Spa Cover Shelf

[spanewbe]

Does anyone have any experience or comments on this product?

I am ready to buy this product in place of a cover lifter for our SA Euphoria, which we will taking delivery on in mid-March once our pad and spa surround are complete.  We will be pushing the spa flush against a retaining wall on two adjacent sides, so a cover lifter will not work as all require some amount of clearance around the spa.  Also, we have views in all directions from our spa location.  All of the lifters leave some amount of the cover sticking above the shell of the spa with the lifter in the open position.  We were going to mount the Cover Shelf low enough on the cabinet such that when we slid off the cover, the cover would sit flush or slightly below the level of the shell.   The Cover Shelf was the only solution that we could come up with to deal with our lack of clearance, desire to preserve views and desire to prolong the life of the cover by not placing it on the nearby ground.  Other suggestions welcomed, of course.

[hottubber]

I like the Roll Away system, it works just like the Cover Shelf except it is made of a high impact plastic and it has rollers on it. It makes taking the cover off very easy. It retails for about $99.00.
When not in use is collapses against the side of the spa cabinet.

[HotTubMan]

I have not handled the cover shelf. I did sell a ver similair product. One problem we had was moister/sanitizers on the cover reacted with the powder coat on the bars of the "shelf" resulting in staining on the inside of the cover and oxiding on the metal bars.

No idea if the cover shelf paint is any better....

[matthewc]

I had a very similar problem with clearance around my tub. In the end I made a shelf at one end of the tub. when I get in the tub I fold the cover in half and then tip it up so that is sits on the shelf whilst leaning on the wall at the back of the tub. It is very easy to open with the only problem being that you need to get in the tub to get the cover off, which can be a problem when adding chems.

Very simple and very cheap

[spanewbe]

I like the Roll Away system, it works just like the Cover Shelf except it is made of a high impact plastic and it has rollers on it. It makes taking the cover off very easy. It retails for about $99.00.
When not in use is collapses against the side of the spa cabinet.

I just took a looked at this product.  I agree that it looks a bit slicker than the Cover Shelf.  However, since we plan on mounting this device 8 inches lower than level with the shell (to avoid obstructing views), we won't be able to get any benefit from the rollers, as we will have to lift the cover back up onto the shell with either product.

[spanewbe]

I have not handled the cover shelf. I did sell a ver similair product. One problem we had was moister/sanitizers on the cover reacted with the powder coat on the bars of the "shelf" resulting in staining on the inside of the cover and oxiding on the metal bars.

No idea if the cover shelf paint is any better....

The pictures on the web show the cover stored on the Shelf with the inside of the cover folded together.  Seems like that should keep most of the water from interacting with the Shelf arms.  I saw another similar product on the web that looked to have aluminum arms that were not painted.  Was that the one that you carried in the past?   Seems like the painted arms on the Shelf might help with the problem.

[spanewbe]

I had a very similar problem with clearance around my tub. In the end I made a shelf at one end of the tub. when I get in the tub I fold the cover in half and then tip it up so that is sits on the shelf whilst leaning on the wall at the back of the tub. It is very easy to open with the only problem being that you need to get in the tub to get the cover off, which can be a problem when adding chems.

Very simple and very cheap

This is a good idea but would not work for us since the stored cover will still stick up above the shell and obstruct our view, which is what we are trying to avoid (spa is 36 inches tall and folded cover is 46 inches tall).

[im45us]

In the beginning I think that your idea of mounting the cover lower will be fine but as it gets older and a little water logged you might find it much harder to put the cover away then you would like.

I found a small outside plastic table that is the same hight as my tub that I have always used to store my cover for my tub. I have been doing this for 11 years BUT I am getting a new cover this month and will get my first cover lifter.

Good luck Ivan

[Chas]

The cover shelf works fine. I have sold it for years.
The one caveat I would offer is this: if you mount it low, as you have mentioned, it might begin to dig into the cover. With the cover low, it slides on the end of the bars, not flat along the top or sides of the tubing as God intended.

This might work just fine, but it also might tend to create grooves in the foam inside the cover, or it might even begine to dig into the plastice bottome sheet of the cover and do damage.

Other than that....