Posts Tagged ‘hot tub covers’

Preparing Your Home Spa For Winter

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

As the cold winter months draw near, if you own a hot tub or spa in your home, you are left with two choices. You can drain and cover your home spa, or if you wish to keep enjoying your spa during winter, you can choose to flush it and place fresh water in it. Regardless of your decision, you must act fast to keep your home spa in good shape and save money and energy at the same time. Improper draining or winterizing may eventually damage your home spa. Here are some tips on how to keep your spa in top shape during the winter months.

To prepare your hot tub or spa for the winter, check out the manual so you will know what needs to be done to get it ready. If your spa has a freeze protection system, switch it on and ensure that the heat settings are a little higher than usual. If your home spa comes with a timer/auto heat mode selector, use this to prevent freezing.

If you have no freeze protection, place the timer switch to cycle on at regular intervals. In cool places, it might help if you cycle on at least 15 minutes every hour. This extra run time is crucial in cold weather. But if you use your home spa daily, less energy is required to maintain a constant temperature than allowing the device to cool off and heating it up again.

Before shutting down your spa, get a degreaser to remove oils from skin and bath products. These accumulate in the pipes and jets. Do this 24 hours before draining. It is a good idea to use an underwater pump to remove water. Then clean the vents and filters. Remove the cartridge filter from the skimmer. Clean the skimmer entrance using a cloth that has been soaked in filter cleaner. Always wear gloves while doing this. Soak the filter in a bucket of water together with the recommended filter cleaner to eliminate oils and sediments. Rinse thoroughly and put aside.

Lastly, vacuum the remaining water and put back the filter cartridge into the skimmer. Use a non-abrasive polish to clean the surfaces of your home spa.

For great accessories to help winterize your hot tub, visit InventorySpas.com.

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Types Of Spa Covers

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

To protect your outdoor spa, you need a good spa cover. This cover rests across the top of a spa and completely covers it. Spa covers come in different sizes to fit a particular make or model. They should be easy to remove and replace after use. Many of them are hinged in the middle to fold back. This allows chemical maintenance even if you don’t remove the whole cover.

What are the advantages of a spa cover? It helps maintain water temperature by stopping heat from escaping when you’re not using the spa. This saves energy used by the heater and prolongs its life. A spa cover also prevents chemicals from evaporating, making chemical maintenance a breeze.

Aside from this, a spa cover shields the water from the environment so you can be in your spa any time you like. It stops dirt and other debris from entering the water. Because numerous spa covers are made from vinyl and contain steel frames, they can support an average person and prevent accidental falls. This minimizes the risk of drowning incidents.

Each spa cover has its own advantages and disadvantages. One of the most common types is the rigid foam spa cover. However, this type may become saturated with water and heavy enough to break the foam. An insulated spa cover can keep the temperature warm and reduce heating costs depending on the kind of insulation it has. This means your spa is ready to use anytime which can be handy in cold weather. Although it can be expensive, this type of cover is durable and you don’t have to replace it often, making it a good investment.

Rolling spa covers are another type. This cover has nice colors that will complement your spa. Since its made of foam, it is easy to use. It can be rolled up and put away when you’re using the spa. For top quality spa covers at competitive prices, visit http://discountspacovers.com/.

For top quality spa covers at competitive prices, visit DiscountSpaCovers.com.

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When To Replace Your Hot Tub Cover

Sunday, August 8th, 2010

Hot tub covers are essential because they keep your spa clean and safe. They prevent impurities from getting into the water, they stop pets or small children from drowning, and they help retain heat so you can make use of your spa anytime and minimize heating costs. In addition, they shield the spa from the sun that can destroy your investment.

But even if you care for your spa, you have to change its cover after years of use. This can happen for various reasons. When used for a long time, your spa cover may become heavy and waterlogged or even moldy. If rain collects above the cover, it is absorbed by the foam and the latter eventually sags. This minimizes the spa covers insulating effect, leading to bigger heating bills.

As the problem get out of hand, the stretched vinyl cover may rip or end up so heavy from absorbing water that its difficult to move. Until you purchase a new spa cover, you can stop water-logging by unzipping the cover every two to three months and dry the foam.

The major enemy of spa covers is chemical abuse. A lot of people treat their spa with chemicals to make it clean. But they should remove the cover for at least an hour after applying these chemicals. This permits the spa to breath, gives the chemicals a chance to mix with the water, and maximizes the life of the spa cover. Mother Nature can likewise destroy spa covers, more so those that don’t allow water to run off but to collect around the cover. Although a typical spa cover can support 200 pounds, why test it or abuse it? Bear in mind that rainfall, snow, tree limbs and leaves don’t reside in your spa cover and shouldn’t be there.

Make it a point to change the spa cover every two decades or earlier if there are problems. Outdoor spa covers often wear out quickly than indoor ones because they are exposed to the weather. Your spa cover definitely wont live as long as your spa so be sure to replace it when needed.

For top quality spa covers at competitive prices, visit DiscountSpaCovers.com.

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Deciding Between A Home Spa Or Pool

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

Making the decision to add a little water fun in your outdoor space can be a challenging one. Trying to decide between all of the options can be overwhelming. You may be trying to decide between a home spa and pool. There are several benefits to both, and you must take into consideration several items before making your final decision.

First, cost is a huge factor. Typically, home spas or hot tubs can cost a lot less than an in-ground pool. An above ground pool may be an option but many are not a fan of how they look. Remember that both options will add some value to your home but it is correlated to how much you spend.

Keep upkeep and safety in mind when making your decision. A pool, for example, will require that you fish out debris and clean it more often. Each will require frequent filter changes and proper chemical cleaners. Spas and hot tubs are safer than pools because they can be covered and locked when not in use. Doing so will keep small kids and pets from getting in. Safety is much more difficult around a pool.

Make sure to consider your climate, location and that you have enough space for an addition. If you live in the Southwest, for example, you might want to consider a pool since the temperatures are likely to be warmer year-round. But if you live in the northeast where even summer evenings are chilly, a hot tub might be the perfect addition to your home. Hot tubs are also a great option for those with limited space. Hot tubs also offer jets and other relaxing qualities for those who want to use their addition for achy joints and muscles.

Regardless of what you decide, always make sure that you do plenty of research and purchase from a reliable vendor.

For the best and largest selection of home spas, go to Inventoryspas.com.

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Why Get A Spa Cover

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Once you have made the decision to purchase a home spa, your next decision should be which cover to get. Why should you get a spa cover? A spa cover is an essential item for several reasons.

A spa cover is great for maintaining a clean spa because it prevents debris from landing inside. Without such a cover, you will find your spa attracts leaves, insects, bird droppings, dirt and other undesirable debris. Prevent this quickly by getting a spa cover.

Secondly, a cover helps save money over the life of your spa. This is because the cover keeps heat inside of the hot tub. Basically, heat loss is minimized so that your spa is ready whenever you are ready to enjoy it. In order to keep heat from escaping and to keep your spa clean when not in use, make sure that it is covered with a quality spa cover.

Third, a spa cover can prevent accidental deaths and injuries. Each year, too many individuals drown in spas and pools. Typically, such individuals means young children. A spa cover can save the lives of your loved ones as well as protect your investment.

Selecting the best spa cover can take time since there is a wide variety. Do enough research since each spa cover offers unique advantages and disadvantages. Pick one that is made from quality materials and is easy to use. Online resources will help you. Such resources are available to help you make the perfect selection. Try looking for the best quality cover for your budget. Remember that a spa cover is worth the investment and the more money you spend, the better quality of cover you can expect. Take into consideration the climate you live in, the location of the spa and whether pets or children will be around the spa.

For the widest selection of spa covers, visit DiscountSpaCovers.com.

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Keeping Your Spa Clean

Sunday, April 25th, 2010

Having your very own spa can be fun and give you hours of relaxation. However, you have to maintain it if you want it to last for a long time. Keeping your spa clean is vital for your health and will ensure that your spa serves you well for many years. You can do this simply by sanitizing your spa regularly. Sanitizers kill harmful bacteria that grow in warm water.

But at times this is easier said than done. A clean spa is possible only with the right chemicals. Still, scum may develop from time to time. This is composed of a number of hard water elements and foreign materials that stick to your spa. So how do you get rid of it? What chemicals should you use? Here’s what’s available at local stores:

Chlorine is a popular sanitizer which is used in pools that comes in different concentrations. Hot tub owners have a choice of chlorine tablets or granules that are used specifically for hot tubs.

Bromine can be purchased as tablets, nuggets or granules. One form called sodium bromide is activated when mixed with an oxidizer like chlorine or potassium monopersulfate. Another type is called BCDMH which is a self-activating combination of chlorine and bromine. Many prefer bromine over chlorine since the former is an effective sanitizer that doesn’t smell as bad as the latter. It has a wide range of pH levels and is often distributed through a floating feeder or cartridge system.

Biguanide is a non-chlorine, non-bromine product that can kill harmful organisms by attacking the cell wall. The elimination of organics is done by using a hydrogen peroxide-based oxidizer that actually burns organic matter to keep the water clear. Compared to bromine or chlorine, this chemical has fewer odors and doesn’t gas off at high temperatures.

For top quality spa covers at competitive prices, visit www.discountspacovers.com

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