ASTM Safety Spa and Hot Tub Cover Standards
ASTM (American Society of Testing and Materials) has developed a standard for both swimming pool and Spa Covers. This Standard, ASTM F 1346-91, establishes three separate cover classifications;
- Power Safety
Covers, typically found on swimming pools
- Manual
Safety Covers, such as the spa insulating
covers and
- Other
Covers, which do not serve as a barrier for
children under the age of five and do not
qualify as a safety cover.
In order for a
spa cover to meet the requirements for a "Manual
Safety Spa Cover" it must meet certain
requirements which include performance tests and
labeling requirements. Covers must be able to
pass tests such as Static Load Tests for weight
support, Perimeter Deflection Tests for entry or
entrapment between the cover and the side of the
spa and Surface Drainage Tests to see if a
dangerous amount of rain could collect on the
covers surface. There are also requirements to
include labeling in consumer information (such
as the warranty), and on the cover itself.
Labeling must contain the proper warnings, and
identify the product as a safety cover.
Non-safety covers can
meet ASTM standards if they
comply with the labeling requirements for "other
covers". If a covers labeling does not
say "safety", then it only meets non-safety
cover standards. In order to legitimately bear a
safety label, a cover must be able to pass the
tests that satisfy the performance standards of
ASTM F 1346-91.
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