What to do with my foam blanket?

[Vinny]

I have a foam blanket under my cover to keep the cover in good shape and hopfully insulate the water a bit (and help with evaporation too).

Well it's about 2 years old and it has a few rips in it as it's getting a little brittle and one location it tore is where it attaches to the cover leash - great invention BTW.

My question is I tried cheap duct tape from HD to fix the rips but it lasted a week. The only rip I'm concerned with is the one at the cover leash - does anyone know of a decent tape that can handle a wet environment? Obviously I will dry out the area and I am applying it to the top of the blanket, not the water's side.

I had other duct tape on there and it seemed to last but this stuff is not working. Maybe new expensive duct tape?

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[In Canada eh]

Vinny,

    Since we all know you work in the medical field you can try medical adhesive tape.  Stuff bonds like crazy and is definitely waterproof.  We use it around the water plant from time to time as it works real well in wet locations

[mike in arkansas]

Ok -- where did i hear about the foam blanket leash? Was it on this forum? Where do I find one. I have a foam cover that lays on the water and it is a nuisance to put on and take off. And when the weather gets cold I KNOW I dont' want to stand out with minimal (?)  :-? clothing battling the foam cover.

[Pathfinder]

You can always try krazy glue  or a bonding glue from the loctite family that will work on foam since once it dries it will last better than the tape.

[Vinny]

Vinny,

    Since we all know you work in the medical field you can try medical adhesive tape.  Stuff bonds like crazy and is definitely waterproof.  We use it around the water plant from time to time as it works real well in wet locations

Yeah, it's my worst nightmare when I work on the equipment. It's amazing what people think it will do.

[Vinny]

Ok -- where did i hear about the foam blanket leash? Was it on this forum? Where do I find one. I have a foam cover that lays on the water and it is a nuisance to put on and take off. And when the weather gets cold I KNOW I dont' want to stand out with minimal (?)  :-? clothing battling the foam cover.

Here you go: http://www.rhtubs.com/store/cover-accessories.htm

[Vinny]

You can always try krazy glue  or a bonding glue from the loctite family that will work on foam since once it dries it will last better than the tape.

Have you used it around water? I used non waterproof epoxy once and it didn't last too long.

[Pathfinder]

There are certain loctite products that work really well against water and heat.

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/products/detail.asp?catid=71&subid=184&plid=722

[Vinny]

Thanks!

[Nosher]

I have a foam blanket under my cover to keep the cover in good shape and hopfully insulate the water a bit (and help with evaporation too).


Thanks!

Vinny,

Does it actually work though???

Cheers
Nosh.

[Vinny]

Well, I have no proof that it works but based on what I've read and observed...

Ozone and chlorine/bromine can make a cover and pillows deteriorate. If I have 90-95% of my water's surface covered then I only have 5-10% of the chemical damage happening to my cover. Since most of the off gassing is happening under the foam blanket, the foam blanket is taking the hit. The foam blanket is brittle and is showing wear cracks where it folds over the cover when it's in the upright position. I believe this is from whatever is off gassing from my water even though I leave the cover off when dosing and shocking. I would rather replace a $70 blanket than a $400 cover, even if it makes the cover last another 2 years.

With 90-95% of the water's surface covered the water has less surface area to evaporate, it still does but slowly. since I don't have a complete seal I do see water condensation on some of the cover. If I remember correctly my whole cover had condensation. Does your whole cover have condensation? If I could get a complete seal then the dryer air would insulate better.

With the surface area covered the water is less likely to cool from convection currents and the occasional wind blast under the cover. I would imagine that as the water heats the immediate air right above it, it rises and starts to cool and you get a circular effect (this happens in uninsulated walls) where cooler air drops and the cycle starts all over again. I see in the winter the steam coming out of the cover when the tub purges itself. My cover also has the "fingers" on the seam and not a complete hinge seal as some of the better covers have.

The blanket doesn't have a high "R" value but I believe it helps the cover do it's job.

[Bonibelle]

Vinny, Hot glue (high temp) works great on that spa blanket. Mine is almost a year old and it has had it...so it now has a second life as a pad in the back of my van to keep the dog from slipping. I will order a new one in the fall. I really believe it makes a big difference in protecting the cover and I am convinced it helps conserve energy  

[tony]

Vinny, Hot glue (high temp) works great on that spa blanket. Mine is almost a year old and it has had it...so it now has a second life as a pad in the back of my van to keep the dog from slipping. I will order a new one in the fall. I really believe it makes a big difference in protecting the cover and I am convinced it helps conserve energy  

I have avoided a spa blanket only because I didn't want to deal with removing it every time I wanted to use the spa.  One year is a very short life and they are not inexpensive.  You could replace your cover every three years at that rate.  At five years, I am now in need of a new cover lifter.  Doc offers blankets coupled with his lifters so I may try one this winter.

[Vinny]

I agree with Tony, paying $70 for a year is almost as expensive as buying a new cover every 4. But if you tub has headrests then the $70 a year may be a bargin compared to $350 for a cover and $$$ for the headrests every 4 years.

As a sacrificial device it sure has taken alot of abuse. I can tell the difference in when it was new vs now. It is brittle and can rip easily now, wherever it folds over the cover has cracks, it even is absorbing water - didn't expect that. If I can get another year out of it and my cover and headrests stay nice it was a $24/year investment and another $4.00 for the glue in year 2. If it really starts falling apart, then another decision needs to be made.

Depending on the outcome of this, I may get another foam blanket and when my cover finally does go I'm planning to get an extreme cover from doc and get it double wrapped. Along with the sacrificial foam blanket I may never need another cover again!!!  

BTW, the Sumo glue worked but it really looks UGLY. It was strange as I thought it would work like superglue but it needs to foam up and die down. It seems to be holding, I did get some on the inside of the cover (didn't expect it to foam that much) and it is holding on really tight there!  Another use was my pool brush cracked so I used it on that. Seems to be holding ... I'll try it out tonight.

[Bonibelle]

I posted my solution to the removal of the blanket quite a while ago. I used the gromets that hold the spa leash and made my own leash type thing that allowed me to use my cover clips to attach to the leash. As I opened the cover, the blanket followed.  MY son however decided to clip only one side and of course ripped the blanket  . We still used it and I was able to patch the rip with hot glue and a piece of the blanket that I had cut off. Now that I am remembering when he ripped it, I think my blanket is well over a year old. Anyway, the underside of my cover looks brand new and again, I think it saves energy so I will buy a new one real soon.