Covana automated hot tub cover adds convenience

Overcomes challenges posed by poor health and adverse weather

Casual Living Staff -- Casual Living, 5/27/2011 2:40:12 PM

CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA — Sterling Leisure Products has introduced the Covana, an automated hot tub cover/gazebo designed to prevent problems with lifting and closing covers.

Imagine a beautiful summer evening and you hear your children calling, "Mom can we use the hot tub?" The answer may be, "Sure, but you will have to wait until I can lift the cover for you." These words may have been repeated many times over the past summer. Or maybe the scenario was different. The question may be: "Honey, can you lift the hot tub cover for me, my arthritis is so painful today?" With an answer, "Wait until halftime then I'll come."

Would you like to offer a solution that will help either family both regain enjoyment from their hot tubs and reap health benefits? Visualize a cover that all customers, from young to seniors and also the handicapped, can lift and close with ease. The Covana offers considerable savings by reducing energy, water and chemical loss. It's the only automated all-in-one hot tub cover/gazebo available that will protect users from the elements and allow them to use the hot tub in spite of adverse weather.

Sterling Leisure Products would like to share the story of its family, which resulted in the development and design of the Covana. Sterling Leisure Products is a Canadian family owned and operated business founded by Raymond Bussière and Mario Piché. After purchasing a hot tub, Bussière grew frustrated with removing its traditional hot tub cover. Wanting to help his father-in-law, Piché took to the Internet to research insulated, automatic covers. Not satisfied with what he found, he began building automatic cover prototypes in his garage and eventually ended up with a rough design of the Covana.

Now the family is proud to have the Covana on the market and selling strong. The structure is an all-in-one system with both a gazebo and an R21 rated insulating cover that meets ASTM requirements and is UL Certified.

Consumers gain access to their hot tub with the turn of a key, which opens and closes the Covana within seconds.

"It [operates] very similar to a garage door where a spring is doing most of the lifting and the motor itself is strictly controlling movement," Piché said. The Covana does not have to reach its full height of 8.5 feet, but rather it can be stopped at any level. As a safety precaution, the key should be removed when the cover is not in use. This will keep it locked in place so children and unwanted guests can't get inside.

The core of the lid, where the insulation comes from, is made of a 2-pound polyurethane foam that is similar to the insulating foam inside the hot tub itself. According to Piché, "Most covers on the market are Styrofoam. We chose to not to go that route because we know Styrofoam will definitely absorb water and moisture and in time it will become waterlogged, increasing weight and reducing its insulating value."

To make the Covana more private and appealing, optional shades and screens can be purchased. These can be hooked onto any side of the structure and are available in a few styles including a weather-resistant polyurethane fabric that provides protection from wind, sun and inquisitive neighbors. When the Covana is raised, the shades unroll to the consumer's stopping point. As a standard feature, the Covana includes a cut-out for hot tub steps.

Featuring an aluminum frame construction that's both aesthetically pleasing and resistant to corrosion, the structure has a pitched roof that allows for snow and rain to slide off easily. Almost all standard sized hot tubs will fit under the Covana and seal with the cover, which is seamless to prevent heat loss.

The Covana is available through hot tub dealers in the United States, Canada and Europe with plans to expand to dealers worldwide. For more information, visit sterlingleisure.com.