How often should I replace my hot tub cover?

The average life of a hot tub cover is somewhere between 3 to 5 years.  There are always exceptions to this.  Since heat rises, your hot tub cover is the most important insulator for your spa.  If your cover is not adequate for your climate or if it is ripped, frayed or has broken foam, you are costing yourself extra money every month.  Who wants to pay extra?

The lifespan will depend on many factors.  The top three being maintenance, weather and water chemistry. 

Cover Maintenance:

You want to make sure you are using a cover cleaner and protectant with a UV inhibitor; weekly if exposed to the weather and monthly if it is under cover.  This helps to prevent the breakdown of the vinyl casing/skin of your cover.

Weather:

Weather can shorten the lifespan of your cover in several ways.  If you live in an extreme climate that has heavy rain or snow, your cover will take a beating.  You can help extend the life of your cover by increasing the density of your foam.  Most standard covers are made with 1# foam.  The more dense the foam, the more weight it can support.  Even with a more dense foam such as 2#, you will still want to remove any snow that accumulates on your cover.  Increasing the taper of your cover helps with run off from rain or melting snow.  

Water Chemistry:

Lastly, your water chemistry affects how long your cover will last.  Proper water chemistry ensures not only that your hot tub water is safe to bathe in, but it also helps to ensure longevity of your cover.   All aspects of water chemistry affect your cover; High Ph, hard water, elevated sanitizer levels, just to name a few.    However, your sanitizer plays the biggest role. When adding any chemical to your spa, you should always open your cover and run the jets for a complete 20 minute cycle - longer if possible.  This allows any chemicals, especially sanitizers, to gas off into the air and not into the liner of your cover.  It is also not recommended to use a floater in your hot tub.  When using a floater, the cover is down for the majority of the day.  The gasses produced from the sanitizer have no where to go except into your spa cover.  This will cause deterioration of your liner and foam.  Not only that, but you will see negative affects on you hot tub components as well.