NYC area- New Owner- electricity bill increased 50%- can I insulate the tub?

[paulcicero]

SO, MY FIRST cold month (December 2012) came and went and the electricity bill is astronomical.  Can I take all the side panels off and insert regular pink insulation you buy at home depot all around the tub itself?  I would watch out for the motors, clearly- except for a think metallic blanket right under the wood panels, I have no insulation- This is a new (2012) Laguna Bays X-6 purchased from Overstock- a great overall tub BTW- just want to insulate it.  any advice is appreciated!

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Yes you can, just make sure you block as many holes as you can crittters love that stuff!   

[Tman122]

I would put it in heavy duty garbage bags. Water isn't to kind to that stuff either.

[rin-spa-aic]

When I went with a TP design tub I researched this topic until I was cross-eyed.

Few pointers from my limited experience:

1. How good is your cover?
Cover is the #1 place for heat loss.

2. Consider adding a foam thermal blanket that floats on the water.
Costs a lot less than upgrading the cover. I just roll mine up and jam it next to the cover, no problem.

3. If you do decide to "stuff insulation", bag it in heavy duty bags as Tman122 says.  Also consider Roxul instead of the pink stuff.

4. Is the "metallic" blanket affixed to the wood panels or to the frame?
If it is on the panels, see if you can wrap the frame.  I was able to wrap the entire frame in a single sheet of Reflectix, cutting out just holes for the contact points to mount the panels.
Note that two layers spaced close together but with a slight air gap will provide better insulation than two adjoining layers.

5. You can easily make panels out of R board, but it might be best to securely bag it as well to prevent insects from making it a nesting site.

6. Get an IR thermometer. They are inexpensive and can easily tell you the spots you are loosing heat.
It's easy to pinpoint the top lip of my spa as the primary place I have heat loss.

You could probably do everything in steps 2-6 for less than $200.

If you want to increase the budget:

7. Foam your tub. Hire a professional or get a do-it-yourself spray foam kit.

[Tman122]

When I went with a TP design tub I researched this topic until I was cross-eyed.

Few pointers from my limited experience:

1. How good is your cover?
Cover is the #1 place for heat loss.

2. Consider adding a foam thermal blanket that floats on the water.
Costs a lot less than upgrading the cover. I just roll mine up and jam it next to the cover, no problem.

3. If you do decide to "stuff insulation", bag it in heavy duty bags as Tman122 says.  Also consider Roxul instead of the pink stuff.

4. Is the "metallic" blanket affixed to the wood panels or to the frame?
If it is on the panels, see if you can wrap the frame.  I was able to wrap the entire frame in a single sheet of Reflectix, cutting out just holes for the contact points to mount the panels.
Note that two layers spaced close together but with a slight air gap will provide better insulation than two adjoining layers.

5. You can easily make panels out of R board, but it might be best to securely bag it as well to prevent insects from making it a nesting site.

6. Get an IR thermometer. They are inexpensive and can easily tell you the spots you are loosing heat.
It's easy to pinpoint the top lip of my spa as the primary place I have heat loss.

You could probably do everything in steps 2-6 for less than $200.

If you want to increase the budget:

7. Foam your tub. Hire a professional or get a do-it-yourself spray foam kit.

If you do get a spray foam 2 part kit make sure you are prepared for a mess. It works well but follow the instructions closely and be ready to throw loads of rubber gloves away and don't get it on anything you don't want foamed. Have plenty of rags at the ready to clean up over spray.