Is is okay to keep a hot tub in the weather?

[XprtCombatNinja]

I moved into a new house two years ago and it had a 26' round pool and a 200 gal hot tub. We've been doing great with them and this forum has saved me $$$millions$$$ having never owned a pool and anything before. The hot tub is on the deck off the back of the house and had a 10'x10' Tent/awning/covering (like what you see in the seasonal section of Lowes/HomeDepot). However, this winter was particularly bad and our awning colapsed and shredded and bent to all h*LL. Since we hate the deck and its too small for our needs, we are thinking about putting a patio down. I built a terrible ghetto lean to/shelter over the hot tub for now. THAT being said... I'm wondering if its okay to leave your hot tub out in the elements. Does it hurt it to have the rain coming down on it and snow piling up. We want to take good care of it but my wife was never particularly satisfied with the covering it had. Note: The hot tub does have a folding cover over it (sadly, with a minor rip from the awning coming down on it).

Does anyone have any advice???

Thank you.

Matt

 

[Isaac-1]

In general they last longer if protected from the elements, however many of the newer higher quality hot tubs are getting better weatherproof synthetic cabinets so it just depends, the cover will certainly last longer if protected from the elements, sunlight in particular.

 

[pooldv]

Agreed. It should be fine, except for the cover. The UV exposure will cause it to fail sooner and need to be replaced.

 

[cowboycasey]

Mine has been in the elements for 6 years now, no issues except hail... the inspector said they would replace it and they did... I use Amazon.com : Star brite Waterproofing With PTEF 1 Gallon : Boating Cleaners : Sports Outdoors and it helps very much...

 

[pabeader]

I used a canvas gazebo and converted it to wood roof. I used left over wood from a fencing project. I'll add pics if I can find them...

 

[Swampwoman]

Your cover will get waterlogged if there's a tear -- duct tape will get you through for a while.
My hottub is exposed year round up in Michigan. I bought an upgraded cover to handle heavy snow load from the Cover Guy online and its weathering very well. I think you'll be fine, but the better-made the cover, the longer it will last.

 

[bigevilgrape]

My boyfriend's mom has her hot tub outside. I think she just ordered a new cover this year, the hot tub is about 8/9 years old

 

[Tibo]

My hot tub has done only one winter on it in a very cold climate with lots of snow. It has a top of the line cover on it and it still looks new. I brush the snow off with a soft bristle broom. I used 303, which is a UV protectant on it right before it started freezing. I'll put another coat on when temps warm up.