Protecting Hot Tub Covers From Wear
Posted on January 31, 2008
Filed Under hot tub covers, hot tubs |
One of the biggest factors in why hot tub covers fall apart too soon is water absorption. Over time, and hopefully not too soon, water will seep into the foam core of a hot tub cover, and soon it will get heavy, moldy, and eventually, destroyed.
One way to ensure that a hot tub cover stays protected and working is buying one that has a polyethylene vapor barrier for sealing their spa covers foam cores.
The better the foam core is protected, the more effective hot tub covers will be.
A 6mil layer of polyethylene vapor barrier is enough to protect a standard spa cover, but thicker layers will be even better.
The foam core of hot tub covers are made out of expanded Polystyrene, which is made out of small plastic beads that are expanded with steam, then dried and “attached together.”
Even though the individual beads are waterproof, water can saturate between the beads and saturate the foam. This water saturation reduces the insulating ability of spa covers and adds greatly to the weight. Heavy hot tub covers sag and look ugly. Furthermore, they don’t insulate as well when they get heavy.
Foam cores of hot tub covers are usually sealed with polyethylene, a protective chemical that naturally breaks down over time when mixed with the other compounds found in hot tubs. When it starts to break down, the cover will start to take on water and the effectiveness of the spa cover will be greatly decreased.
This is one thing you definitely want to avoid. The more protective a hot tub covers coating is, the longer it will protect your hot tub. When you are shopping for a spa cover, you want to make sure the model you consider has the proper coating.
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