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Question: Adding Extra Insulation


m3722

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I have a Nahanni Spa by Maax, which I just love. I would like to a little extra insulation on the inside of the cabinet. It is the Thermo-pane style of insulation right now. Just wondering if anyone has done this or has any "Do's and Don'ts", they could share.

Of course, the company says that theirs is the most efficient system out there, but I'm not so sure.

What I am planning on doing is adding 1 1/2" blue styrofoam on the inside of the cabinet and maybe the expanding spray foam in the corners. On the inside of the frame(closer to the tub) I thought of adding that thin reflective insulation. So, the order starting at the tub----- factory sprayed foam, air, reflective, blue stryofoam and then the cabinet.

Any thoughts.

THanks in advance

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I have a Nahanni Spa by Maax, which I just love. I would like to a little extra insulation on the inside of the cabinet. It is the Thermo-pane style of insulation right now. Just wondering if anyone has done this or has any "Do's and Don'ts", they could share.

Of course, the company says that theirs is the most efficient system out there, but I'm not so sure.

What I am planning on doing is adding 1 1/2" blue styrofoam on the inside of the cabinet and maybe the expanding spray foam in the corners. On the inside of the frame(closer to the tub) I thought of adding that thin reflective insulation. So, the order starting at the tub----- factory sprayed foam, air, reflective, blue stryofoam and then the cabinet.

Any thoughts.

THanks in advance

Nightrider added insulation to his hot tub, you can read about what he did on the Costco Platinum Elite forum subject here on this site. I am planning to add some insulation to mine, but haven't yet, I think I will try the reflective foil insulation first and see how that helps (mine already has styrofoam panels). I have installed a Thermometer inside my cabinet. I bought it at Walmart for $15 and it has a wireless transmitter temp sensor that I put inside the cabinet of my spa, the display is inside the house. I can see the current temp inside the cabinet and the high and low temp since resetting. I am recording the outside temp, the water temp setting, and the inside cabinet high and low. Last night (over night) the outside temp was 42 the cabinet temp low was 82 the high 92. Last evening, when I used the tub, the temp outside was 45. Before I got in the tub the cabinet temp was 86, it got up to 105 during use while the pumps were running. My water temp is set at 100 (my sensor is currently laying on the floor of the cabinet and I plan to mount it mid height, but haven't done that yet). After I add the insulation I will be able to see how much it changes. You better be careful mentioning subjects like this on this forum, the bashers will come out and tell you that you bought a bad tub and that you would not need insulation if you had just paid a few thousand more and got their favorite brand. Enjoy your tub this winter. Your plan sounds good.

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You better be careful mentioning subjects like this on this forum, the bashers will come out and tell you that you bought a bad tub and that you would not need insulation if you had just paid a few thousand more and got their favorite brand.

Please keep posting. This is very interesting, and I think that with active moderators now watching the board, personal attacks will be a thing of the past.

Be sure as you add insulation that you don't do anything that might block the airflow to motors or other items which need to be kept cool.

B)

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have a Nahanni Spa by Maax, which I just love. I would like to a little extra insulation on the inside of the cabinet. It is the Thermo-pane style of insulation right now. Just wondering if anyone has done this or has any "Do's and Don'ts", they could share.

Of course, the company says that theirs is the most efficient system out there, but I'm not so sure.

What I am planning on doing is adding 1 1/2" blue styrofoam on the inside of the cabinet and maybe the expanding spray foam in the corners. On the inside of the frame(closer to the tub) I thought of adding that thin reflective insulation. So, the order starting at the tub----- factory sprayed foam, air, reflective, blue stryofoam and then the cabinet.

Any thoughts.

THanks in advance

Adding extra insulation seems like a great idea however one question came to mind. Does adding extra insulation to your spa void the factory warranty??

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  • 2 weeks later...

Nightrider added insulation to his hot tub, you can read about what he did on the Costco Platinum Elite forum subject here on this site. I am planning to add some insulation to mine, but haven't yet, I think I will try the reflective foil insulation first and see how that helps (mine already has styrofoam panels). I have installed a Thermometer inside my cabinet. I bought it at Walmart for $15 and it has a wireless transmitter temp sensor that I put inside the cabinet of my spa, the display is inside the house. I can see the current temp inside the cabinet and the high and low temp since resetting. I am recording the outside temp, the water temp setting, and the inside cabinet high and low. Last night (over night) the outside temp was 42 the cabinet temp low was 82 the high 92. Last evening, when I used the tub, the temp outside was 45. Before I got in the tub the cabinet temp was 86, it got up to 105 during use while the pumps were running. My water temp is set at 100 (my sensor is currently laying on the floor of the cabinet and I plan to mount it mid height, but haven't done that yet). After I add the insulation I will be able to see how much it changes. You better be careful mentioning subjects like this on this forum, the bashers will come out and tell you that you bought a bad tub and that you would not need insulation if you had just paid a few thousand more and got their favorite brand. Enjoy your tub this winter. Your plan sounds good.

My Wife and I have added insulation to the elite platinum II spa where there ia a gap between the shell and the skirting. We are debateing about adding the reflective buble foil in addition to the styrofoam panels already there or to remove the 1/2 ich styrofoam and instsall foil backed styrofoam, not sure yet as i broke my wrist two weeks back so the tub just kinda well got moved off my priority list till now:)

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I added extra insulation to my Platinum Elite II as well. The tub came with foil bubble wrap under the skirting and 1/2" styrofoam behind that. I added 3.5" of Roxul insulation (R14) inside the styrofoam. Roxul is a mineral wool insulation. It repels water and therefore doesn't lose its insulating value if exposed to moisture. Its soft like fiberglas but denser and stiffer. It was easy to fit into tight spots where pipes come close to the cabinet. It can be easily cut to shape where necessary and is stiff enough that its doesn't sag where there is no support. I installed it right up to the underside of the shell, so it also closed off the gap between the shell and the skirt. I left a gap between the shell and skirt near the blower pump so that the blower would have a supply of fresh air. I used thin wood dividers to keep the insulation away from the pump motor air intakes. I used dlynn's idea and put a remote temperature sensor in the cabinet. The base unit sounds an alarm if the temperature falls below a set point. This gives me some peace of mind when its really cold out. I suspect the foil interferes with the signal - the readings are sporadic at times. I also added a plastic bubble blanket that floats on the surface of the water. When I'm finished using the tub, I turn off all the air controls. Hopefully all these measures will keep the energy consumption down in the cold winter months.

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Were you able to take any temperature readings before and after to compare the difference. I did the same thing and although I only got a couple of nights readings before I added the insulation, the difference was quite noticeable. the cabinet dropped to 68F before and about 84F after adding the insulation, even though it was about 10 degrees colder. The air temperature was close to freezing.

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I got a similar result - about a 20F increase after adding the insulation. The minimum cabinet temperature is now consistently about the same as the water - 103F. The max temp is about 10F higher when the pumps run. Outdoor temps are around 25-35F lately.

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I don't mean to be rude to you guys with HydroSpas, but I read your posts (here and elsewhere) about constantly altering your units with insulation, taping switches, replacing control panels, etc and I wonder what kind of company produces units with so many problems? Now before you jump on me for stirring the pot of emotionalism, please note I recognize you guys spent a heck of a lot less $$ on your spa than I did, but my question is would you do it all over again knowing the problems you have faced since buying your units? I, like most, like to save money, and was seriously considering a HydroSpa when I was in my search. Unfortunately, my Costco store does not sell them and I would have had to buy a dealer model at a long distance from my home at a cost of upwards of $7k for a similar model to the Platinum II and without the strong return policy offered by Costco. Any thoughts?

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I don't mean to be rude to you guys with HydroSpas, but I read your posts (here and elsewhere) about constantly altering your units with insulation, taping switches, replacing control panels, etc and I wonder what kind of company produces units with so many problems? Now before you jump on me for stirring the pot of emotionalism, please note I recognize you guys spent a heck of a lot less $$ on your spa than I did, but my question is would you do it all over again knowing the problems you have faced since buying your units? I, like most, like to save money, and was seriously considering a HydroSpa when I was in my search. Unfortunately, my Costco store does not sell them and I would have had to buy a dealer model at a long distance from my home at a cost of upwards of $7k for a similar model to the Platinum II and without the strong return policy offered by Costco. Any thoughts?

considering I saved easilly four grand???????MMMMMMM Yup!

I don't mean to be rude to you guys with HydroSpas, but I read your posts (here and elsewhere) about constantly altering your units with insulation, taping switches, replacing control panels, etc and I wonder what kind of company produces units with so many problems? Now before you jump on me for stirring the pot of emotionalism, please note I recognize you guys spent a heck of a lot less $$ on your spa than I did, but my question is would you do it all over again knowing the problems you have faced since buying your units? I, like most, like to save money, and was seriously considering a HydroSpa when I was in my search. Unfortunately, my Costco store does not sell them and I would have had to buy a dealer model at a long distance from my home at a cost of upwards of $7k for a similar model to the Platinum II and without the strong return policy offered by Costco. Any thoughts?

color=#FF0000]considering I saved easilly four grand??????? MMMMM ERRRRR YUP! :lol: [/color Also, I haven't had any "issues" other then learning how to use it.

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... my question is would you do it all over again knowing the problems you have faced since buying your units?

Yes, I would do it all over again. I have no regrets. At first, I was hesitant about the Platinum Elite II, but the more I shopped around and researched, the more I realized that its a terrific deal (IMHO). I knew, thanks to this forum, that the insulation was an issue and that more could be easily added. So I don't consider it to be a 'problem'. I've had no significant problems. We've enjoyed our spa immensely. This spa may not be suitable for everyone but it was for us.

A satisfied customer.

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  • 1 month later...

I added extra insulation to my Platinum Elite II as well. The tub came with foil bubble wrap under the skirting and 1/2" styrofoam behind that. I added 3.5" of Roxul insulation (R14) inside the styrofoam. Roxul is a mineral wool insulation. It repels water and therefore doesn't lose its insulating value if exposed to moisture. Its soft like fiberglas but denser and stiffer. It was easy to fit into tight spots where pipes come close to the cabinet. It can be easily cut to shape where necessary and is stiff enough that its doesn't sag where there is no support...

I'm interested in where you got the Roxul product. Can you share where it may be avaiable to do a job like a hot tub?

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Yes, I would do it all over again. I have no regrets. At first, I was hesitant about the Platinum Elite II, but the more I shopped around and researched, the more I realized that its a terrific deal (IMHO). I knew, thanks to this forum, that the insulation was an issue and that more could be easily added. So I don't consider it to be a 'problem'. I've had no significant problems. We've enjoyed our spa immensely. This spa may not be suitable for everyone but it was for us.

A satisfied customer.

One reason anyone should be hesitant about Hydropsa is that their service is terrible. Go and read my posts about the quality and level of their service. It is more accurate to say "lack" of service.

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Would it be possible to post pictures, or send me an e-mail? I have a Platinum II, and the energy bill is killing me. I live in So CA so we already have high electricty rates, but my bill tripled with the new spa. I desperately need to cut down on the power usage or the hot tub will turn into a $4k paper weight.

I don't remember seeing any bubble wrap in the cabinet, only blown on styrofoam (on the underbelly of the shell).

Thank you!!!!

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I need to check our bills more carefully, but so i have not noticed any huge increase (and we live in Manitoba Canada).

But, am also interested in more insulation anything that saves me money with little cost is a good thing!

GDM my tub has silver bubble insulation between the styrofoam and the shell. Its a Platinum II.

I might be wrong...but something tells me i read somehwere that the cdn version had more insulation. Which is probably the bubble layer???

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I'm waiting to hear more examples of people who added insulation to their tub but I'm not really hearing anything that can help me. Most of what I've heard is the use of Polystyrene panels on the inside of the cabinet. My 2005 GC has a wooden frame with three removable real redwood panels on EACH SIDE of tub (total of 12 panels). Polystyrene panels would be impossible for me to get on the inside of the cabinet in one solid piece as the air blower and ozonator are mounted to the exterior walls of the cabinet in between removable redwood panels. Polystyrene panels would be easy to use on the back of redwood panels themselves, but Im afraid it wont be enough and should back the area between panels themselves as well. Then I feel it would be hard to overlap these panels when the door panels meet the interior panels.

Ideally, I would like a pliable type insulation (Fiberglass) to surround the interior of the cabinet and bend-to-fit around blowers, plumbing, doors, etc while easy to use. The problem with Fiberglass is its susceptibility to lose R-value when wet from either excess hot tub water (overflow) or excess condensation (extreme temperature difference). I live in Madison, Wisconsin and definitely need to do something quickly to help my increasing costs (new owner and don’t have full months electric costs yet but will soon).

Someone above mentioned the use of a Roxul product which is a mineral wool, water-resistant and fire retardant (similar to fiberglass) type product. I am very interested in this as it seems perfect for the environment of a Hot Tub. I have contacted a Roxul provider in Milwaukee as they sell 24" x 48" batts (8x) per package for around $30 for the Roxul AFB product.

Does anybody else have a problem with Polystyrene panels or have any experience with using Fiberglass type insulation in their cabinets? If so, how well did it work? Did it help your costs noticably?

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  • 3 weeks later...

I spent about 2 hours yesterday (sunday) adding the Roxul AFB product to my Gulf Coast Rotunda (2005 model). It took me a while to get it tucked in everywhere but did so successfully.

I dont yet have any hard data as to improvements but I do already notice that the cabinet temp is more stable (before I was anywhere between 60-70 degrees within 20 minutes or so) and pump #1/heater isnt running NEARLY as often as it was before. I think the pump was kicking on/off often per the anti-freeze function. With only about a days worth of data, I now seem to be keeping a more constant temp at about 64 degrees with it being about 15 degrees outside.

It was more of a pain than I originaly thought it would be to add the insulation. On my gulf coast, my ozonator and blower are mounted to the horizontal framing of the cabinet and made it difficult to get insulation around those without blocking air inputs to assure continued operation.

Also making things more difficult were portions of the plumbing fitting tight against the cabinet and not being able to move them away to accomodate the extra 3" of insulation. For these ares, I had to do my best at providing insulation without making it too bulky that I couldnt fit my cabinet doors back on.

I'm failry comfortable that the product I used will keeps its R-value over the years as it is water resistant and fire retardant.

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I should have taken pictures when doing it, unfortauntly, I did not. Which may be a decent thing because I'm not sure if i did it "right." It was about 10 degrees outside on Sunday when i was doing this and frankly, just wanted to get it done. Sorry for not taking pics.

Again, I have no idea if I did it right or not, but I just bought 24"wide x 48"high X 3"thick Roxul insulation. I then cut it to height of my tub, enought to get it under the cabinet upper lip, and placed it lengthwise. I continued this all around and cut out areas for the blower, ozonator and other plumbing features impossible to move further inward in the cabinet. I put it on the outside of the foil bubble wrap and on the inside of my 1/2" styrafoam boards attached to each of my cabinet panels.

After two days worth of data, my temp has remained pretty stable instead of up and down so often. I has increased the temperature of the cabinet but I have noticed that my anti-freeze cycle kicks on about 3 to 4 times less then it did before (just a guess). Even with that, I'm pretty happy that my investment of $50 of insulation should reduce my power consumption.

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