If the time has come for updating your hot tub cover, remember you may have to provide the location for the placement of the tie down straps on the cover. There’s really no industry standard that decides where the straps go, so it’s largely up to you. Also, many hot tubs come with cabinets alongside them, with hatches that open, which makes it difficult to fix a strap clip to the side.
Typically, spa covers are produced with a number of tie down straps. These straps provide two functions. To start, they keep kids, pets, and other unwanted things out of the tub and safe. This is one reason why you often find a locking mechanism on the straps, which can only be opened with a key. Second, the straps will hold the spa cover in the case of winds.
The usual setting is to place two straps on both sides of the cover, directly across the fold. Using the fold as a reference point on the cover, you can think of the area above the fold as “North” and below it as “South”.
A common way to define where the straps should be placed is to use the term “2N2S” which would translate to “two north, two south” and the manufacturer knows where they need to go. Alternatively, you could place the straps on the oopposite sides, or East/West and specify such to the manufacturer. For example, if you wanted the straps twelve inches in from the side, on the North and South sides, you would specify 2N2S 12” in.
Hopefully this will be of guidance when replacing your spa cover. Although this article doesn’t cover the strap location for a round cover, it does describe the general use and placement of straps on other covers.
Spa covers have a life expectancy of 4 to 10 years. Yes, replacing the spa cover is a part of the ownership of your spa. With this information in mind, put your mind at ease when considering the purchase of your next hot tub cover.