Are Hot Tub Covers Necessary? (Read This First)

YES. As a hot tub owner, you surely want to be able to have it in good condition for a long time. Maintaining the hygiene of your spa is very important and a clean cover can help you achieve that.

However, if it is in good condition and well taken care of, a hot tub cover won’t do much harm.

In fact, by blocking evaporation from water when not being used, the use of protective covers may actually extend the lifetime of your spa.

But what happens if you don’t have one? Is it really that bad to leave your spa open when not using it?

In short- yes. It’s true that the hot tub doesn’t evaporate as much water while closed but there are other issues that should be taken into account beforehand.

Maybe you don’t know it but the water and the tub experience a huge pressure difference when in use and closed respectively. This can be harmful to both of them, especially if your spa has lost some of its original shapes over time.

Now, let’s try to understand why this is happening. Imagine that there are two bowls filled with water separated by a board. One of the bowls is open at one end while being covered at the other end keeping the board in place.

The amount of water on each bowl will stay equal because gravity keeps each bowl with an equal weight of water so they won’t move. But how come do they not move? Gravity holds them in place so why doesn’t the board? Because there is a pressure difference. 

The side with the open end has less water which means that it’s exerting less pressure. In other words, what you have just created is a low-pressure system.

Congratulations On the opposite side, the bowl being covered offers more water and therefore creates a high-pressure system because of this extra weight. This difference in pressures is what prevents the water from moving so your hot tub cover does its job perfectly.

But when removing your spa cover or when leaving it open, you are creating no pressure difference so water begins to evaporate faster than normal making your spa lose some of its content even if you are using mineralized water for significantly reducing the evaporation rate.

Moreover, if left open in cold weather, leaves and other gunk from outside may fall into your spa potentially clogging the filters.

So it seems that a hot tub cover shouldn’t be neglected. It is true that a good quality one is a bit expensive but with a bit of care, it will safeguard your investment for years to come since when used consistently, you won’t have to pay too much attention to evaporation rate or any kind of debris falling inside your hot tub.

In fact, if you choose an automatic hot tub cover, you may even avoid all this hassle with common maintenance altogether.

It’s worth noting that not all manufacturers recommend using covers for their spas.

If you want to make sure what you should do with yours, don’t hesitate to contact the manufacturer, so you can be sure that you are doing everything legally and in accordance with your product’s warranty.

What are the main benefits of using a hot tub cover?

The number one benefit of having a hot tub cover is that it keeps dirt particles from being able to get into the water.

Dirt and other foreign materials can eventually damage the internal components of your spa if enough manage to sneak past you. It’s on these days when you have friends over for a swim that you’ll really appreciate the way your hot tub cover prevents all those little bits of dirt from getting inside.

You also don’t have to worry about children or pets who may be inside without your supervision because the cover will take care of any problems before they become major issues.

A cover also does a good job of insulating the tub itself. Keeping heat inside is key to conserving energy and saving money on heating costs.

If you have an infrared or another type of space heater hooked up to your tub, then you should use it only when you’re actually taking a soak. By turning off the heater while you’re away, you can prevent costly overuse that leads to higher bills at the end of each month.

hot tub covers

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As for safety concerns, hot tub covers are probably one of the best ways to ensure that kids don’t fall in by accident.

They might complain about not being able to get their toys out from underneath them, but they’ll be grateful for that when they get older. The covers also help to prevent any adults from accidentally falling into the tub while you’re not around.

Hot tub covers are one of the least understood but most important aspects of taking care of a spa. Many people think they don’t need it, but eventually, they find out how wrong they were when their hot tub starts to show signs of rust or deterioration. If you want to protect your investment over time, then make sure you have a cover on whenever the hot tub isn’t in use.

Color/Pattern

The purpose of buying a hot tub insulation cover is simple – it helps keep the heat inside your hot tub when you are not using it. The heat otherwise can amount to almost half the energy that has been used to heat it up.

Size

The insulation cover can also help to protect your hot tub from damage due to snow, rain, and other elements in the environment.

In addition, it will prevent any form of debris from entering the area where you have your hot tubs set up.

This saves a lot on maintenance costs when compared with having to clean out leaves, seeds, and other types of dirt in order for them not to clog up the filtration system in your tubs.

Type

Some users have reported that they have saved as much as $100 per month after switching over to using insulation covers during the time when their hot tubs are not in use.

Assembly

This is very important when you consider the cost of electricity in some parts of the world and so if one can save even a few dollars on each month’s bill with such insulation covers then it already becomes worth the investment for most homeowners.

However, keep in mind that you will need to get a qualified individual to install them properly, or else all your energy-saving efforts might go down the drain and you may end up spending more on your monthly bills than before.

Here’s a list of additional great benefits of having a hot tub cover:

Hot tub covers help retain heat

By keeping heat inside the spa, they allow you to use less energy (such as propane or electricity) heating up the water each time you get in. Less power used = smaller electric bill.

Hot tub covers prevent debris from entering

Debris such as leaves and dirt can be bad for your spa by clogging pumps and jets. They also make your water look less appealing. With a hot tub cover, your water remains clean and free of debris, reducing the number of times you need to drain it.

Hot tub covers can prolong filter use

When not having a cover for your spa, you would need to replace the filter cartridges every few months. By using a hot tub cover, filters can last one or two years. This means spending less money on replacing filters and more time enjoying your relaxing retreat.

Hot tub covers keep out animals

It may sound silly but this is actually true. You probably don’t want any critters inside your spa with you (or at least we hope not).

A hot tub cover will prevent unwanted animal visitors from hopping into your spa for a nice swim.

Hot covers help reduce energy costs

A hot tub cover makes your spa an attractive place for a party. This means more people using it, which in turn uses more energy. Keep the heat in and keep unwanted guests out, and you’ll see a lower energy bill at the end of the month.

Hot tub covers prevent chemical loss

Oftentimes when your spa is uncovered, heat rises from your spa into the air around it. A lot of chemicals get lost this way so keeping them inside with a healthy amount of circulation is important to preserving water quality.

The benefits of having a hot tub cover are many and they can save you money on utilities while protecting your investment.

Conclusion

In the end, a hot tub cover is a worthwhile purchase.

It protects your spa from debris and animal invasions. It also extends the life of your inflatable hot tub by protecting it from sun damage.

Inflatable spas that are kept inflated will last longer than those that are not used for certain periods of time.

However, don’t think that just because you have acquired a cover for your inflatable tub, you can let it sit outside uncovered during the winter months without putting in antifreeze – it just won’t work.