Underside of cover
- Thread starter Sjde
- Start date
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,012
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Can you share your latest test results?
Fc
Cc
Ph
Ta
Ch
Cya
Aside from that are you leaving the cover off after dosing/use for 15-30 minutes or just putting it right back on?
Mine did this after having a period of low cya while still maintaining fc for higher cya levels.
Its also a good idea to rinse the cover off every now and then and let the backside “sun bathe” for a little while to keep it supple.
Fc
Cc
Ph
Ta
Ch
Cya
Aside from that are you leaving the cover off after dosing/use for 15-30 minutes or just putting it right back on?
Mine did this after having a period of low cya while still maintaining fc for higher cya levels.
Its also a good idea to rinse the cover off every now and then and let the backside “sun bathe” for a little while to keep it supple.
The inside of a covered spa is not a nice environment. It is hot, humid, and full of chemicals. My 3 year old cover has a similar wrinkle in it.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,012
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Basic Spa cover lifespans are in the 5 year range. Sometimes shorter sometimes longer but eventually the chloramines will make the vinyl & vapor barrier break down and the foam will begin to hold moisture becoming heavier and heavier over time. They simply will not stay pristine forever no matter what you do although keeping proper chemistry and doing the things I mentioned above can help prolong the inevitable.
I just replaced my 6 yr old cover and decided to try to dry out & rewrap my old cores & keep the old cover as a spare since the exterior vinyl is still in pretty good shape. My interior vinyl had gotten to where it was shedding when touched & making a mess after my high fc no cya bout which also happened during a period of lower use so the cover didn’t get opened much to air out. It started probably 2 years ago and progressively got worse.
When I removed the cores from the old cover the vapor barrier just crumbled in my hands. I regret not checking them sooner but I did not feel comfortable removing them because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get them back in. Happy to report that the project worked out well.
I just replaced my 6 yr old cover and decided to try to dry out & rewrap my old cores & keep the old cover as a spare since the exterior vinyl is still in pretty good shape. My interior vinyl had gotten to where it was shedding when touched & making a mess after my high fc no cya bout which also happened during a period of lower use so the cover didn’t get opened much to air out. It started probably 2 years ago and progressively got worse.
When I removed the cores from the old cover the vapor barrier just crumbled in my hands. I regret not checking them sooner but I did not feel comfortable removing them because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get them back in. Happy to report that the project worked out well.
That's from trapped chemical fumes Susan. You're likely losing the "moisture barrier" (aka plastic bag) too, which means it's going to start getting heavy.
In your case, at a rental, I can't say it's avoidable. As you've learned yourself, rentals are tough on spas.
You might buy another year or two by removing the foam cores (note how easy that sounds?) and re-wrapping in a plastic sheet, but it's going to start dropping debris in the water as well.
In your case, at a rental, I can't say it's avoidable. As you've learned yourself, rentals are tough on spas.
You might buy another year or two by removing the foam cores (note how easy that sounds?) and re-wrapping in a plastic sheet, but it's going to start dropping debris in the water as well.
DangerBoy
Well-known member
I ordered that reflective barrier as an option on my last spa cover and regret doing that. It didn't last very long and was shedding tons of debris into the water which all ended up in the filters. I have literally spent hours manually peeling it off and have now gotten it down to where maybe 97 or 98% has been removed. The lesson I learned from that is to not order that coating again.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,012
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Good to know that I dodged a bullet being cheap lol
The new one I got has mesh not solid vinyl on the underside- not sure how I feel about that yet. Time will tell I suppose. I ended up wrapping the new cores with another layer of 6mil plastic which was black so it doesn’t look so weird and I don’t feel like I am seeing straight foam. I didn’t intend on buying black just happened to be what they had but glad I did now.
No cover is sealed by the vinyl, and if they don't put in drain holes it becomes a bag of water. Even with drain holes you'll get sagging. I like the mesh, but can't say if they are better or worse long-term.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,012
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
yea at the drain hole on the old one the plastic wrap had a hole with brown marks around it - almost like a cigarette burn.
I can see where at least with the mesh it wouldn’t be so concentrated in one area like that.
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