HOW TO CORRECTLY MEASURE YOUR HOT TUB FOR A REPLACEMENT COVER
If you are shopping on-line for a new hot tub cover one of the most important things you will need to know is how to correctly measure your hot tub in order to have the custom built hot tub cover fit properly.
The following 4 tips on how to correctly measure your hot tub will ensure that you receive a hot tub cover that fits:
- Measurements should be taken from the hot tub first and not the old cover as the old cover may have warped or shrank. If the old cover still fits well you can take the measurements to use for verification purposes. But remember measure both the hot tub and the old hot tub cover twice. If the measurements between the hot tub and the old cover differ at all it is advised to use the measurements from the hot tub itself.
- When taking length and width measurements ensure you provide them to us in inches, always rounding up to the nearest half inch (.5). When taking the measurements it is better to be a little over than a little under. A half an inch too much in length will not make much of a difference, the cover will still fit, however a half-inch too short and the hot tub cover will not fit at all.
- Include the overall length and width of the hot tub when providing your measurements, as your new hot tub cover will be made according to the information you provide. American Hot Tub Covers can ensure that we make a hot tub cover that fits properly, but only if we have all the dimensions.
- Our American Hot Tub Covers we can accommodate any special requirements such as speakers, handles or extra cut outs, as well as make hot tub covers up to a maximum of 96” in length or width. Any cover over 96 inches is considered a custom order and will be quoted on a per cover basis. If you require any of the above considerations or if your cover measures larger that 96” in any dimension, please contact us at sales@hottubdiy.co.uk
Continue reading for instructions on how to correctly measure for your new hot tub cover.
(A) Conventional Hot Tub Cabinets
Most conventional hot tub cabinets are made as shown in figure (A) on the left with the acrylic shell lip slightly overhanging the hot tub cabinet. These types of hot tubs are very easy to measure. Simply take the overall dimensions of the shell.
The hot tub cover skirt covers the lip of the shell as shown in the diagram on the right. The vast majority of hot tub covers are made as shown here. 
(B) Hot Tub Cabinets with Wooden Ledge Rim
If your hot tub has a wooden ledge rim and resembles figure (B) on the left, you have two options as to how your hot tub cover can be made:
Option 1 - The hot tub skirt only covers acrylic shell lip and sits on top of the wooden ledge as shown in diagram (X) from below
Option 2 - The hot tub skirt will cover both the acrylic shell and the wooden ledge rim as shown in diagram (Y) from below.
(X) Hot tub cover skirt that sits on top of the wooden cabinet ledge rim:
If you would prefer to have the hot tub cover skirt sit on top of the wooden cabinet ledge rim then you need to measure the acrylic shell dimension and the skirt length as shown in the dimensions for (X) on figure (B) from above.
In order for the hot tub cover to sit properly you will want to make the length of the skirt about a half inch shorter than distance from the top of acrylic shell to top of wooden ledge rim. 
(Y) Hot tub cover skirt that covers the wooden cabinet ledge rim:
If you prefer to have the hot tub cover skirt overhang the wooden ledge rim then you need to measure the overall cabinet dimensions for (Y) on the figure (B) from above.
In order for the hot tub cover skirt to cover the wooden ledge rim measure from the top of the acrylic shell to bottom of wooden edge rim, as shown in figure (B) from above and the diagram (Y) on the right. 
Hot Tub Cover Skirt
The standard hot tub cover skirt length is 4 inches, however American Hot Tub Covers can custom make your hot tub cover with no skirt, or with a skirt up to any length starting from 1.5 inches and up.
Determining The Cover Radius For Hot Tubs With Rounded Corners
If your hot tub has rounded corners then American Hot Tub Covers will need to know the radius of the corner.
The easiest way to figure this out is by using a carpenter’s square as picture in the diagram on the left.
The distance between the inside corner of the carpenter’s square (A) to the point where it first touches the hot tub (B) equals the radius of the hot tub’s rounded corner, as represented by blue shading.
In the example on the left the radius is 7 inches.
