cameoguy Posted November 25, 2009 Report Share Posted November 25, 2009 I am the owner of a Sundance Cameo Spa which came with a Covermate 3 cover lifter. I have had the spa for almost 3 months and was quite surprised when I got my first electricity bill. I live in a mild climate in California and got the spa installed in the middle of September (2009). My first energy bill had a full months of tub usage contained. It turns out my tub consumed an additional 400 Kwh of energy then the previous month when I had no tub. I was using about 350 - 400 Kwh per month, which in California as a PG&E customer put me in to the Tier 2 pricing. My bill however was only about $50/month average. The additional energy consumption made my bill about $150 more in the first month. After getting the hot tub my Kwh usage went to 795 for the first month (sep-oct) and 769 Kwh for the next month (oct-nov). Here is how it looks: Month 1 - Aug-Sep - Usage - 389 Kwh (Before getting tub) Month 2 - Sep-Oct - Usage - 795 Kwh (Tub Month 1) Month 3 - Oct-Nov - Usage - 769 Kwh (Tub Month 1) The guidance I get from the the dealer and other sources on the Internet is that the tub should consume about and 5-7 Kwh per day. Currently the tub is using about 13 Kwh per day. More then 2X. The reason why I was so surprised was that I had a poorly insulated tub about 18 months ago I bought from Costco. That tub consumed about the same amount of energy and was the main reason why I got rid of it. The dealer decided to send a tech to my home for an inspection. I told him I noticed that steam was coming out the sides of my hot tub cover during cold mornings. When the jets run on my tub and the cover is closed the hot tub leaks hot air out of the sides of the cover where it folds towards the edges of the tub. I have a Covermate 3 cover lifter and I noticed that this slightly lifts the cover where it folds towards the edges. I believe but am not certain that this cover lifter and the cover itself is what is causing this heat loss. The Covermate 3 is designed to hook in to the cover and has gas shocks which pull upwards. I believe these are causing the cover to lift ever so slightly off the tub and allowing it to leak hot air. I am wondering if anyone has had similar experiences with their Cameo or Covermate 3 lifter? I am working with the local dealer to get new shocks put in that don't lift so much and a solar blanket to seal in the heat. Are there any other suggestions or words of wisdom out there? I like the tub but don't believe it should be consuming as much energy as it is. Could anything else be causing this such as a faulty thermometer, heater? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bart6453 Posted November 25, 2009 Report Share Posted November 25, 2009 wow...that seems like one hell of an electric bill for a tub in a climate like California's. I do not live in a semi-communist state, so I don't get penalized for using additional energy. With that said, my bill only increased by about $25 per month....and I live in Minnesota. Sounds like something may be wrong there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey_in_NY Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 Something's not right with your set-up. 3 months ago I purchased a new Sundance tub, and was nervous about the amount of electric it would eat. In those 3 months it's used an extra 200 kwh, 220 kwh and 250 kwh respectively. Last months 250 kwh (8 kwh per day) cost me around $35 here in Buffalo, NY where electric prices are certainly not cheap at $0.14 / kwh. Myself and my family use the tub 30-60 minutes per day. I'm expecting this to rise to maybe $50 in the depths of winter. You're right about the cover lifting slightly when the jets run during the fliter cycles - shutting off the air intakes will stop/minimize this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaamus Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 Your Covermate 3's shocks (there is only one shock pressure) may be too powerful for the (light) weight of your cover. As a test, put some weighted object on the cover to keep the cover pushed down at the center edges where that "hook" goes under the cover's hinge and is pulling it up. Unfortunately, there is only one shock pressure for the Covermate 3 but this may be your issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hot_water Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 Your Covermate 3's shocks (there is only one shock pressure) may be too powerful for the (light) weight of your cover. As a test, put some weighted object on the cover to keep the cover pushed down at the center edges where that "hook" goes under the cover's hinge and is pulling it up. Unfortunately, there is only one shock pressure for the Covermate 3 but this may be your issue. Agree with Shaamus. The first place to look is the cover seal against the shell. See if you can feel any spots where heat is escaping with your hands. Even your Costco tub shouldn't have been that bad... I had a Costco Hydrospa Platinum II for three years in California and would estimate my energy costs as $30/mo worst-case dead of winter (to the extent we even have winter here). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hottubdan Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 Your Covermate 3's shocks (there is only one shock pressure) may be too powerful for the (light) weight of your cover. As a test, put some weighted object on the cover to keep the cover pushed down at the center edges where that "hook" goes under the cover's hinge and is pulling it up. Unfortunately, there is only one shock pressure for the Covermate 3 but this may be your issue. Agree with Shaamus. The first place to look is the cover seal against the shell. See if you can feel any spots where heat is escaping with your hands. Even your Costco tub shouldn't have been that bad... I had a Costco Hydrospa Platinum II for three years in California and would estimate my energy costs as $30/mo worst-case dead of winter (to the extent we even have winter here). I would agree the prime suspect is the "tenting of the CM3." We used to have that issue when we used them. However, living with the rational tiered electrical use rate system as we do, I think your hot tub will still send you into tier 3. Anyone know who is making the cover for Sundance these days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 Make sure you're air dials are CLOSED. If they're left open, when the system runs, the air that's injected with the water has to escape. As it escapes it will carry away heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey_in_NY Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 Make sure you're air dials are CLOSED. If they're left open, when the system runs, the air that's injected with the water has to escape. As it escapes it will carry away heat. Totally agree. In fact your Sundance owners maunal will say the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpg.dc5a6170fa916412670749ff27e20047.jpg)
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.