Cover protector caps

[MFull]

Hi.  We live in snow country.  Do any of you cold climate tubbers place a protective vinyl cap on top of your existing cover to protect against snow and ice during the winter?  We are new to the world of hot tubs and I've looked into ordering one.  The prices are varied.  We are using a tarp with bungee cords cinched around the corners for now, but it's unsightly.  Do most people that get snow use these caps?  Our tub is open to the sky, so I definitely want to keep the cover protected somehow.  A local company that makes hot tub covers does sell what they call a "shroud", which is a cap made of the same typical hot tub cover fabric.  Please forward any info of what works for others.  Thanks!

[Tman122]

I used to use a broom to push the snow off. Then the sun would do the rest.

[GGRANDEE]

Try Coverstore.com. They offer a variety of covers at a reasonable price.

[kitchener]

I wonder if a cover needs to "breathe" in some way?  I've got a new Jacuzzi J-470 and the cover leaks when it rains.  So, Jacuzzi is sending me a new one.  In the meantime, I'm throwing a plastic (albeit not vinyl) tarp over the cover when I know it's going to rain.  I've noticed when I do, the water temperature runs hotter by several degrees than my set temperature (which shuts my circ pump off).  When the plastic tarp is off, it all runs normally -- stays at the set temperature, and the circ pump runs when it should.

On the other hand, here in the mid-Atlantic right now, the ambient outdoor temperature is in the high 50's.  Come the dead of winter, maybe the above results would be different?