How to chooses a cover lifter
Ever thought of making your life a lot easier when it comes to removing and storing your hot tub's expensive, fitted cover? Well, it can be a lot easier with a hot tub cover lifter that is designed to take the strain out of lifting and moving your cover!
What's a cover lifter?
In their simplest form, hot tub cover lifters comprise a tubular, metal frame that is permanently fixed to your hot tub with the horizontal part of the frame resting along the cover's hinge. Once installed, one side of the cover is folded back over the frame and then lifted off the hot tub by pulling the frame, with the cover attached over the side of the tub.
Why should I have a cover lifter?
- Cover lifters extend the life of your cover by protecting it from physical damage
- Cover removal and and replacement becomes a one-man operation
- Potentially damaging condensation on the underside of the cover is allowed to drain away, thus reducing the potential for cover rot
What are the different types of hot tub cover lifter?
Cover lifters are generally one of two types:
- Lever/fulcrum type - these use a bracket that is either screwed to the side of the hot tub or fixed to a flat base plate that uses the weight of your hot tub to hold it in place. With a one-handed operation, the cover lifter frame then pivots around the bracket with the cover attached to it. The cover then drops down behind the side of the tub.
- Gas assisted type - these use a bracket that is screwed the side of the tub and utilises gas assisted struts (similar to a car's hatchback/tailgate) to assist with the one-handed lifting of the cover. This type of cover lifter places the cover upright along one edge of the spa, rather than dropping it down the side.
Which one is right for me?
The lever type lifter is the cheaper of the two types and is ideal where there is no constraint on storing the cover behind the spa side.
The gas assisted lifter is ideal for hot tubs in a confined space and/or where the owners want the folded cover to be stored high up to restrict the view of any potential onlookers!