Do It Yourself Cover Lifters

[Quickbeam]

I had an earlier post on this forum asking if it is critical to have a cover lifter (we are in the process of looking for our first hot tub). The overwhelming response I got is that yes, we need to have a cover lifter.

I have done some research and found a very simple, DIY cover lifter that just might work in our application. Someone made a cover lifter out of PVC conduit. I'll post a quick YouTube link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnS2wZsumyQ (I hope it's O.K. to do this on this website??) to show you what I'm referring to. I read in the comments section that someone inserted wooden dowels in the conduit to make it stronger.

I found a number of people who said they had tried this and it worked great, but I'm not sure any of these people were long term users. I think they put it together, tried it, and it worked. I'm wondering if anyone on this website has any long term experience using a DIY cover lifter like this one, or even something else, and how it has worked for the long term?

And just so you know, there are a couple of reasons I am looking at something like this. The main reason is that with this type of DIY cover lifter, it does not attach to the side of the tub. With at least one of the tubs I'm thinking of, with the way the tub would be situated the cover lifter would need to attach to the front of the tub, and I just don't think I can do that. With this DIY lifter, I don't have to worry about this as obviously it does not attach to the tub.

Any thoughts? Thank you.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

1. There are quite a few cover lifter that don't need to attach to the spa. Some have brackets that slide under the spa, some other can be attached to the "ground" like the on show on your youtube link.

2. Using 1" conduit/PVC might be too large for some covers, depending on their hinge design, and could cause damage to the cover.

3. You could make something very similar out of 1/2" EMT (1/2" metal electrical conduit).

[Quickbeam]

Thank you for your suggestion. I didn't put everything down in my first post as I thought it might get too complicated, but this time I'll try and explain. I actually want to be able to move the cover out and away from the spa. When we get a tub it will be situated in the corner of a roof deck. If I'm standing at the front of the spa, the right side and the back side will be wedged into the corner (there will be maybe 6 inches clearance between those two sides of the spa and the siding). On top of this, we have a view on all sides except from the front of the spa. So what I am really looking for is some way to get the cover off and then be able to transport the cover away from the spa so it doesn't interfere with the view.

I saw the DIY cover lifter on YouTube and thought I might be able to use this if I just swung the cover over onto some kind of trolley with locking wheels. The only thing I had not figured out was how to use the cover lifter without actually attaching it to the deck, so it could go on the trolley with the cover. I thought of just wedging it somehow, maybe even use something like a door wedge???

Then I just thought maybe I don't need a cover lifter at all. Could I just build a simple trolley with locking wheels, slide the cover half off the spa, and then use the middle of cover as a fulcrum to tip it up and onto the trolley and wheel it away? Would this work?

I hope this makes some kind of sense??? As always, any thoughts or ideas are appreciated.

[rosewoodsteel]

Quickbeam,

It sounds like you are a craftsman and designer.  If you can build something that will work for your particular situation, I say go for it!   Keep in mind though, that there are a number of lifter styles, some of which are quite reasonably priced.   Spa Depot comes to mind, but I am sure that there are many other on line sites that offer a variety of lifter choices.
Just remember that a cover can get quite heavy with age and can be difficult to move. (This, of course, is when you need to look into another cover..)

Good luck on the solution to your problem.
Post a picture of your lifter if you decide to build one.