October 2, 2019 – Homeowners love to update their houses! When it comes to the exterior a new roof, fresh coat of paint and new windows are sometimes necessary. And—when it comes to new windows or other reflective surfaces, it might also cause serious damage to your hot tub’s siding or cover if you’re not careful!

There have been some stunning incidents of low energy windows being installed in customer’s (or neighbor’s!) homes that end up being the culprits of hot tub solar damage. While windows like these are an outstanding upgrade, they also cause a serious safety hazard when sunlight hits their slightly curved surface and the resulting reflection of a beam gets concentrated onto a plastic, vinyl or composite material in the surrounding area. Reports are increasing of consumers who are experiencing damage to vinyl siding on homes as a result and—guess what? It’s also really doing a number on hot tub siding, as well as vinyl covers and hard covers, like Smartops.

If you’re a hot tub owner as well as a homeowner, it’s incumbent upon you to dig into this topic if you’ve replaced your windows or plan to do so. Or, if you’re planning on installing anything else outside your home with the chance concentrated sunlight can be reflected onto your hot tub’s siding or cover (think greenhouse, clear roofed gazebo or pergola, etc.), they can also contribute to a scenario where damage could occur.

Now, don’t think you can’t have all these wonderful new windows and other additions or improvements to your home. You can! The key here is to make sure the installers also install a clear, matte-finish, UV film to prevent the reflection that will target the sun into these laser beams that then hit your hot tub’s cover or siding and cause such serious damage. And—if you haven’t done any work like this to your home of late—look to the right or left of your abode. It could be that one of your neighbors has made these changes to their home recently and that targeted solar villain is bouncing off a window at the house next door.

The other thing to note here is that hot tub and cover manufacturers do their best to make products that will weather the elements and perform well over time in your backyard. But they of course cannot anticipate an event like this damaging your tub or cover. Naturally, that means it would also be something that you could not submit for warranty coverage with your hot tub company. You may, however, be able to get some help from your homeowner’s insurance agent.

If you’re in the greater Seattle area and run into the need for UV films for windows or another reflective outdoor surface, you can reach out to Pro-Tection Seattle. They have 30 years of experience and can offer good solutions.

Here’s a recent recounting of a customer who experienced issues with his cover from a neighbor’s home that was published in Aqua, a trade magazine for pool and spa professionals.

Your hot tub loves to take good care of you. Be sure that the surrounding environment doesn’t cause your tub the kind of sunburn that could be a serious “owwww!” to both it and your pocketbook!