Q Where Should I Measure
A. Look for the widest point and measure the length and width. Round up every measurement to the nearest half inch.
BE SURE to note where the measurement lines start and end for the hot tub shape you have.
In general, if the hot tub cover is slightly too big thats OK. If it is a tiny bit too small, it wont be a hot tub cover.
Hot Tub Cover Measuring Guide
When it comes to purchasing a replacement hot tub cover, taking proper measurements is the key to receiving the perfect product. Read through these step by step directions to ensure that you are taking accurate measurements for your new spa cover. If you have any questions whatsoever about how to measure a spa cover feel free to contact our team for help. We are on stand by and happy to assist you in ordering the right product for your hot tub or spa.
Select What Direction The Hinge Goes:
There are two basic hinge directions. The hinge can fold the A dimension in half, or the B dimension in half as shown. More to come on that, but first
The hinge on your new cover does not necessarily have to go the same direction as your old cover does. Things to consider when selecting the hinge direction are:
Other key points to consider include:
Is your cover square or symmetrical? In other words, does it measure the same dimensions in all directions? If so, the hinge direction for production purposes does not matter since you can simply rotate the cover on site to the angle and direction you prefer since it measures the same in both ways.
If we see anything unusual about your order, rest assured that our team will always reach out to you with any questions before production begins to help ensure we have it right.
A Fold or B Fold:
An A Fold cuts the A dimension in half, a B Fold cuts the B dimension in half as shown in this diagram below:
Circle Your Fold Choice Here: A Fold B Fold
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Spa Covers For Hot Springs Spas
HotSpringsSpaCovers.com has Specifications of different spa manufacturers and their spas. We utilize this Encyclopedia to match up the correct spa cover dimensions to your spa. So the more information you know about your spa , the easier it is to get you the correct spa cover. However, we ask that you also spend a few minutes to measure so that we can confirm we are shipping you the correct cover. Follow the instructions below to provide us measurements as close as possible.
It is best if you measure your existing cover and not your spa. In order to get the proper length and width, measure across the seam, then perpendicular to that. If you do not have a cover to measure from, then you must measure all the outside dimensions of the spa. The cover has a flap around the edges of the spa called a skirt. The skirt must easily sit over the edges of the spa, with a little room to spare. Therefore, it is always better to measure slightly larger than smaller.
When measuring, it is always better to measure slightly larger than your spa. This will not cause a problem. If you make a mistake, and measure too small, the cover will not fit properly, will not sit flat and will not hold the heat in.
If you are unsure about how to measure your spa or spa cover, please do not hesitate to call us at 1-856-437-0185.
How to Measure a RADIUS
You can also utilize this Radius Template to help determine the correct radius measurement. Radius Template.
Tips on Skirt Size
How To Measure For A New Hot Tub Cover
If youre reading this post, were guessing youre probably getting ready to buy a new cover for your spa or hot tub. Insulated spa covers are a vital part of a healthy, efficient spa, so its an important investment. Before you can worry about choosing insulation level, color, or upgrade options your hot tub cover, you first need to figure out which size you need. The only way to do that is to measure your hot tub to ensure youre getting the right fit.
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What Tools Will You Need To Measure Your Hot Tub
- Helper, Assistant, or friendly neighbour
Wait, what?
We recommend that you ask for help before getting started. It never hurts to get a second pair of eyes and hands on a project like this. Sure, you can do it yourself, but you wont regret getting additional assistance.
You may be inclined to simply re-measure your existing cover. Why not, right? Its there, it fit well , whats the problem? After a few years of good use, your old cover is probably loose, or maybe it was too tight this whole time. Either way, there is a reason you are looking to change your cover, so please do not use your old cover as a reference. Always take the measurements directly from your hot tub.
For all shapes and sizes of hot tubs, you have to measure one extremity of the acrylic mold to the other. If you have a wooden frame, do not measure the wooden frame. Your hot tub cover will be too large.
We, at The Cover Guy, suggest adding an inch to your width and length to allow for an easier fit. So, for example, if your measurement is 77 make it 78 so you have ½ per side for wiggle room. Do not add anything to your radius measurement, however, that has to be precise, and if anything, round down. So if your radius is 5 you can get away with 4 radius, but a 6 radius will make your hot tub cover too tight.
We recommend you draw the shape of your spa, including the radius, on a piece of paper and then write down the measurements to help guide you.
Use A Carpenters Square
The easiest way to measure a corner radius is with a carpenter square. Simply place the square against the outside rim of the spa in the corner. The point on the inside of the framing square where the corner curve first touches the square is the corner radius. Easy!
Note: If the rim of the spa shell is stepped, measure using the larger of the steps.
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Measuring Your Hot Tub’s Size
If you are happy with the fit of your existing cover, by all means measure your existing cover but remember this will probably have expanded over time by soaking up water.When measuring your spa, always remember to measure from one lip to the other. The lip may be the edge of the acrylic or the wooden cabinet depending on your model. It is recommended to add around 0.5-1 to both the length and width to allow for easy removal, as too tight a fit will make it difficult to remove the cover.
Hot Tub & Spa Cover Measuring Guide
To measure your Hot tub or Spa, always measure the top of your Spa and not your previous cover. Old foam covers tend to shrink or expand over time due to the different conditions they have been under. Please make sure to provide measurements in inches not in feet.
For measuring your corner radius you will want to use either a framing ruler or two regular rulers to get this dimension. Using one of the two options you will need to measure where the spa begins to curve as shown in the pictures below.
Please make sure that all of your corners have the same radius to assure that the new cover will fit.
For kidney bean or other odd shapes we may require you to make a template. Please follow the following instructions to make a template.
One of the best materials for hot tub owners to use in making a template is a piece of clear plastic. Clear plastic painting drop cloths work great and are relatively inexpensive.
1. Carefully stretch the plastic across the hot tub or spa, making sure its taut with no wrinkles. Using thumb tacks or tape hold the plastic securely in place.
2. With an indelible sharpie marker, carefully trace the outline of the desired cover. Remember, the cover will be made to the shape you trace and well straighten out any waviness in the lines! DO NOT trace the opening of the spa, or the cover will fit inside the spa!
6. Indicate the location of any handles and the location and length of any tie-downs.
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Measuring A Round Hot Tub
This ones the easiest, and only requires one measurement: the diameter. Yep, that’s it. If you have a perfectly round hot tub, just measure across the exact center of your hot tub.
The cover manufacturer will automatically calculate the circumference for you based on your hot tub’s diameter, so make sure this measurement is 100% accurate.
Measuring The Hot Tub Corner Radius
This is the one that makes everyone worried. As the diagram shows the easiest way to measure a radius is with a carpenter square. The dimension needed is from the start of the bend to the imaginary point of the square if the tub was actually square. Rule of thumb is smaller is safer than larger. The smaller the radius the more square the corner of the hot tub cover.
Square or Rectangle with a radius on four corners
To measure radius C: extend straight lines indicated in red by laying straightedges against the sides of the spa. Measure from point Y to point Z.
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Measuring An Octagon Or Hexagon Hot Tub
If your hot tub has either six or eight sides that are all the exact same size, start with a total length measurement. Next, record the measurement of an individual side.
Pay close attention to the diagrams when ordering your hot tub cover, as some require total length and a side length, while others just require a length and width measurement.
Guide To Measuring Hot Tub And Spa Covers
This guide will help you measure hot tub and spa covers so that they will fit perfectly. Even if your hot tub manufacturer has your model on file, take the time to measure to be sure. We have seen too many customers be given the wrong hot tub dimensions.
Regardless of the shape of your spa, you should measure from lip to lip, or the outside dimension of the acrylic. After you have a lip to lip measurement you may add up to 1/2 on both the length and width. This will give you a 1/2 of play all around your spa cover.
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Measuring For A New Hot Tub Cover
Now that you understand the many different ways the wrong hot tub cover can have adverse effects and unintended consequences, lets get to work in measuring your hot tub cover so we can go about choosing the correct replacement. Some of the tools you will need to complete this are:
1) Measuring tape
2) Notepad and writing utensil
3) Steel square
4) Tape measure
5) Framing square or straight edge
Also, if you have a friend to help you hold the tape on the opposite end, that makes the process much easier.
While square hot tub covers are the easiest to measure , octagonal- and even elliptical-shaped hot tub covers arent too much of a challenge so long as youre equipped with the right tools and know-how. Ready to get started? Here is how to measure square, rectangular, round, and octagonal hot tub covers:
Square hot tub covers To measure a square cover, simply measure one outside lip to the outside lip on the opposite side, and repeat this to check for any variations with the other width. Then, add a half-inch to each width. The next thing youll want to measure is the skirt length, which should be fairly straightforward.
Round hot tub covers The best way to measure a round hot tub cover is to measure along the fold . Dont forget to add in that additional half-inch to allow for any manufacturing variations. And, youll also want to measure the length of the skirt to make sure you choose the right cover size.
Measuring The Radius Of Your Hot Tub Cover
The what? The radius! Commonly frustrating for most hot tub owners when they first order a new cover. Getting this right is again vital to prevent heat loss through the corner of the cover.The easiest way to measure is using a carpenters square, however you can easily make of one of these using strong cardboard. The radius length is from the start of the bend to the imaginary point of the corner if the cover was square. The smaller the radius, the more square the corner of the hot tub cover.
The picture below illustrates how to measure your radius and if you need further assistance please view our helpful tutorial video also shown below. Or give us a call on 02380 812769 to talk through.
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Measuring The Safety Straps
Use the same process used to measure the cover skirt in order to measure the length needed for your safety straps. From the underside of the straight edge, measure down to the top of the clip on your spa cabinet. This measurement should be at least 1 longer than your cover skirt measurement, if not more. Do NOT include the actual clip in your measurement. You are measuring for strap length only. Again, if your existing cover is in decent shape, and the straps are just the right length, you may use the cover as a point of reference.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Unless you buy your replacement spa cover from the same company each time, your cover straps on the new cover may be in slightly different positions. If this happens, simply adjust the placement of the clips on the spa cabinet.
Measuring A Square Or Rectangular Hot Tub With Straight Corners
To measure a square or rectangle hot tub, simply measure the length and width.
If the measurements are not the same, pay close attention to which one is broken by the fold . When you go to enter your measurements in the online order form, youll need to put the numbers in the right places if you want the cover to fold the same direction it used to.
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How To Measure Spa Covers
Measuring a hot tub cover is as easy as getting out a tape measure and first noting the length, then the width of the existing spa cover.
Note that cover measurements are usually not the same as hot tub measurements as spas have lips and other variations and the cover is measured to fit over the edge of the spa, so getting a correct measurement for a replacement cover means it is best to measure the existing cover if available.
Now if you order a custom cover with Hot Tub Outpost and provide the brand and model name of the spa, we can check your measurements against our huge cover database to double-check them before putting the cover into production.
We also offer in-stock cover for several brands of spas including QCA Spas, Emerald Spas, Great Lakes Spas, Polynesian Spas that ship out right away.
Otherwise, we can produce any spa cover and have it shipped to you in 2-3 weeks.
Need a cover lifter? We offer a large selection of all the various types of cover lifts.
The harder part is determining the radius of rounded corners. You can use a carpenters square or other method to measure the corner radius.
Curved Cover Corner Radius MeasurementTo measure the radius with a carpenter’s square, simply place the square across the curved corner of the spa cover and read the distance from where the curve of the cover starts to the corner of the square .
Order in-stockQCA Spa covers here, or order a custom hot tub cover that takes a couple of weeks to make.
I Deciding What To Measure:
- Cover must be in decent condition. Natural wear and tear is fine.
- Cover has not warped, become water logged, or changed shape since its purchase.
- You are happy with the way the current cover fits.
- You have no existing cover.
- Your current cover is warped, has become water logged, or changed shape since its purchase.
- Unhappy with the way your current cover fits.
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Determining The Cover Radius For Hot Tubs With Rounded Corners
If your hot tub has rounded corners then Hot Tub Covers Canada will need to know the radius of the corner.
The easiest way to figure this out is by using a carpenters square as picture in the diagram on the left.
The distance between the inside corner of the carpenters square to the point where it first touches the hot tub equals the radius of the hot tubs rounded corner, as represented by blue shading.
In the example on the left the radius is 7 inches.
