifter can reduce stress on seams.
- Use handles only for gentle opening or closing of the spa cover.
- Handles are not for carrying or removal of the cover from the hot tub.
- Do not lift the cover by the skirting. This stresses and can rip the bottom seams.
- Never drag a cover across the ground, especially concrete surfaces.
- Never place glass objects on a spa cover. The glass can magnify sunlight and melt the vinyl and foam core.
- Maintain proper water balance and pH.
- Excessive bromine, chlorine, or shock can deteriorate vinyl.
- Leave the cover off for 30-45 minutes after adding chemicals to the water.
- Use a floating Spa Blanket to protect the cover from excess evaporative chemicals & moisture.
- Use of Alternative Sanitizer systems can prolong spa cover life expectancy.
- Carefully secure all latches when the hot tub is not in use, to prevent wind damage.
Snow Accumulation
A single cubic foot of freshly fallen dry snow weighs about 30 pounds! Doing the math, an 8'x8' cover with just 3 inches of accumulation is supporting nearly 500 extra pounds. That weight goes up even more with wet snow or ice.
Hot tub cover manufacturer's warranties do not cover snow or other weight-related damage. If it snows where you live, help prevent breakage of the cover's foam core by removing excess ice-snow accumulation.
Water Puddles
Sometimes a hot tub cover that has been weight-stressed will develop water puddles due to sagging. Some cheap or older covers lack a tapered core for proper water runoff, exacerbating the problem.
If you get a small puddle on your cover, remove the foam core from the jacket, and flip it over. Flipping sometimes corrects this issue (at least temporarily) if not too severe.
Recap?
If your old cover is waterlogged, replace it. Think of a new cover as an investment, not an expense. You'll be money ahead buying a well-crafted cover the first time.
DuraTherm covers are not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for - a high-quality, long-lasting, energy-efficient, custom-made cover. See our Cover Replacement Guide for more information.
"The store where we bought our spa told us nothing about maintaining the cover and it didn't last long. We've applied 303 Protectant to the outside and underside, and mildew has not been a problem since. It's nice that this will increase cover life and protect it from sun damage, that's what ruined our first top. Thanks!"
Estee Silvan
Boca Raton, FL
"Thank you for a great buying experience. The fit and appearance was perfect, the measurements were exactly as asked for. Our old cover was so waterlogged, it took someone on each side just to flip the old cover over. Thanks again."
Kenny Oliver
Conway, SC