mck75 Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 I tried to research if this topic has already been discussed, but was unable to find anything. We are getting a new spa and have the choice of a wood cabinet or "durawood" which is like plastic. I have heard that wood is a better insulator, but the fake wood will last longer. I know that wooden trellises we have outside need to have weatherproofing painted on regularly and take some upkeep to keep looking good. The durawood costs more, does that mean it's better? Thanks, Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyBubbles Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 Hi Rebecca. I think this one is completely a matter of personal preference. We went with the fake stuff, purely based on it being low maintenance. My sister has cedar on her spa and they love it and don't mind the work involved in keeping it looking nice. I don't have any info. on the insulation properties between the two. I can tell you that my energy bill has only seen a .60 cent increase since we added the spa, so I'm assuming that the fake stuff doesn't pose a problem there. What kind of spa are you getting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cplarsen Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 The durawood costs more, does that mean it's better? No, it means it's made of oil. Well, recycled plastic really. Given that your spa will probably not outlast the siding, no matter which way you go, I'd get the cedar and not worry too much about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mck75 Posted January 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 Hi Rebecca. I think this one is completely a matter of personal preference. We went with the fake stuff, purely based on it being low maintenance. My sister has cedar on her spa and they love it and don't mind the work involved in keeping it looking nice. I don't have any info. on the insulation properties between the two. I can tell you that my energy bill has only seen a .60 cent increase since we added the spa, so I'm assuming that the fake stuff doesn't pose a problem there. What kind of spa are you getting? We are getting a Marquis Rendezvous. I think the durawood will be easier upkeep. Thanks for your viewpoint, Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyBubbles Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 Congratulations. Those are nice spas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blake Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 Hi Rebecca. I think this one is completely a matter of personal preference. We went with the fake stuff, purely based on it being low maintenance. My sister has cedar on her spa and they love it and don't mind the work involved in keeping it looking nice. I don't have any info. on the insulation properties between the two. I can tell you that my energy bill has only seen a .60 cent increase since we added the spa, so I'm assuming that the fake stuff doesn't pose a problem there. What kind of spa are you getting? Tiny- could you explain the .60 cent increase? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyBubbles Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 Hi Rebecca. I think this one is completely a matter of personal preference. We went with the fake stuff, purely based on it being low maintenance. My sister has cedar on her spa and they love it and don't mind the work involved in keeping it looking nice. I don't have any info. on the insulation properties between the two. I can tell you that my energy bill has only seen a .60 cent increase since we added the spa, so I'm assuming that the fake stuff doesn't pose a problem there. What kind of spa are you getting? Tiny- could you explain the .60 cent increase? Thanks I'd be happy to Blake, but I'm not sure I understand the question. But, here it goes anyways. Rebecca mentioned that wood might be a better insulator for a spa. I was just giving her info. from my experience. My first powerbill with my spa was less than the same period for the previous year. My second power bill was 60 cents higher than the same period the previous year. I have the "fake stuff" on the outside of my spa, so I thought that info. might be helpful in making her decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark2550 Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Hi Rebecca. I think this one is completely a matter of personal preference. We went with the fake stuff, purely based on it being low maintenance. My sister has cedar on her spa and they love it and don't mind the work involved in keeping it looking nice. I don't have any info. on the insulation properties between the two. I can tell you that my energy bill has only seen a .60 cent increase since we added the spa, so I'm assuming that the fake stuff doesn't pose a problem there. What kind of spa are you getting? Tiny- could you explain the .60 cent increase? Thanks I'd be happy to Blake, but I'm not sure I understand the question. But, here it goes anyways. Rebecca mentioned that wood might be a better insulator for a spa. I was just giving her info. from my experience. My first powerbill with my spa was less than the same period for the previous year. My second power bill was 60 cents higher than the same period the previous year. I have the "fake stuff" on the outside of my spa, so I thought that info. might be helpful in making her decision. Sorry to ask but you are saying your power bill was only 60 cents more than the previous year bill with the added tub?? I find this hard to believe unless the outside temp's were way different or your power company reduced their rates which doesn't seem likely nowaday's. care to elborate on this subject, your tub was plugged in and running right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyBubbles Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Hi Mark, don't be sorry to ask. We are as amazed as you are. We installed the tub the day after the first day of a billing cycle for our power bill. When we got that bill it was $35 dollars less than the bill for the last year. It was October and I live in GA, so temps. are fairly mild then. We were doing a bathroom remodel last year, so maybe powertools made last years bill slightly higher. The second month that we owned the spa there was only a 60 cent increase in the bill. Again, I am comparing it to the same time frame last year, our bill shows the previous 12 months. We had a really big cold snap during that time, with temps. in the 20's which is unusual for us. The tub is plugged in and fully functioning. We use it every night for an hour, on weekends we additionally use it for an hour or two in the am. In the beginning we kept the tub set at 99, once it got colder we changed that to 101. It's not a huge tub, just 350 gallons, I don't know if that makes a difference. Unfortunately, no reduced rates from the power company. In addition, they were not estimated bills, the meter was actually read. I should be getting another bill in the mail any day now. I'll keep you posted. I hope this one is not THE shocker. I have to tell you, we are beyond pleasantly suprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveO Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 As long as the spa is full foamed it doesn't matter wich skit you choose. The durawood (Artesian Spa) is a good cabinet. When you get to the cheaper cabinets such a jet plastic you will have problems with it fading and warping. The only wood that will last on a spa is hard wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 As long as the spa is full foamed it doesn't matter wich skit you choose. The durawood (Artesian Spa) is a good cabinet. When you get to the cheaper cabinets such a jet plastic you will have problems with it fading and warping. The only wood that will last on a spa is hard wood. Cedar and redwood are soft woods and they will outlast the spa????? What gives? Oak is terrible outside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 As long as the spa is full foamed it doesn't matter wich skit you choose. The durawood (Artesian Spa) is a good cabinet. When you get to the cheaper cabinets such a jet plastic you will have problems with it fading and warping. The only wood that will last on a spa is hard wood. Cedar and redwood are soft woods and they will outlast the spa????? What gives? Oak is terrible outside? I've got a redwood cabinet and I absolutely love it. It takes a little more work once per year but IMO it is well worth it...and no matter what you do to it, you can repair and color match...after all it is real wood. I believe Arctic makes a mahogany cabinet which is probably the only hardwood that would be acceptable. Cedar and redwood are the best as they naturally resist pests and decay but are getting very expensive to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 I believe Arctic makes a mahogoney cabinet which is probably the only hardwood that would be acceptable. Cedar and redwood are the best as they naturally resist pests and decay but are getting very expensive to use. We have an EON (plastic) cabinet in a mahogany color, and used to have mahogany-stained pine on the Coyote line. Sorry, no real mahogany! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathfinder Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Catalina uses mahogany for their cabinets I think it looks so so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveO Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 As I said hardwood....I was talking about mahogany cabnets on te Catalina Spas. They are less easier to care than redwwod or cedar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 We have an EON (plastic) cabinet in a mahogany color, and used to have mahogany-stained pine on the Coyote line. Sorry, no real mahogany! The mahogany stained pine must be what I saw. No more wood cabinets for Arctic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 No more wood cabinets for Arctic? We still offer the western red cedar for both Arctic and Coyote, but offer alternative cabinets in both lines. Both the wood and alternative lines offer "total access" on all four sides. To get back on topic, the original question asked about the insulating value of Durawood vs. Real wood. I've seen figures giving between R1 and R1.33 per inch for cedar, while I wasn't able to find figures for Durawood or EON. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.