First off, thank you to everyone here that contributes to the knowledge in contained in this site!! My wife and I are new to the hot tub scene and this site has been a major source of our education!
Ok, down to business…
I live in the northern midwest where we commonly see weeks of sub-zero temperatures, making thermal-loss a prime concern. We are looking into our cover options for our new tub and have come across the Smartop. Looks expensive, but strong, and my wife really likes the clean lines of it. She feels regular foam and vinyl covers look like wet towels spread over the tub.
Now, Im ok with paying a premium IF the product will actually last longer than a standard cover, which you would expect it would, due to the construction materials used. BUT, Im quite concerned about the main function of the cover-insulation. What is the R value on the cover? I read through the website and it said "equivalent to any other cover". Well, that seems a little vague for me. Is there just ONE industry standard R value or can you get a better R-rated cover for extreme climates?
I don't want to buy a great looking and expensive cover that in the end keeps sucking money from my wallet monthly due to excessive heat loss…
I would love to know if anyone here has experience with this cover in VERY COLD, not just snowy, climates and is satisfied.
Cheers!