Coast Radiance Hot Tub cover problems

[jasong]

Hi There,

My wife and I purchased our first hot tub last april and so far love the Radiance hot tub by Coast Spas.  We live in Northern Ontario and get some pretty harsh days during winter.  I have been having nothing but problems with my cover and am curious to know if anyone else with this hot tub is having similar problems.  

First of all, for those who are not familiar with the Radiance model, it has a raised arch back with a very nice waterfall feature.  Because of this arched back, some modifications had to be made to the cover to fit the hot tub.  Instead of actually making a cover specifically for this hot tub, it seems to us that Coast simply modified there stadard cover but putting a longer skirt at the back and supplying these velcro on pads to account for the arch.  Well this makes it very difficult to get the cover on the hot tub since these velcroed on pieces constantly snag the edge and get pulled off.  I have to get under the cover and lift it with my head to clear the edge of the hot tub.  This isn't too big of a deal, just a little inconvenient since my wife doesn't have the strength to do this so she has to walk around the back of the hot tub and lift the cover which is awkward with 4 feet of snow on the ground around the back.

My biggest concern is the amoung of heat loss and freezing I am getting around this cover because it doesn't seal properly around the hot tub.  With our Radiance hot tub, we got the slate sides which includes a nice little 1" lip where the sides meet the shell.  Because of this lip and the fact that the skirt of the cover falls below the lip, there is a large air gap all around my hot tub.  Also because the skirt is below this lip, when it gets very cold which is every day, the skirt tends to shrink almost locking itself over this lip.  I have to use excess force to get the cover off which is causing significant damage to the handles on the cover to the point that they are almost ripped off.  Also, because of this shrinkage, the skirt of the cover is all cracked.  Lastly, because of this arched back, the centre of the cover (fold point) is actually lower than the back and melted snow gathers there then freezes making it difficult to get the cover off.  Also, because of this, the little pad between the two sections of the cover along the edge isn't sealed in properly so I can see a lot of steam escaping out.

I can't imaging I am the only one experiencing these problems and would like to hear what others have done.  I have talked to my dealer and they are seeing what they can do but I am not putting a lot of faith in getting much out of them.  The cover is only 9 months old and looks like it has gone through a war.

Thanks,
Jason...

[Pathfinder]

The Radiance has raised back just like the Jacuzzi 400 series.  Im pretty sure they have a complete solid cover.  Since you are in Ontario you may have to end up getting a new custom cover done up. HST based in S.Ont im pretty sure makes an after market cover like that But you would have to go through a spa dealer or service shop to order one.   Coast is notorious for weird covers with flaps.

[Chas]

I know this will not answer the OP in this thread, but I would like to point out that I have had trouble getting and fitting covers on tubs with any design other than a nice flat top. Speaker bumps, raised sections, waterfalls that stick up - all tend to make it tough to keep heat in. I live in a warm climate, so if the cover doesn't sit perfectly it is not going to cause nearly as much trouble as it would in snow/ice country - but our energy rates are pretty high so any heat loss is important to my customers.

I would say that shoppers should keep this in mind.


 8-)

[jasong]

Heaven for bid the sales people mention that when you purchase.  If I had known I would have to change my cover 2 or 3 times as often, I would have considered a different model.

I am still looking for insight from other Radiance owners as to if they have similar problems and how they have overcome them.

Thanks,
Jason...

[Swell-Tub]

I put money down on a Radiance but ended up buying a Jacuzzi J-470. The J-470 has the raised back with the dual waterfalls. It looks exactly like the Radiance. We bought ours in May last year and have never had a problem with the cover. So I'm not sure about the statement that only flat tubs don't have problems.

Scott  8-)