Cover lifters

[Zep]

yt.....wow thats a nice looking set-up!

thats the whitest concrete pad I have ever seen.

if you put a deck around it that will be ready for Better Homes Magazine!

looks like you have a nice big back yard.

enjoy!

[drewstar]

My cover flips up towards the back of the tub, against the house so it doesn't really block any view.  I never had a feeling of clastrohobia, or felt it was in the way at all. I guess it depends on your speficic set up.  If you want panaromanic views, then yup, I could see that it may be a concern, but if one side of your tub is facing a wall, then I honenestly feel it's a non issue. If you are concerned, you could always wait till after you lived and soaked with the tub and decide if you want a lifter, and if so, if you want/have room for a cover shelf/slide or a more conventional lifter.

I did have a tub without a lifter, and very much prefer having the lifter than not. It makes opening and closing the tub so much easier.  I  strongly recomend them.

Here's a pic. Looking at it in light of this thread, it does look like it would create some sense of being in the way, but the reality is, it doesn't.  I don't even notice it. (FWIW, this is a covermate I cover lifter on a Caspian).



You may also be able to mount it a little lower so that the cover sits lower. However, I am not sure. I installed it myself and followed the instructions to the letter.

FWIW, Here is a very poor quality pic of my beatuful wife in the tub, I post it only to show a person in the tub relative to the cover and provide a sense of scale and what it's like in the tub with the cover.

[Skellman]

I plan on having a cover lifter when I get my tub. Like Drewstar, mine will be against the house so it's a moot point. And, I'm too lazy!

While I personally don't like the stone look, it's simply personal preference. Who cares what other people think? My question to Zep. Is that a maintenance free siding?
Also, looking at Drewstars layout, do you get a lot of critters like deer etc. while you're soaking? I would love to be soaking and watch a deer roaming in the woods.

[drewstar]

I plan on having a cover lifter when I get my tub. Like Drewstar, mine will be against the house so it's a moot point. And, I'm too lazy!

While I personally don't like the stone look, it's simply personal preference. Who cares what other people think? My question to Zep. Is that a maintenance free siding?
Also, looking at Drewstars layout, do you get a lot of critters like deer etc. while you're soaking? I would love to be soaking and watch a deer roaming in the woods.

My neighbors tell me they see deer often. I've been in the house 6 years and NEVER saw a deer on my property. In the winter, I've seen tracks.   In the spring, I've seen some red fox pups, and they were amazing.  Most of the time the only animals I see are my two cats chasing chipmunks along the stone wall, or the fat lazy cat sitting under the bird house, hoping that a bird, soley by the grace of God,  falls into her open mouth.  .   Sitting by the campfire on summer nights, I've had skunks very non-chalantly waddle past me withing 2 feet.  They don't seem to mind me. (they're great for eating lawn grubs).


Anyhow, concerning covers:
I'd say if you are in a snow region, a lifter is very important. The worst thing without the lifter was after soaking on a cold snowy night, tossing back a few beers and then, after a nice relaxing soak...getting out of the tub, and having to struggle to get the cover back on the tub.   No thanks.  Nothing worse than having ato get into the snow pile (because your cover flopped over into the snow) and spending an extra few minutes with it. It kinda ruins the mood.

[imp etc]

. . . do you get a lot of critters like deer etc. while you're soaking? I would love to be soaking and watch a deer roaming in the woods.

The other night we had a Momma raccoon and two babies rooting around *under* us in the crawlspace under the deck. It was kinda strange . . . I mean I guess having a raccoon see you "skyclad" is no big deal, but when Momma saw us she started to growl, and since we knew she wasn't going to just run off (not with her babies in the vicinity) that was a little freaky  

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Gad dang urban wildlife! I'm sitting in my hot tub late one night, laying back, eyes closed, when I hear some ever so slight splashing. WTF? I'm almost asleep but gently crack one eye open. HOLLY CRAP! I'm almost face to face with TWO thirsty racoons. I'm pretty sure than were more scared than I was. I didn't have to change the water in the hot tub, but I did have to hose off the deck the next day.

I used to have cat door to let the cat in and out. One night I awoke to the noise of the cat eating her food in the kitchen. MAN, I never heard her crunching and munching so loud. She must have been completely ravonous, I thought. Decided to go see what she was up to. As I came down the hallway, and flipped on the light, I scared the HOLLY BEJEEBERS out of 4 young racoons.. that went racing around and between my legs to get out the cat door. Thankfuly, mama coon was too fat to fit through the door.

[drewstar]

My siamese stumbled across a mama racoon and her kids.  The mama racoon damn near took my cats head off (literally). It wasn't pretty. Thankfully the vets were able to save her.  I've also lost a cat to a fishercat. I bring my pets in before it gets dusk.

Racoons are nasty mean animals.

[imp etc]

Gad dang urban wildlife!

  Don't get me started . . . we have turkeys, foxes, raccoons, deer, possums . . . all ten minutes from downtown Oakland. When we first moved into our house, I'm thinking, how nice the deck is far enough off the ground that we can leave the back door open at night. NOT - the raccoons pretty quickly figured out they could use our kitchen for late-night soccer matches.

Then there was the time a deer died under our house . . .

But you haven't lived until you've experienced psychotic skunks. There was the February night one "went off" in our crawlspace, and we had to open all the doors and windows, then go spend the night in a hotel down by the airport. RAN out of the house buck naked it was so bad . . .

And of course, this is no longer about cover lifters . . . couldn't resist.

[Brewman]

Critters I've seen from our spa:

Squirrels
Chipmunks
Dogs
Cats
Deer
fox
cow
  

Yup- one time we were soaking away and a cow wandered into our backyard.  
There is a large farm relatively close to here, but not THAT close.

Farmer left the pasture gate open, a couple cows decided to take a stroll thru our neighborhood- by land we're at least a half mile from their gate.

[Chas]

Hi, I have a cover slider on my hot tub.  It is basically a couple of arms that swing out and you fold over the cover and slide the cover on to it.  

I sell those - "Cover Shelf" from Leisure Concepts. Hundred bucks. Work great.

[Chas]

Sorry, didn't mean to spoil the mood.

I saw a bluejay once.

 8-)

[imp etc]

Sorry, didn't mean to spoil the mood.

I saw a bluejay once.

 8-)

 

Well just to get back on track . . . looks like we've escaped the "newbie dump." Two months in and the water's still crystal-clear and nice. However, looking down the road a few weeks to when we WILL dump, and hopefully shift the tub the few inches we need, I will be looking for a lifter. What I would like, if possible, is one that needs very little horizontal clearance (there will be max 14 inches from the side of the tub to the gazebo). I'd also like the cover to slide down the side of the shell, so that the view doesn't get blocked.

Any advice?

[drewstar]

Sorry, didn't mean to spoil the mood.

I saw a bluejay once.

 8-)

Well according to the other thread.

Brook has seen many swallows.

/meant in a the best way possible Brook.       Just teasin ya.

[shabba34]

Sorry, didn't mean to spoil the mood.

I saw a bluejay once.

 8-)

Well according to the other thread.

Brook has seen many swallows.

/meant in a the best way possible Brook.       Just teasin mocking ya.

While we're on birds...

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

What I would like, if possible, is one that needs very little horizontal clearance (there will be max 14 inches from the side of the tub to the gazebo). I'd also like the cover to slide down the side of the shell, so that the view doesn't get blocked.

Any advice?

Doesn't exist. Look at the picture chas posted. This "lifter" leaves the cover the lowest. Even then, it sticks up at least 8" above the spa. If you're sitting up to your shoulders in the water, you'll still have your view blocked. The best you'll get from a traditional lifter (chas' is actually a shelf) is the cover folded in half, standing up on the ground next to the spa.

In terms of clearances, they're described as "rear clearance", which is the side of the spa the cover opens to, and "side clearance", which referrs to the sides of the spa the lifter is attached to.