Best Hot Tub Spa Cover

So, you have purchased a hot tub. Wonderful! I'm sure it will bring you many years of use and relaxation. Of course, to ensure that, there is something you need to do, and it is not cleaning and chemical pouring, although you certainly need to do that as well. No, you are going to need a good, high quality hot tub spa cover.

A good hot tub cover can be the difference between minor yearly increase in energy usage, and major yearly increase, as well as significantly decreasing the amount of time you're forced to spend cleaning debris out of your hot tub. But what makes a good hot tub cover? Are all brands and types the same?

Most hot tub covers have a very similar design structure. A type of insulated foam is wrapped in vinyl of various qualities, and you have a hot tub cover. In such a situation, the old adage "you get what you pay for" rings true. The cheaper the cover you purchase the lower quality it tends to be. The quality you need, however, can vary depending on your situation.

If you live in a temperate climate, you probably do not need a heavy duty hot tub spa cover. But if you live in colder climates, where heat is liable to escape much more easily, you'll want a higher quality cover. As well, if you have small children that might play around your hot tub, the higher quality covers are a much better option, as they're usually built to be much more sturdy should something fall on top of it.

There are also two different kinds of covers - the "shell" cover, and the "blanket" cover. The shell cover is an aluminum or plastic shell that sits over the top of the hot tub. These are generally useless in terms of keeping the hot tub energy efficient. Occasionally, you will find a shell that has a built in layer of foam, but even these tend to not have the efficiency of the vinyl covers. Shells are, however, very good at keeping debris out, and chemical smells in, so if your hot tub is situated inside instead of outside, or even outside in a very temperate climate, then a shell might be the proper cover for you. Blankets are very much what they sound like. They're a layer of material, usually made of plastic, which sits on top of the water. Blankets tend to be decent at aiding energy efficiency, but they can be messy and difficult to use. Also, they're not very good at keeping debris out.

These are the kinds of hot tub spa covers available to you. The "best" cover will depend, of course, on your own personal needs. Most people simply buy a mid-quality vinyl cover, and call it a day. While that's not necessarily a bad idea, it may leave you paying more than you need, or leave you with an item whose quality is far below what you need.