Spas and Hot Tubs that sit aboveground have a lot to compete with. Rain, Sun and Snow take their own toll on your spa cabinet and spa cover, but hurricanes are on a whole new level.
Hurricane winds have been known to toss hot tubs across the yard or even into your house! Flooding around your spa or tub is also common from down pouring rains that last for days.
For our customer in Houston, here are some tips to keep your Hot Tub safe during hurricane season
Protect your hot tub from hurricane winds
DON'T DRAIN THE HOT TUB: The weight of the water inside the spa is important to keeping it in one place.
DO ADD EXTRA SANITIZER: Load up a spa floater with bromine tabs, or add granular sanitizer to hold the water in the event of power loss.
STRAP DOWN THE SPA COVER: Check your spa cover clips for proper tension, you should need to push down on the cover slightly to release the clip, they should be taut and fairly tight, to prevent heat loss and prevent wind from getting under the spa cover skirt. For extra protection for spa covers, use our High Wind Straps for spa covers, also known as Hurricane Straps, coincidentally. These over-the-top straps can hold your cover down even in the strongest winds, which have been known to rip spa cover straps and send a spa cover flying, damaging it beyond repair of course. To protect your cover from damage from flying debris, you can place a sheet of cut plywood over top of the spa cover, but you must hold it down tight with Hurricane Straps, or a heavy webbed strapping at least 2" wide.
REMOVE PROJECTILES: Anything that is not strapped down can become a projectile when those hurricane winds come through. Even heavy planters and steel patio furniture can become airborne or be thrown against your spa or the sliding glass door to the house. If there is time, pruning trees and removing downed branches quickly to a safe area can help reduce the chances of damage from flying tree branches.
Protect your hot tub from hurricane flooding
SHUT OFF THE POWER: On the main breaker, cut all power to the hot tub by shutting off the circuit breaker for the spa or hot tub. This step can prevent electrification of the tub and nearby spaces, and could save a life when hot tubs flood.
SAND BAGS: An old school, but effective method of keeping a spa from flooding. Build a wall around the hot tub with bags filled with sand. Another option is to fill heavy duty plastic garbage bags with 50-100 lbs of soil or gravel. Don't build a wall with lumber, block or brick, which don't work well, and could be blown away in strong winds.
SUMP PUMP: A submersible pump can be used to pump out water that seeps through a sand bag wall and prevent a flooded hot tub. Larger pumps are powerful enough to keep encroaching flood water levels from rising.