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my appologies, I meant to say end the TP FF debate. Not paranoid, however, the drugs that I tried in college keep coming back in my system. I saw Tman after your post and just jumped to that, I believe it was infact a case of misktaken identity, however, I would still really like that hat.
Here's another thing to think about ... for 11 hours 59 minutes and 30 seconds my three therapy pumps are sitting in an uninsulated cavity getting cold. For 30 seconds every 12 hours my tub blows this cold water and air into the insulated vessel to clear the lines ... BRRR!! So if my tub lost power and it came on before the 2 inch pipes froze solid, the tub will do this every 12 hours. Actually if it triggered the freeze protection then my pumps will operate once an hour until frozen solid.
I know we don't have the means to do this but...What is the average temp in the air space, how hot does it get? I would like to see data on fridgid cold nights, top open, a meter on the heater, a meter on the pumps, a thermometer in the cabinet and a thermometer in the water. I'd like this compared to a FF tub set up the same.
The truth is, the success of Thermo Pane concept is based upon the tub running. The open air space is being heated by the heat coming off the pumps, plain and simple. The warm air created by motors operating offset, the cold air rushing into the cabinet, due to a lack of insulation. The trouble comes when their is a power outage or GFCI Breaker Trip, due to a electrical short in the spa. Then the truth comes out. Thermo Pane insulated spas, whether it be the cut 3/4" styro foam panel attached to the cabinet or the 1/4 " thick aluminum foil, will do very little to keep the cold air from flooding into the entire spa cainet, exposing all of the plumbing, pumps and equipment. As a service tech, I can tell TP is the huge looser, if the spa is dead. With a dead spa, with temps in the 20's, the pipes or equipment, is frozen in 24 hours. And you can not just judge, by sticking a thermometer in your water, because half of that is your cover is doing a good job, keeping temperatures up. Your water temperature up top could be 50 degrees, but the water in your pipes could be frozen. I deal with it all winter. The comparison, you are doing with Bosco, is not equall. You are both turning down you temp settings, but he is benefiting from the heat coming off the motors on the set cycles. Just like a light bulb, a running motor produces a lot of heat.The only real test, is to turn off the breaker and shut down the spa and cover up. Now you will see if Aluminum foil or an entire cavity filled with foam is better. And remember a good fitting spa cover will keep upper water temps pretty good, what is in your pipes underneath, water or icebergs? TP does a decent job of when the spa is running, not as good as Full, but sufficient. When the spa is not running, the difference is so extreme, like a JV High School Football Team playing a NFL Team. Call it my opinions, but it comes from 20 years of experience repairing frozen spas and saving spas while freezing or about to freeze. If you are fully foamed, you are protected, if your not, your not.
I saw Tman after your post and just jumped to that, I believe it was infact a case of misktaken identity, however, I would still really like that hat.