Should I buckle all 4 straps every time?

[Shanezam203]

Hey Guys, I obviously have a cover on my tub, I am in and out of it at least once a day if not twice...  
(I have the Spa Cover Lift installed)

Do you advise I buckle all 4 of the straps each time I get out of the tub, or what is your stance on that?

Thanks,
Shane

[Vinny]

My opinion on that is that if you don't have little ones running around or visiting then don't bother. My tub is a little sunken into the deck so a toddler may be able to lift it and fall in. If you have a tub that can't be gotten into without steps, it is a little safer than a sunken tub.

Since I don't have little ones, I only use the clips when it's windy out or I go away and then I lock the clips.

[ndabunka]

Hey Guys, I obviously have a cover on my tub, I am in and out of it at least once a day if not twice...  
(I have the Spa Cover Lift installed)

Do you advise I buckle all 4 of the straps each time I get out of the tub, or what is your stance on that?

Thanks,
Shane

Why not simply use them every time?  It's not like they are going to wear out, right?  Better safe than sorry IMHO.  Who knows when some neighbor's kid is going to sneak over and try to use your tub.

[Vanguard]

Why not simply use them every time?  It's not like they are going to wear out, right?  Better safe than sorry IMHO.  Who knows when some neighbor's kid is going to sneak over and try to use your tub.

Because most torn straps come from someone who forgot to undo the back straps.  You undo the front ones and forget to do the back ones, lift the cover and, snap go the straps.

Unless you have a lot of wind or other reasons to strap them, don't worry much about it.

[windsurfdog]

Vanguard's point about wind is excellent...the reason I make sure mine is secure up on my deck elevated 8' off  the ground.  If the backside of your spa is not in public view or your don't mind the look, I would suggest securing bungie cords to the deck/slab and connecting to the straps.  These would take care of securing it automatically.  This works well for me.

[Richs100]

The cover lift mechanism should be sufficient to keep the back of your cover securely on your tub.  I just use the front two.  In fact, my dealer intentionally shortened-up the rear two straps so they could not be used.   He said a lot of people forget they buckled the rear clips and rip them off when they use the lift to open the tub.

I get some pretty good winds where I am and have never had a problem relying on the lift to hold the rear of the lid down.

[Vinny]

Vanguard's point about wind is excellent...the reason I make sure mine is secure up on my deck elevated 8' off  the ground.  If the backside of your spa is not in public view or your don't mind the look, I would suggest securing bungie cords to the deck/slab and connecting to the straps.  These would take care of securing it automatically.  This works well for me.

Hey I brought it up first!!!

[tony]

I essentially never use the buckles, but my spa is sunk into a deck and is extremely protected from the wind.  I stopped early in ownership when I opened the spa and forgot to unbuckle the back straps.  Luckily the part that screws into the cabinet broke and it was an easy fix.  If wind is an issue, buckle the straps on the front.  There are stories around of wind blowing covers right off.

[Vinny]

The cover lift mechanism should be sufficient to keep the back of your cover securely on your tub.  I just use the front two.  In fact, my dealer intentionally shortened-up the rear two straps so they could not be used.   He said a lot of people forget they buckled the rear clips and rip them off when they use the lift to open the tub.

I get some pretty good winds where I am and have never had a problem relying on the lift to hold the rear of the lid down.

I've had the back of my cover flip frontwards when I didn't lock them down.

[Richs100]

I've had the back of my cover flip frontwards when I didn't lock them down.

Vinny:

My coverlift is a Covercradle II sold by Hot Spring.  I guess since the rear of the cover is directly attached to the lift mechanism, it can't lift up like yours did.   I hadn't thought about other lift systems.

[windsurfdog]

Hey I brought it up first!!!

Indeed you did...my apologies for the oversight!  Excellent observation!
And, like in your later post, I prefer not to rely on my cover lifter to keep the cover on.  The bungies work extremely well for me and only need periodic replacement which is easy enough. 8-)

[96SC]

The cover lift mechanism should be sufficient to keep the back of your cover securely on your tub.  I just use the front two.  [glow]In fact, my dealer intentionally shortened-up the rear two straps so they could not be used.   He said a lot of people forget they buckled the rear clips and rip them off when they use the lift to open the tub.[/glow]

I get some pretty good winds where I am and have never had a problem relying on the lift to hold the rear of the lid down.

My dealer told me not to use the back straps, too, for the same reason Richs100 told hm.  We have the HS coverlifter and our tub is in a fairly tree surrounded area so wind isn't a problem for us.  (Providing a wayward hurricane doesn't pass through).

[drewstar]

Should you buckle all 4 all the time?

Yup.

it's there for safety, if a dealer told you don't bother, because they may rip or it's a pain, then that dealer is an fu#%$@!ing idiot.  

In addition to saftey and liability, the buckles also keep the cover down in high winds, keeping in heat and keeping out debris.  A cover snuged down will also keep in heat.  A loose cover will cost you money.

Now if you hate to unbuckle the back (- and I do.  I hate it. Espically in the winter), there are a couple of things you can do:

By a huricane strap from the good folks at RHTubs.   Mount the back buckle low on th back of the spa.  this way, you wont have to unbukle the back latches. Simple. I did this on my Caspian and it worked great.   I think there are still picks on Docs Website of my TR Caspain with the strap mounted this way.    http://www.rhtubs.com/store/hurricane-strap.htm

Or you can buy cover lifters (such as the Pro lift II).  This is what I have on my Geneva and it's a topnotch cover lifter.  Because the back of the cover lifter mounts to the actual cover, there is no need for back buckles. It's fantastic.


At the very least, next time you are at your dealers, pick up a couple sets of replacement buckles. They cost under 10 bucks. They're great to have on hand because you will snap one.  Trust me.  


 8-)

[dax]

Now if you hate to unbuckle the back (- and I do.  I hate it. Espically in the winter), there are a couple of things you can do:

Straps on the back of my cover must be longer than most.  Combined with the lift, I don't have to unbuckle the backs ones.  My cover lifts up and drops back without having to unbuckle.  Glad it does because one of us would definitely forget about them.

I also rarely buckle the front ones.  The cover fits snug, and I haven't had any issues with wind.

[rick_in_cleveland]

The only time I have  buckled up is when we are gone out of town