njmurvin Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 I purchased an infrared heat sensor gun recently and decided last evening to take it to my fully foamed Marquis Everyday 660 to look for possible heat leaks. I checked around the base of the spa and the temp was consistently in the 47 degree range - until I got to the equipment area where it rose to the low 50s (pumps/heater were off - so they weren't generating heat at the time). I am assuming the relative reduced amount of foam in the equipment area (and possibly some still-warm water sitting in the pipes) explains the difference in temperature there. This is a fairly large surface area to be exposing that kind of heat to the air. Would adding some perimeter insulation to the removable and fixed side panels there help? Next, I checked all the way around the lip of the cover expecting that there might be some leaks due to the upward tension of the cover lifter. Actually, I did not find any leaks there. What did surprise me, however, is that the temperature is around 10 degrees higher the entire length of the hinge where the cover folds. The cover lifter has rods that insert into the hinge - but they are only 1-2 feet long and I read the increased temperature all the way across the cover along the hinge line. Clearly, the entire hinge is allowing heat to escape. So, is this expected? Or, should we expect the hinge area to preserve the spa heat equally to the rest of the cover? While this is a smaller surface area than the equipment side, it is still a significant loss of heat. Would a heat blanket on the water help with this? Can you still use a bromine floater with a heat blanket? Ideas??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark SC Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Fascinating. I've always wanted one of those sensor guns. I would think that the equipment area needs to breathe so that the motor doesn't overheat, so I'd be reluctant to add insulation there. Plus, the motor's heat will find its way into the spa when the motor is on and help heat the water. The cover hinge where the two pieces come together is the weak link of the cover (less insulation directly below it), so it doesn't surprise me that the most heat loss would occur there. You might have to live with that too unless you want to follow up on your heat blanket idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 If the hinge area is not fully insulated, why in the word would you expect it to "preserve the spa heat equally to the rest of the cover?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFC5 Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 I know my cover only has a block at each end of the hinge and not along the whole hinge like some nice replacement covers have. I have thought of getting some bubble wrap wound up tight then wrapped in vinyl to cover it to attach to those blocks at the end of the hinge to fill the void and better insulate since my cover is only 3 months old that came with my new spa. Heck even just the bubble wrap and duck taped to one side in that seam would probably help a lot. The bubble wrap would have to be replaced every few months I imagine due to the outgassing of sanitizer & ozone, but it would get through the coldest months. I do have a blue bubble spa blanket that I tried to use, but it is a pain to use IMO and it turned the water cloudy the day after I started using it. I assume the contact with the chlorinated water resulted in some plastic leaching to cause the cloudiness, so I removed it. I may use that to make that full hinge length block. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njmurvin Posted February 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 If the hinge area is not fully insulated, why in the word would you expect it to "preserve the spa heat equally to the rest of the cover?" I don't really. I wonder, though, if this much loss (20-25% more than the rest of the cover) is excessive. There is an extra padded insert in the hinge that I assume is supposed to assure no air gaps while the cover is closed (i.e. fill the gap). I have a feeling that the cover lifter rods that slip into the hinge area might be preventing this from functioning as designed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njmurvin Posted February 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Fascinating. I've always wanted one of those sensor guns. I received an ad in the mail from Harbor Freight Tools. They had one on sale for $25.99. I suspect the reported temps are not perfectly accurate. But, I'm looking more for the differential in temps to identify trouble areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 I purchased an infrared heat sensor gun recently and decided last evening to take it to my fully foamed Marquis Everyday 660 to look for possible heat leaks. I checked around the base of the spa and the temp was consistently in the 47 degree range - until I got to the equipment area where it rose to the low 50s (pumps/heater were off - so they weren't generating heat at the time). I am assuming the relative reduced amount of foam in the equipment area (and possibly some still-warm water sitting in the pipes) explains the difference in temperature there. This is a fairly large surface area to be exposing that kind of heat to the air. Would adding some perimeter insulation to the removable and fixed side panels there help? Next, I checked all the way around the lip of the cover expecting that there might be some leaks due to the upward tension of the cover lifter. Actually, I did not find any leaks there. What did surprise me, however, is that the temperature is around 10 degrees higher the entire length of the hinge where the cover folds. The cover lifter has rods that insert into the hinge - but they are only 1-2 feet long and I read the increased temperature all the way across the cover along the hinge line. Clearly, the entire hinge is allowing heat to escape. So, is this expected? Or, should we expect the hinge area to preserve the spa heat equally to the rest of the cover? While this is a smaller surface area than the equipment side, it is still a significant loss of heat. Would a heat blanket on the water help with this? Can you still use a bromine floater with a heat blanket? Ideas??? Talk to your dealer (or manufacturer custoemr service) about availability of an add-on cover hinge seal. As far as the compartment door, if you have enough interior space you can take some foil backed foam bard and attach it. If not the foil by itself would help with radiant heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njmurvin Posted February 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 OK. My cover is the kind that has just the two small pads in the hinge on the outer edges. Last night it was pretty chilly out (for SoCal anyway), and with a flashlight I could actually see steam coming out of the hinge ends with the spa covered. That can't be good. Is there any way to retrofit this cover to form a better seal (still waiting for a response from Marquis about availability of a full length insert for the hinge)? I do have the Leisure Concepts Covermate 3 installed. Could that be contributing somehow? FWIW, I have a Marquis Everyday 660. I assume it doesn't have Marquis' top of the line cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 The Covermate 3 could be contributing to the problem. Even when fully closed, the cover lifter is constantly applying upward pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WineMaker Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 My wife asked me why we cannot put a tarp or plastic sheeting UNDER the hot tub cover to keep moisture damage to the cover to a minimum? I know the spa blankets appear NOT to be airtight, they seem to address the issue of temperature only. I did not have an answer for her, any help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnepr Dave Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Let's get this into perspective. My hot tub costs me about $25 per month to heat, so it costs me an extra two bucks a month because of heat loss through the hinge on the cover? It's not going to break me, I can live with that! Is it really worth wrapping things with bubble wrap and tarps, while making the hot tub look like crap to save two bucks a month, I don't think so! Dave Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WineMaker Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 I agree I don't want a big blue tarp flowing out if the tub, but I read here and elsewhere it is usual to replace the cover about every 3-5 years due to failures caused by heat and moisture. Thats a $300+ expense I would like to at least see happen les often. Any ideas why a simple vapor barrier (plastic) will not help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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