I read online a story about a hot tub cover being melted. I can not for the life of me understand how this could be. Can you explain?
Justin – Bloomington – Normal Illinois
Melted spa cover showing the vapor barrier melted onto the exterior vinyl skin
Hi Justin,
The short answer is yes, spa covers melt!
When you consider how the foam cores are made, it will make sense to you. One of our other blog posts covers this topic in great depth. You can review it for more detail. The simple version is that EPS beads are heated to expand and make the foam cores. The key to this process is – you guessed it – heat!
It is then a simple next step to acknowledge that re-applying heat to the foam would again cause the same reaction from the EPS material in the foam. When something is placed on top of a spa cover, and the sun then heats the item, it will collect the heat intensity and will prevent the heat from dissipating, causing melting.
The Pros have heard of the following items melting spa covers:
- Pool toys such as inflatable rafts or tubes
- Wet towels laid on top of the hot tub lid to dry
- Nearby windows that reflect and focus the sun’s rays directly onto the spa cover like a magnifying glass
- Clothing laid on the cover while tubbing
Be careful as almost anything can cause this to occur. You will not be surprised to learn that a melted spa cover is not going to be covered by any typical warranty.
Use care with your cover and this should never happen. Avoid placing anything on top of the vinyl.
Happy Tubbing
Ethel Elliott
