General > Beating a dead horse

full foam vs thermopannels

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benalexe:
I was recently in a dealer who carried only full foam tubs and he was saying that the cheaper ones are thermopannel and the LIPA (Long Island Power Authority)  has tested the full foam and showed they are very very energy efficient.  I thought the thermopannel were effficent too until he told me he raw hard data.

Just wondering if anyone else had any thoughts.  

FYI the spa I also saw did not have an air blower.  I personally would really miss it.

wmccall:
This question is the reason the Dead Horse section was created.  

Zep:
wmccall....but for incoming freshmen it's a new question!

Tailhooker:

--- Quote ---I was recently in a dealer who carried only full foam tubs and he was saying that the cheaper ones are thermopannel and the LIPA (Long Island Power Authority)  has tested the full foam and showed they are very very energy efficient.  I thought the thermopannel were effficent too until he told me he raw hard data.

Just wondering if anyone else had any thoughts.  

FYI the spa I also saw did not have an air blower.  I personally would really miss it.
--- End quote ---
The war is about to start again.  You can look at some of the older pages and fine whole threads on this.  In a nutshell the dealers that sell thermopane will say they are better and the dealers that sell full foam will say that they are better.  As I am not a dealer or a energy expert (nor do I want to spark the war again) I will refrain from adding my opinion to this question.

Dave

Micah:
I think I can sum up this argument with a few points.
Full Foam:
1. full foam does a good job of keeping heat from leaving through the bottom of a spa.
2. Full foam does a great gob of keeping the pipes secure. Secure pipes move less. The less a pipe moves the less leaks you will have.
3. Full foam makes it a bitch to fix a leak (most spas have a 5-7 year warranty against leaks, so that is the repairman's problem.

Thermal Pane:
1. Thermal Pane does a good job of keeping heat from leaving through the bottom of a spa.
2.Thermal Pane leaves the pipes open where it is easier to find and fix leaks. (since the pipes are hanging and can move they will weaken the glue and clamp joints much faster...so there will be more leaks to fix.)

The truth:
1. Heat rises. It finds the path of least resistance to escape.
2. In an average climate you loose 90% of you heat through the cover (or where the cover meets the spa)
3. If I were a customer concerned with energy and heat loss, I would spend more time making sure I get a GREAT cover and not being so concerned with "marketing hype"insulation methods.

For the record I own a full foam spa from Jacuzzi. If I found a spa that I love, I would have no problem owing a Thermal Pane spa.

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