Since the invention of the swimspa one of the biggest challenges of owning one is keeping it covered. Regardless of how long you have owned yours replacing the cover with something that will do the job and still make it easy for you to use can be frustrating. Here is the brutal truth behind each of the top five designs.
We’ll breakdown the facts to help you pick which one makes the most sense for your needs.
The Traditional Folding Cover
These are the covers that typically come with the swimspa when you buy it. Unless you’ve had one before it’s what you expect.
However more and more spa dealers are reporting that although people are buying swim spas the new owners don’t want this type of cover.
The problem is, even with a fancy bar lifter, this cover will end up to heavy to move. Usually within a couple years. It happens slowly as the cover takes on weight and the user has to spend more energy trying to take it off and put it back on. Eventually, it will be the reason they stop using the swim spa as the weight becomes more of a struggle.
If you can still manage to fold the cover over the bar and push it back, the weight of the heavy cover will either rip the cover in half at the seam or rip the bar lifter off the side of your swim spa. So with that experience you’ll come to look for a different kind of swim spa cover.
Another downside to this particular design is that they are made cheaply overseas. With all the latest Covid 19 madness going on the import of this type of cover has virtually stopped. If and when it does begin again the costs are going to be significantly higher. So what was the cheapest option of the designs listed here may not be the case anymore. Dealers are telling people it may be three months before they are able to get these covers back in stock. Turns out, that is wishful thinking on the part of the dealer. They really have no way of knowing when it will be.
At present this is still the cheapest type of swimspa cover. If it’s the design you want to keep using you’ll need to budget for replacing it every other year so that you can keep using your swimspa. You might also want to budget for a gym membership where you can get in shape for lifting weights.
The Rolling Cover
This cover seems the solution to all the problems that the traditional swimspa covers had. It has the ease of use. One person can just roll it up. You can even roll it up while you’re inside the swimspa. Yes, it costs more but hey it’s getting you back into using the swimspa so that’s good. And the dealer says it will be the last swim spa cover you’ll need to buy.
Unfortunately, that isn’t quite true. Most swimspa owners report that these roll up swimspa covers break down within a couple years. The other down side is that they don’t insulate worth a damn. Our opinion is it’s a cool idea but it doesn’t insulate and it doesn’t last so in the end it’s just the next scam that spa dealers use to take your money. Like telling you the reason your foam filled swimspa cover got heavy was it didn’t have a taper. Then they sold you one with a taper and it got heavy too.
Brutal truth on this design is if you really like it you should budget to replace it every three years. Also since it doesn’t insulate the cost of heating you spa is going to go up. Way up. So you might want to take on a second job or start a little side business so you can save up enough. But hey, while it’s working it is easy to use.
The Auto Cover
These covers are great for safety, but little else. The ease of use is right up there but they don’t even try to claim that they insulate. You’re going to pay a good amount to have them professionally installed and then you’re going to pay a fortune to heat your swim spa.
Rain and debris just accumulate on top of it. Once the load gets to be too much it will either dump it all into the swim spa while it opens or it will just quit working and you’ll be paying someone to come out and fix it. In the end, they’ll tell you that you need a roof over it.
The brutal truth on this cover is, yes it is easy to use, and yes, it typically lasts longer than the first two covers. Does it keep rain and debris out of your spa? No. If you want to keep rain and debris out of your spa and use this type of cover you’ll need to put it inside a building. Does it keep the neighbor kid from accidentally falling into your spa? Yes, but so does putting the spa inside a building or a fenced yard. You’re going to spend even more money heating your spa water with this type of cover and building a roof over it. But yes, it is easy to use.
The Power Cover
The most expensive cover on the market. You’ll pay more for this cover than you did for your swim spa. Maybe more than you paid for your car. But it does have ease of use in the bag. Push a button and the four pillars of power slowly lift the “garage roof” off the spa. I don’t know about you but when I go out for a swim I enjoy having the sky above me. Swimming with the platform of doom above me doesn’t quite give me the peace of mind I’m looking for.
You’ll pay to have it professionally installed and fixed anytime there is a problem. It does offer a nice flat surface when it’s closed so you can use it as a picnic table or set drinks on it while entertaining if that’s important to you.
It will probably be the last swimspa cover you buy though. Simply because once you’ve paid this much for a cover and had it break down again, and again, you’ll give up using the swimspa. In order to afford this type of cover you’ll need either to win the lottery or have one of your rich relatives die and leave you money.
The SpaCap Cover
The unconventional cover. The SpaCap SwimSpa Cover. This one will more than likely take you a bit to wrap your head around. It’s not flat, so setting food and beverages on it when you entertain won’t work. Ease of use? Well it was designed by a woman with back problems so if you use it like they tell you to it really is like taking a comforter off your bed. Most women report they can move it with one hand.
Here is another plus, it insulates better than any other cover. It can handle a snow load better than any foam filled, or roll away cover. These covers are used at snow lodges and cabins all over the world from the Rockies to the Alps. They tend to last longer and stay lightweight. They come in over a hundred different colors.
They can handle the wind better than any other cover. Over the last thirty plus years these covers have been through hurricanes and tornados and not even one has ever blown off. Let that sink in for a minute. These swimspa covers are in use all across the country and have survived every major storm over the last 30 years.
The SpaCap SwimSpa Covers are also affordable. They cost a little more than the typical foam filled cover but less than any other of those listed above.
So if you want the most cost effective, energy efficient, easy to use swimspa cover, we would recommend the custom swimspa covers from SpaCap.com.
