Published on August 28th, 2014 | by Peter Young

Is It Time To Change Out Your Pool Or Hot Tub Cover?

One of the easiest ways to save money and prolong the life of your pool or hot tub is to install a cover. Not only will it help to keep in heat and reduce your electric bill, it will also help prevent dirt and debris from entering the water, which in turn will cause your pool or hot tub pump to work harder. According to Energy.gov an uncovered pool can loose up to 20,000 gallons a year through evaporation! Which is really 20,000 gallons of heated water, making it a HUGE hit on both your energy and water bills.

To help you save money on both your water and electric bills, we’ve come up with some tips to help you maintain your pool and hot tub covers and determine if they need replacing.

Things you’ll need for the job:

Flashlight
Towel
Bucket of mild Cleaning Solution
Rag

Tips: how to inspect and maintain your pool or hot tub cover

Inspection

What to look for while you’re inspecting your pool or hot tub cover. Take your flashlight and give your pool or hot tub cover a thorough visual inspection. What you’re looking for are any cracks, tears, gaps, worn seams or hinges and take note of the weight of the cover itself. When cracks and other tears appear on either the top or bottom of your pool or hot tub cover, it presents an opportunity for water and energy to seep out. If these cracks or tears are left unaddressed the insulation in your cover can become water logged. This will not only make the cover physically heavier and harder to use, the insulation itself will lose almost all of its insulating properties, thus reducing it’s effectiveness. Here is an example of a worn out hot tub cover:

Maintenance

1. Keep your pool or hot tub cover clean and free of debris. This is one of the easiest ways to maintain and prolong the life of your pool or hot tub cover. We recommend that once a month you physically brush off the top side of the cover and give it a wipe down using a rag and mild cleaning solution. It’s important to note that chemicals in both your pool or hot tubs water, or cleaning solution, can damage the cover if they sit on the cover for too long. Take your towel and be sure to dry off the cover once you’re done wiping it down.

2. Use a special moisturizer to maintain the material on your pool or hot tub cover. Another great way to maintain your cover is to keep the material “hydrated”. As your pool or hot tub cover is exposed to the sun and seasons the material it’s comprised of can “dry out” and become stiff or flakey. If this is the case use a rag and special “moisturizing” product to restore the material to its original state.

3. Address cracks and tears before they become a major issue. Addressing minor cracks and tears as they arise is the best way to keep your maintenance and operating costs low. Sometimes you can purchase special patch kits or adhesives that will allow you to fix these problems yourself. Otherwise you might end up replacing the pool or hot tub cover sooner than you should be.

4. Train your dog or keep it away from your hot tub. Green Living Ideas’s editor, in fact, once had to spend $500 on a new hot tub lid that a visiting dog chewed through in a matter of minutes. Besides the money, there’s the guilt of all that foam going to the landfill. So just keep dogs away!

Depending on the type of pool or hot tub cover you have, there might be special instructions to consider when using, storing or maintaining your cover. Be sure to check with your pool or hot tubs manufacturer to make sure you’re doing everything you can to maintain it.

If you’re looking for more ways to save on your monthly utilities, try installing a water efficient shower head or flow valve. These will help to reduce both your monthly water and electric bills.

As always, be sure sure to check out some of our other green home improvement projects: Green Living Ideas, after all, is a top 20 home improvement website!

Photo courtesy of VIP Pools and Hot Tub Works.

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Tags: damaged, hot tub cover, Insulation, pool cover, replacement

About the Author

Peter Young graduated from Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) with a degree in journalism and has made sustainability and eco-conscious living mainstays of both his professional and personal life. It was during his time at PLU that he began his journey with sustainability and it's what has led him to writing for Green Living Ideas. He currently resides in Honolulu and works for Pono Home, an energy efficiency company focused on reducing carbon emissions and promoting a healthier, greener lifestyle.