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Hot Tub Tips from The Pros

Take a break and save some money, we have great tips and answers to questions here in our blog. Please feel free to comment and suggest what other questions you may have.

Causes of Spa cover damage and how to prevent it

5/2/2018

12 Comments

 
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Nothing destroys a cover faster than poor chemical maintenance of your spa, besides jumping on the cover. Chemical burns can show very quickly in a spa with poorly maintained water. Here is how to prevent chemical burns on your Hot Tub cover and why you should do it. Don't know if your cover is suffering yet? If your cover looks like this image, which we call the "hamburger effect", then it's been suffering.

The three hot tub chemical issues that damage hot tub covers
  1. Low ph levels
  2. excessive chlorine levels
  3. Chloramine Oxidation
​The part of the hot tub cover that receives the harshest affect from poorly balanced hot tub chemicals is the poly vapor wrap around the foam core of the hot tub cover, which can break down and cause either the foam to break down or soak up water and become unbearably heavy. Saturated foam also loses insulation value, costing you more on energy consumption. Once the foam is saturated it cannot be dried out due to its density and you will want to replace your cover. Click read more for more in-depth details about the three chemical issues.

Here is a cover with a good poly wrap that is intact, and then a poly wrap that has eroded and was torn due to the erosion. You can tell because of the "blocky" look to the tear.
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.1. Unbalanced ph is the most common culprit of hot tub failures. High ph won’t effect your cover, though it is still bad for it to persist in your spa, low ph is what damages your cover. Low ph is acid, and with an acidic environment the vapor from the acidic water will attack everything, including the bottom side of your cover.  Test your water at least weekly and make sure your ph does not get away from you. Keep it in the "OK" bracket of your test strips.
2. High free chlorine levels (FCl) create a corrosive environment in hot tubs. This is one of the reasons we prefer to not use chlorine in hot tubs, but excessive bromine use can cause high free chlorine counts as well. Keep your Free Chlorine (FCl) count in the "OK" bracket of your test strips. 
3. Shutting your cover after throwing in shock creates an similarly corrosive environment in the spa. Shock Oxidizer and Multi-Purpose Shock (MPS) oxidize chloramines, and with this oxidation process gassing the chloramines out of your water you want to make sure it can be released into the atmosphere. Otherwise, with no other place to go your cover will oxidize and erode the poly vapor wrap inside your cover. This is probably one of the biggest reasons people have to get new covers. Simple solution is leave your cover open for 15 minutes after you shock.
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We're always here for you. If you need a new cover, call our South Store in Springville to see what's in stock or get a custom cover ordered for you. If your spa is in need of Service, reach out to our Service Center in Spanish Fork for help.
12 Comments
Dave Johnson link
5/3/2018 11:15:47 am

Fantastic very informative and well done. Good job guys.

Reply
Thomas Jameson link
6/27/2019 09:17:44 am

It's good to know that improper chemical balance is one of the fastest and easiest ways to damage your spa. My wife and I would like to buy a spa so that we can relax and unwind after work. We'd like to make sure that it stays in good condition for as long as possible, so we'll be sure to balance our chemicals properly.

Reply
Take A Break Spas & Billiards link
7/3/2019 10:59:03 am

Thank you for your comment Thomas! We're glad someone is reading our content and learning something good.

Reply
William Terry link
8/5/2019 06:26:11 am

Informative post. It’s really a nice and helpful piece of information. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Take A Break Spas & Billiards link
8/7/2019 11:46:05 am

Thanks for commenting! It's nice to know people are looking at this blog.

Reply
Dyaln Peterson link
8/7/2019 11:04:40 am

It's good to know that unbalanced ph is the most common cause of hot tub failures. My wife and I would like to purchase a swim spa that we can use to relax, and we want to ensure that it stays in good condition. We'll be sure to look further into our options for balancing the ph of our swim spa in the future.

Reply
Take A Break Spas & Billiards link
8/7/2019 11:50:09 am

Thanks for commenting! It's great to know our blog is being read. If you're in the Utah area, we do have the largest flooring of swim spas available with 4 different lines of Swim Spas. We currently at this moment in time (August 8th, 2019) have 14 swim spas from 3 of those brands on the floor across 3 stores in Utah, so we can easily cover the needs that you have.

Reply
Randy Chorvack link
9/16/2019 10:36:38 am

I had no idea that having a low ph could affect your hot tub so much. I guess it makes sense that a low ph would mean it's acidic and therefore dangerous for your tub, but I never really thought about it. I'll make sure I keep an eye on that so that I don't have to repair my cover and tub as often.

Reply
Take A Break Spas & Billiards link
9/16/2019 11:43:02 am

Yeah it's a great thing to pay attention to. Low ph is the number one cause of voided warranties, so definitely key an eye on it if your hot tub is still within warranty.

Reply
www.hottubservicepros.com link
4/11/2020 02:31:20 pm

Very nice article !
Thanks for sharing !

Reply
Ryan Johnson link
4/11/2020 02:55:06 pm

You're very welcome!

Reply
Chris Pederson link
10/26/2020 02:37:38 pm

I had no idea that unbalanced ph causes a lot of hot tub failures. I just got a hot tub and I want to make sure it works fine. I'll be sure to have the ph levels checked often so I can avoid expensive repairs.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Ryan & matt

    These two authors have been in the spa industry many many years. Ryan grew up around hot tubs and his father, Dave, founded and owns TAB. He has been a part of the company since it started in 2006. Matt has been servicing and repairing hot tubs since 2011 and before that was a carpenter, so he's always been handy and intelligent. Together the whole world of spa and billiard questions can be answered! 

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  • Outdoor Products
    • Spas & Hot Tubs >
      • Jacuzzi Hot Tubs >
        • Jacuzzi J-500 Hot Tub Collection
        • Jacuzzi J-400 Hot Tub Collection
        • Jacuzzi J-300 Hot Tub Collection
        • Jacuzzi J-LX Hot Tub Collection
        • Jacuzzi J-200 Hot Tub Collection
        • Jacuzzi Play Hot Tub Collection
      • Sundance Spas >
        • Sundance 980 Spa Series
        • Sundance 880 Spa Series
        • Sundance 780 Spa Series
        • Sundance 680 Spa Series
      • Certified Used Spas
      • Fantasy Spas
      • Spa Accessories >
        • Covers
        • Cover Lifters
        • Spa Steps
        • Spa Accessories
    • Swim Spas >
      • Jacuzzi Swim Spas
      • Endless Pools
      • Hydropool Swim Spas
      • Cal Swim Spas
    • Deals & Promotions
    • Grilling >
      • Green Mountain Pellet Smoker Grills
      • Cal Flame Kitchens & Firepits
    • Gazebos >
      • Visscher Gazebos
      • Covana
    • Financing
  • Indoor Products
    • Billiards >
      • Billiard Brands >
        • Olhausen Pool Tables
        • Brunswick Billiards
        • Presidential Billiards
        • Imperial Pool Tables
        • GLD
      • Billiard Felt >
        • Championship Felt
        • Simonis Felt
        • Wave 7 Felt
      • Billiard Service
    • Game Tables >
      • Air Hockey
      • Ping Pong Tables
      • Foosball
      • Shuffleboards >
        • Presidential Shuffleboards
        • Brunswick Shuffleboards
        • Imperial Shuffleboards
        • Olhausen Shuffleboards
    • Game Room >
      • Darts
      • Skee-Ball
      • Lighting
      • Furniture
      • Iq Billiards
    • Massage Chairs
    • Financing
  • Services
    • Spa Service
    • Billiard Service
    • Hot Tub Moves
    • Pump/Motor Repair
    • Service Blog
  • Company
    • About TAB
    • Teacher Grant
    • Contact Us >
      • Springville Store
      • American Fork Store
      • West Jordan Store
      • Spanish Fork Service Center
    • Wet Test
    • Youtube Channel
    • Membership Savings >
      • Registered Members Page
  • Spa Help
    • Chemical Videos
    • Instruction Sheets
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Spa Service
    • Service Blog
  • Shop Online
    • Chemicals
    • Hot Tub Filters
    • Sundance Filters
    • Jacuzzi Filters