I am having trouble deciding what type of replacement cover I should purchase...Here is my problem..I had the standard cover on it, and my dogs destroyed it....I was just wondering what has been said about the SPACAP inflatable covers, the only thing I can find on these is on their own site, and obviously they say there is no downfall, and they insulate better than regular hard covers..IS this true??? BAsically they are the same cost as a walk-on cover, but I if the spacap product works I would like to go that direction for less weight.

Hang on, we're doing a bit of background checking on this.

As a "competitor" the only real feedback we ever hear on them is negative, when one of their "prior customers" is needing to replace the cover.... PLEASE NOTE, there may be significant positive experiences that simply are not related to us.

The cover is basically just a big balloon, and I do hear frequently of them leaking. Also, it's a big FLOPPY balloon. How do you take it off the spa and conveniently store it? How easy is this to do? It also seems just as attractive, if not more, to dogs.

Another thing that concerns me is that a few years ago their website claimed their cover had over an R-40 insulation value...... now the claimed R value is is the mid 20's. They claim using the same testing company...... why the difference between now and then (YES, I tend to be overly suspicious ?

Good points Doc... !

Thanks for the info guys.....Just one more question though....Do the walk on covers have as much absorption as the ones that are not encased...My thought would be no, but I have never actually seen the inside of a walk on cover to know for sure exactly how they encase the styrofoam

Typically they don't. Because they're made by laminating PVC or aluminum sheeting to the foam, there's less foam exposed to absorb moisture. HOWEVER, if the spa and cover are properly cared for, and the cover is of reasonable quality, water absorbtion into the foam cores shouldn't have an effect on the life span of the cover (over chemicalizing the spa causes the most damage to spa covers).

One other important thing to consider.... Is it worth paying 50% more for a cover (walk-on), and only getting 20% - 30% more life from it?

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your posts. I was searching for a new top for my spa and came across Spacap. I started to research it as it appeared to be an interesting idea.

I contacted Jeff Sliger of Another Company who makes the spacap.
I said I was interested in his cover but, due to the unique nature of his cap I was a little nervous. I asked him if I could see a copy of his R value testing. Or, was there customer near me that I could ask about it.

His response was that he would not give me any references and "Did you ask any hard cover dealers for customer references? No, because you know from personal experience they don't work." I replied , that I did in fact ask my spa maker for references on a spa cover with a radiant barrier. He gladly gave me a number of them.

I then , again, asked Jeff Sliger for a copy of their R-Value testing. Had he provided it and it verified his claims, I would have purchased it. His claims seem to be very high for just plain air. It contradicts all the information I found on R values for dead air spaces.

Jeff Sliger never replied. Very rude. This ticked me off a bit. At least tell me, NO you're not going to send it. Of course this peaked my curious nature and I did a little searching.

Spacap.com/ Another Company/ Owner Jeff SLinger have an unsatisfactor rating with the Better Business Bureau of Western Washington.http://www.oregonandwesternwa.bbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=13025291

A further patent search showed the inventor of spacap to be Kingston; James E and the assignee to be Sliger.


This is my experience with this company. I won't do business with them. Thanks to the forum for a heads up.

I am also having difficulty with Spacap. Looks like a great idea to replace the 200 pound foam covers. I placed an order via spacap.com and spoke/emailed Jeff Sliger. I was assured it takes 4 weeks to make and would be shipped Fedex. However, it is now going on 8 weeks and responses are very abrupt and always "Fedex will email you when it ships" - we have a lrge batch of covers to make and we'll get to it when we can. The last guarantee was Friday 7/28 that it would go out that day but no response or emails since then.

Still look like a good cover but hopefully it will be received before winter.

Customer service with "another company" is terrible and there is not much to do since Jeff sliger appears to be the owner.

I will update if the cover is received

A personal opinion? Stay away from the spa cap. Since these are filled with air, they will not perform as well as a styrofoam based cover. The "walk on" covers often have aluminum supports along the center ridge as well as laminations. this makes them a lot heavier than the non "walk on" covers. My experiance is use the non "walk on" covers, and the only thing to remember with these is to keep the snow off in the winter, so they do not collapse. If you are still concerned with the weight, purchase a cover lifter, and you will never again have to manhandle the full weight of the cover. Simply flip the one side open, over the lifter bar, and then grab the lifter and lift it out of the way. I have a CoverMate III which has the gas filled struts, almost no effert there!

Thanks for the info. The sacap did ship out Saturday, I'll see how it works. We've goene thru 3 walk-on covers and 2 cover--mate lifters - the metal bars snapped from the weight (they replaced one). Once the foam gets wet there's not much to be done. A great money maker for cover companies. Hopefully the spacap works - lokks promising