Time for a new cover

[wmccall]

The regulars here may enjoy the irony 8-) that now I have to order a new cover and lifter.   I was planning on doing so in Sept and having it arrive in October to time it with my next planned water change.  This will be my third cover in 5 years, the first one lasting 2 years and the 2nd one 3 years.  This is my first one since my departed dealership, so its off to the internet.   My current water logged cover finally broke the arm of the lifter.   I'm going to stick with the covermate II under the tub mount so I won't have to drain just to mount the lifter.  We have a big tub and its just the two of us, so I think I'm going to go for a thinner cover and better reinforcement in the hinge and doublewrapping to keep moisture out of the core.  I think my old covers had a 5" to 3" taper, but I think I'm going to go down to 4" to 2".   to be more managable and make single soaking a little easier.

Anyone have any thoughts on the cover saver as premeired here a few years ago?

[Bonibelle]

Bill, I purchased the cover saver a while back. In theory, it seems like a good thing, but in practice...well, lets say I took it off and don't miss it at all. The one issue was the sticky crap that attaches the straps to the cover. When the summer sun beat on my cover, it kind of melted and the straps slipped off. It left a goopy mess that I still haven't been able to remove entirely.

I understand how it is supposed to help, but my cover is still in excellent condition (will be three years old in December). I bet if you had a cover that had already begun to get a bit waterlogged, the cover saver might help extend the life a bit longer because of the weight of the cover.

From my very limited experience though, I would say the quality of the cover is what will make it last longer, not gadgets (although I tend to love gadgets )

It's not an expensive investment...but you may want to see if anyone else has had a more positive experience

[In Canada eh]

Bill,

  Can't you use your influence as the "Almighty Moderator" and sweet talk Doc into a deal on a new cover in exchange for some free advertising

  Where did your second cover come from?  It only lasting 2 years seems a little short

[wmccall]

Bill,

    Where did your second cover come from?  It only lasting 2 years seems a little short

Both covers came from my original Dynasty dealer. I assume they came from Dynasty.  The first one probably didn't last because of me putting in Dichlor and closing the lid. I learned better and the 2nd one lasted 3 years.  While the Dynasty is a decent tub, the original cover and lifter weren't top of the line.  Now I know better.

[Mr._Bubbles]

I was debating getting a cover from Doc or here http://www.spacoverbuydirect.com/ .  Has anyone tried one of the SpaMate covers from that web site? I like the idea of not having to measure.

I ended up going with an OEM Cover again. I order it from a “somewhat” local place online and had it less than two weeks later.

[thearm]

Bill,
Just received a cover from RH TUBS. I am very happy with the quality of cover. One caution I have is watch the delivery as mine took 9 weeks to get. They told me they were very busy and orders were backlogged. It is good for them to be busy, bad for me for having to wait but have it now and it works great.

The regulars here may enjoy the irony 8-) that now I have to order a new cover and lifter.   I was planning on doing so in Sept and having it arrive in October to time it with my next planned water change.  Anyone have any thoughts on the cover saver as premeired here a few years ago?

[wmccall]

Bill,
Just received a cover from RH TUBS. I am very happy with the quality of cover. One caution I have is watch the delivery as mine took 9 weeks to get. They told me they were very busy and orders were backlogged. It is good for them to be busy, bad for me for having to wait but have it now and it works great.

I can appreciate the anxiety of performing the measurements.  But I printed out the instructions and took my time. I took my time and on each step weighed what might happen if I tweaked the measurement. I've used my covers well enough to see how they work.  I think I did a good job with the measurements, the hardest part was picking the color, a friend bought a green one and I think it looks good.  Gina said to stick with the brown one and when I go against her judgement when it comes to things like that I'm usually wrong.  (Though I may still go with Pearl on our next tub. )

I'm also looking at a couple other options that were suggested to me.

[mjb]

Bill,
Maybe the fine folks at All Seasons can throw you a bone
on a cover and lifter combo purchase.
They had nice custom covers made in Ohio when I was there.

[stuart]

just for grins unzip your cover and see if you can find a tag or label anywhere on it....Dynasty didn't make it they have it made by someone else and with the track record you've had I suspect it might be Cal Cover (no relation to Cal Spas)

[wmccall]

just for grins unzip your cover and see if you can find a tag or label anywhere on it....Dynasty didn't make it they have it made by someone else and with the track record you've had I suspect it might be Cal Cover (no relation to Cal Spas)

Ok, that has my curiousity up, I'll take a look this weekend and see what there is to see.

[stuart]

Ok, that has my curiousity up, I'll take a look this weekend and see what there is to see.

The most likely places for the tag would be right in the zipper area, along a seam under the flap, by  the end "squeeze pillows" or inside the outer shell along a seam.

[Vinny]

just for grins unzip your cover and see if you can find a tag or label anywhere on it....Dynasty didn't make it they have it made by someone else and with the track record you've had I suspect it might be Cal Cover (no relation to Cal Spas)

In 2005 Artesian was using Cal Cover as well. It's been 3 years since I got the tub and the cover is holding up OK, not great ... the center seam where the cover lifter goes is starting to wear down. I was using a spa blanket from Doc the first two years and I purchased another blanket not from Doc that is crap IMO, I don't use it religiously the way Doc's was used.

It is possible that it's the reason why my cover isn't water logged yet.

Bill, I would get the 6" to 4" taper - I think doc has said it's just as heavy or slightly heavier than the standard cover.

[windsurfdog]

Regarding the Cover Saver, the two that I had (the second a warranty replacement) deteriorated from sun exposure.

Stick with a reinforced hinge instead.

And, yes, I'm still entirely happy with my cover from the good Doc. 8-)

[stuart]

Soo,
Lets talk covers....Maybe we can entice the good Dr. to step in if we do!

I'm not really a fan of the 6-inch cover even though certain brands sell it as something their entire team can stand on, it is unnecessary if the cover is made correctly. Six inch covers are bulky and when they get water logged they will be so heavy it will take that team standing on it to haul it off. Besides that the expense doesn't outweigh the cost unless you consistently have tons and tons of snow on your cover.

There is really strong and really strong 4 inch foam with great "R" value if you look for it (or ask).

In the mountains of Colorado we destroy covers pretty fast with our UV rays being so intense, our hail, our snow coming in large amounts and then melting the nest just to the point that it leaves a sheet of ice on top.

Buying a cover with heavier density foam, better seams, better vinyl (with UV Protection) and better interior wrap is the way to go.

More importantly, how you clean your cover, what products you use, how often you flip the foam and whether or not you use a cover lifter and floating inner cover will decide how long the cover lasts more.

One manufacture claims they "Pour" their foam so it's less likely to absorb water, this is just a claim and never verified. Most cover manufactures use a hot knife to cut the foam and thereby seal the edges but the "Inner wrapping" is what really makes a difference here.

I'm not the cover expert though...Doc is so I would welcome his comments here.

What we see the most for damage is that people never clean or treat their cover so it gets dry and brittle then we get a few hail storms a year that cracks the outer and inner wrap and causes the water to absorb. We also see a lot of chemical damage.

[Water Boy]

Looks like Stuart is doing a little fishing this morning, so I guess I will bite. You must be referring to this cover:



I will tell you more about this cover. It isn’t 6 inches, but rather a 5" x 4" inch cover. The foam is not "poured" but rather mould injected with two steel reinforced channels in the center. The reason it is mold injected is to prevent cuts, and prevent moisture absorption where the cuts are made. I too agree that the inside wrapping is very important. This cover uses a Mylovac wrapping instead of regular plastic, and this helps to work as a reflective moisture barrier. The cover also has a center insulating baffle where the two cover seams meet in the middle to prevent heat loss at the seam. Lots of covers today don’t have that baffle, and that baffles me, no pun intended!

Lastly, the cover isn’t sold as one that you need to have because you can stand on it and walk on it, even though you can. It is to show the strength of the cover, which there is no denying, and to show that a customer will be protected in heavy snow storms, and strong winds, which are things that both happen in lots of climates in the world. It also a very good insulating cover to say the least!!!

I am not a expert in covers either, and I have never have proclaimed this cover to be the best out there, but it as good as any out there.