In our opinion, no hot tub installation is complete without a hot tub cover lifter. Today, we will discuss what hot tub cover lifters are, and why we believe they are a must have for any hot tub owner.

What Is A Hot Tub Cover Lifter?

Simply put, a hot tub cover lifter is a device that attaches to your hot tub to help you open and close the cover more easily.

Why Buy A Cover Lifter For Your Hot Tub?

Cover lifters are needed because hot tub covers are large and awkward for most people to handle. Over time, they also tend to get saturated with water and become quite heavy. For these reasons, removing a hot tub cover without a cover lifter is usually a two person job.

Cover lifters make opening and closing your hot tub cover much easier by eliminating the need to actually lift the cover off the hot tub. Instead, you simply fold the cover in half around the top bar of the cover lifter and then push the folded cover back until it all of its weight rests on that top bar.

With a cover lifter, opening and closing your cover can be done quickly and easily by one person, regardless of how strong they are.

Not only do cover lifters make handling your hot tub cover much easier, they also help to extend its life. There are two reasons for this:

1. You're not dragging the cover through dirt and ice. Without a cover lifter, you have to put your hot tub cover on the ground. Every time you put your cover on the ground, you risk puncturing it, commonly from sharp rocks and sticks. There is also a tendency for people to drag their hot tub covers, which can damage the vinyl skin of the cover over time. Cover lifters keep your covers off the ground, removing this potential for damage.
2. The weight of the hot tub cover is evenly distributed across the cover as it is moved. As hot tub covers age and their vinyl outer skin becomes brittle, the seam separating the two halves of the hot tub cover can begin to rip. If they're stored on a cover lifter, however, hot tub covers don't rip nearly as easily. Why is this? Because the weight of the cover is evenly distributed across the whole seam so there are no weak points for a tear to begin.

Different Types Of Cover Lifter

Although they're all made for the same purpose. Hot tub cover lifters come in many different styles. These include:

Standard Side Mount Cover Lifters

The most common type of hot tub cover lifter is the side mount style. These cover lifters come with two brackets that are screwed into the left and right side near the top lip of the hot tub. The lifting bar is then attached. Standard side mount cover lifters store the cover above the lip of the hot tub to allow the cover to be used as a privacy screen or a wind break.

Low Profile Cover Lifters

If you don't like the look of your hot tub cover sitting above the top lip of the hot tub, you can purchase a low profile cover lifter. These hot tub cover lifters are installed in much the same way as standard cover lifters, except that they store the cover much lower to the ground. Because they store the hot tub cover at ground level, the cover can be a little more challenging to open and close.

Hydraulically Assisted Cover Lifters

Hydraulically assisted hot tub cover lifters look almost identical to standard cover lifters, except these cover lifters have small pistons that assist you in lifting and lowering the hot tub cover.

Under-Mount Cover Lifters

If you don't want to drill holes in your hot tub cabinet, you can purchase an under-mount hot tub cover lifter. These cover lifters are secured by placing their large bottom plates underneath the hot tub, rather than by screws.

Shelf Style Cover Lifters

While not technically cover lifters, hot tub cover shelves still provide you with a much easier way to handle your hot tub cover. To remove your hot tub cover you simply extend the foldable shelf arms and slide on your hot tub cover.