A hot tub cover can cost anywhere from $100 to $1,000 and can last anywhere from 3 years to 8 years. Because it’s so expensive and needs to replaced every so often, is it even worth having a hot tub cover?
Heat Retention
Many people think all a hot tub cover does is cover the spa so leaves, sticks, debris, bugs, and pests can’t get into it. But it has more uses than just that. The greatest benefit of a hot tub cover is it’s ability to trap heat. Heating your spa can get expensive. Without a hot tub cover, the heat just escapes into the air. A hot tub cover helps trap heat inside the spa, and keep out cold air. If you live in colder areas, a hot tub uses more power to heat up. A cover can retain that heat, saving you money you would have spent heating your spa.
Evaporation
A hot tub cover also prevents evaporation. As part of the water cycle, water will evaporate. Without a cover, the water in your spa turns to water vapor and escapes into the air. In a hot tub with a cover, the water turns to water vapor but hits the inside of the hot tub cover, then collects into drops of water, and finally drips down into the hot tub. Over time, this water adds up. A cover saves you money you would have spent on water to fill your hot tub.
Pests & Debris
As stated above, a hot tub cover prevents sticks, leaves, debris, bugs and pests from entering your spa. Pests can cause physical damage to the spa. With a cover, this is prevented. Leaves, dust, and other debris can wreck havoc on your water chemistry, meaning you have to use more chemicals to keep your hot tub water clean. When it comes to bugs, nobody wants to soak in a hot tub littered with bugs.
Safety
You may or may not have kids, but a hot tub cover deters them from entering the hot tub by themselves. Some covers are physically too heavy for the kids to lift and some actually lock. The locks are not as advanced as a bank vault, but some are too tricky for younger kids to figure out. Kids should always be supervised in a hot tub.
Weather
A hot tub cover also protects your spa from the elements. Rain water in your hot tub can mess up your water chemistry or overflow your hot tub. If you live in a area where it snows, a hot tub cover also prevents snow from handing in your spa. When the snow melts, it can overflow your hot tub, but the worst part is it will lower the temperature of your hot tub. You’ll once again have to use more energy heating your spa up. The sun’s UV rays can also cause discoloring to your spa and cause your spa to deteriorate faster.
Conclusion
Is a hot tub cover necessary? No, but it will save you serious money and energy. You can have a functioning hot tub without a cover, but it just makes more sense to have one. You’ll get many more years out of your spa with a cover than you would without one.
