Thick ice on the cover

[awe]

My hottub is in the mountains of Colorado.  We have had good snow/cold so far this season.  Not good for soaking though as we often have very thick ice on the cover  - which we slowly melt with hot water before opening.   Any thoughts on minimizing this problem?

[lawdawgva]

Awe,

This is my first winter with a hot tub.  I live in the foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mtns here in SW Virginia.  We don't get the amount of snow you guys do of course, but I was also wondering how to handle the heavy snow/ice on the cover issue myself.  I wound up buying  a large plastic tarp and placing it over the top of the tub with a about a foot or so hanging off the sides all around when they are calling for a big storm.  Then I just lift the tarp bit by bit shedding off the snow/sleet/ice with it.  It has worked wonderfully for two big storms we had earlier this month.  To keep the tarp on in high winds you can secure the four corners with a bungee type cord.  Just one suggestion.

-Sarge

[jsimo7]

Hi I have a snow broom I got from a car dealership. It is kinda soft foam and has a broom handle on it. I try to sweep the snow off as soon as I can after it snows to stay ahead of it.

[awe]

I failed to mention that this is a 2nd home, so I'm not always there to sweep the snow off as soon as it falls.  Wish we had a caretaker...but no!  The tarp idea may certainly be worth a try, thanks.  Any other ideas?

[Brewman]

Can't think of anything bettet than a tarp.  Slide the ice right off.

[richny]

I found found this invaluable....go to Home Depot or Lowes or your favorite home center and get the squegee that is used to seal-coat driveways. It is on a regular broom handle and is relatively wide and you can push a large amount of snow off without too much hassle. I have found it a lot better than a broom. Not sure if this helps with your ice problem...but if the snow or ice is not too bad...it works great.

[st18901]

how about a lean-to made out of a sheet of plywood and a couple 2x4?s

or - seeing as this is a second home in a really snowy place and you don't have a caretaker...

get a caretaker.

one that is working on a novel...

(the closest emoticon that resembles 'Jack"

[wmccall]

I failed to mention that this is a 2nd home, so I'm not always there to sweep the snow off as soon as it falls.  Wish we had a caretaker...but no!  The tarp idea may certainly be worth a try, thanks.  Any other ideas?

Tarp sounds good for a second home, I would hate to remove it and reinstall it each time, for a weekend home that wouldn't be so bad.

[rick_in_cleveland]

We use one of those little kids orange plastic snow shovels.  They are about a foot wide and aren't sharp enough to gouge the cover but will take the snow AND ice off without a problem

[tonyp]

Tarp sounds good for a second home, I would hate to remove it and reinstall it each time, for a weekend home that wouldn't be so bad.

I only use my tarp when a storm is expected.  Four bungee cords to eye-hooks in my deck so I could leave it on and fold it with the cover by only removing 2 of the cords, if necessary.

[J._McD]

I would suggest taking a closer look at the cover.  If you are getting ice, that means heat is coming through the cover which is a problem in and of itself.  An "Insulating Cover" is exactly that and should not be melting snow to turn into ice.

Generally speaking, if your cover gets heavy because of moisture absorption into the insulating foam, that moister transfers heat out the top of the cover and is not doing it's job to "hold the heat in".  You will be loosing heat and as snow comes down it melts, walla, ice.

A cover that does not hold heat in will be a spa that uses more electricity to replace the heat.  during the shopping process, not a lot of attention is given to the cover until you need a replacement cover and get blown away by the prices because of the different materials that are used in "better made" covers.  

If you buy a replacement cover on price, you don't get "better" goods and there is a serious question about what you do get.  A cheaper cover or a better cover?

[Hot Tub Guru]

awe-

Where in Colorado is your 2ed home located?  I offer a weekly maintance service where we check your chemcals, get the ice/snow off your spa, and quite a bit more.  My store is in Dillon.  

Michael
www.HeavenlyTimes.com

[lawdawgva]

I would suggest taking a closer look at the cover.  If you are getting ice, that means heat is coming through the cover which is a problem in and of itself.  An "Insulating Cover" is exactly that and should not be melting snow to turn into ice.

I didn't think about that scenario J McD, I was thinking that awe meant the ice on the cover was coming from sleet and ice storms they had.  But yeah, if you're having snow, which then turns into ice, something is up with the cover's insulating properties.

-Sarge

[chaunceyboyblu]

i love in nw montana and it is really cold and we have already gotten a lot of snow. i just open it up and the snow and ice mostly falls off as i do it.while we are in the tub i can hear the ice sliding off every once in a while since the cover is now folded and upright. i have had to shovel off the area below where the cover sets when open as a lot of snow and ice has accumulated. also sometimes when i am opening it i have to really give it a push since it is much heavier, but i have always done it by myself. i suppose if there was a couple feet of really heavy snow, a person on each side may help. i dont know why sweeping it off would be neccesary?