Hot tub cover question
 

I have one however I am not an experienced owner.

Our cover is busted and I need a new one. I think ours is 84 inch square rounded corners.

Home Depot has 84 and 86 inch square. Would one of these work fine? I just want it functional.

Any hot tub experts online at AOF.

Getting lots of great ideas to knock off my chores.

Best bet is to measure both yours and the one at Home Depot to make sure. I had one custom made and it sits tight around the corners.

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.8...000692827.html

But do you think it is necessary to be super tight?

My current cover is 84 inch and doesn't fit over the edges...so in my mind...too small. So that leaves me with 85 or 86 inch. I think 86 inch would give me 1/2 room around the edges.

They seem the best price. $359. Next guys after Costco are $100 and $200 more.

Even Costco is $379.

not sure what your tub looks like but as long as the cover " seals" the tub you should be ok .much like a garage door , as long as it is as wide as the opening your getting all the insulation you need . any overlap is bonus but doesnt add much to the "r" factor . i used to get lids for ours from a lady that built them at home in the edmonton west end . if i can find her number i will get it to you .
if your worried about your electrical bill , unplug the hot tub !

Get one of those blue bubble covers as well, they are cheap sit on top of the water but will extend the life of your main cover..

Never heard of that. Do you have a calgary link by chance?

I bought one a couple years back that was thicker than the original from a website called hottubcoverscanada. Showed up within the week and worked great.. Sold it after the tub itself died. The extra insulation really helped too.

Flanny

Most hot tub places have it I've never had a problem finding it..

https://www.amazon.ca/Solar-Cell-The.../dp/B004P5M38I

http://www.hottubessentials.ca/hot-tub-covers-canada/

I've bought a fair bit of kit from these guys, but not a cover...

ARG

True North Hot Tubs in Calgary makes good quality custom cover. They are family operated and provide excellent customer service. I dealt with them last about 2 years ago.

http://www.truenorthtubs.com/accesso...tub-covers.cfm

cover
 

we got one made a couple years ago and you can get it made to the slope you want so the water runs off it measured it to their specs and it fit awesome

if costcos covers are only a $100 more how could you not go that route? This way if the cover fails in less then 5 years you can get them to replace it.

Second that - I have one of their tubs. They will sell you a cover.

Supported this local business. However just got the cover home and it doesn't sit flush to the top on the tub. The corner rides up a bit. They said give it time to settle.

Fingers crossed.

bumping this thread.
any follow up from those with a True North Hot Tubs cover?

have it narrowed down to a couple companies and looking to pull the trigger on a new cover soon.

They are okay however it doesn't quite fit properly and am making due. I am finding I need to put weight on the ends to keep the cover flush as our model has a slight dip around the edges. I also find I lose a bit of heat at the corners. Down the center fold they have an extra pad. For some reason on the outside ends I get icicles forming. I may be losing a fair bit of water.

A floating pad inside of the tub may reducing splashing and may help. I am considering that...or a new tub at some point if the frustration gets to high.

Sundancefisher,

Take that cover back and get it adjusted with another layer of soft foam closed cell insulation for the corners. Take lots of pictures and measurements of the gap for reference.

What the Cover is for is more than just keeping the heat in, it is your best insurance from a freeze up and a ruined tub.

You live in Calgary, but even a few days of -20 C when the tub heater has failed, will be enough to freeze the biggest tub if there is a gap at the corners. Unless you are checking this tub ever couple of days, or have a freeze alarm floating in it, that works, the cover must seal properly.

Worst case scenario the breaker trips, it is not noticed, and even a tub that recirculates to stop freeze up at low temperatures will freeze up.

That being said, if it is - 40 C, and the tub was warm when the heat goes out, or the power goes out, you really only have a few days before serious damage is done.

The fix is pretty easy in hindsight, and the shop will probably be very interested in the make and model for future reference.

My tub is at the Cabin, and as such, I drain it every fall and run 10 litres of plumbing antifreeze. It just is not worth the grief in the winter.

Drewski

you shouldn't add anti freeze to hot tubs. If you blew the lines properly its not needed. Lots of anti freeze will ruin acrylics as well.

When it comes to covers if all you care about is price youll get what you pay for.

Good advice.

I am making due. I put a couple dumbbell weights on the ends. Seems to seal the corners.

Our tub is at end of life. If we get one or two years...great. If not. Next major repair it is getting shot.

Sundancefisher,

I have learned after buying a used tub that was working fine, apparently, when I bought it, that any repair on a hot tub is major.

I have a tub from Beachcomber. Learned that the control board (Balboa) is a proprietory model. New board only available from Beachcomber.

Basically, a licence to steal every time I take the pump / heater skid off to bring in to be worked on.

Had the heater go this spring and my son and I installed the new in line heater ourselves. A $100 part, but saved a lot of grief, considering they claimed to have done work on the heater the year before. You cannot work on the in line heater, you replace it.

Anyway, my son, his friends, my sister in law, my daughters, their friends, my Niece and her Boyfriend, my Nephew and his Partner, etc, etc, etc ............ ALL LOVE MY HOTTUB!!!

Boy, it sure is great being the facilitator, repairer, cleaner, polisher, and most of all Payor, for the great times enjoyed by everyone else!!!

YAY ME!

Drewski

Yup. Kids love it. I like it also. Relaxing when dark and the snow is falling. Hate that my glasses fog up though. Harder to see satellites and shooting stars.

I need to top the tub up every three or four weeks. Ours has the piping all foamed in so lucky me...can't repair pipe leaks. Did the short term liquid fix and it has slowed. Had a major pump leak failure also.

Tub also seems to settle at an angle towards the house. Not as bad since we moved it back from the house.

Lots of chemicals to add...I keep up on that also. I do wish homes had a storm drain pipe in the backyard. I hate putting all that bromine in the grass.

Curious drew where you heard that beachcomber used proprietary boards? Balboa is one of the world's leading suppliers of hot tub parts for manufacturers around the world. You can typically source them from multiple different companies or even online.

I had an issue with my heating element where my breaker was tripping. Simple and easy fix. When I called the store I bought mine at they tried telling me I needed to replace my entire spa pack for $900. When I told them all I needed was a heating element they tried giving me some non sense that I couldn't just replace an element.. I called a different company and bought the part from them and its been good ever since.