Sundance Spa Covers
Sundance Spa Covers -As expensive as it is to buy and install a home spa, many spa owners look for ways to cut costs. One of the most obvious places they look is with the spa equipment itself, and for good reason. By opting out of premium spa accessories like a wireless remote control system, consumers can save thousands of dollars on their spa purchase. While many spa extras can be trimmed away to save a little bit of money, one of the places that consumers should not skimp is on the spa cover.
Even though spa covers can cost anywhere from $400 to $1,000 or more, choosing to not buy one can cost you all of that and much more. The reason why is because spa covers save energy, chemicals and lives.
Sundance Spa Covers – No matter whether your spa is outdoors or indoors, the majority of the energy it takes to run your spa goes toward heating your water to just the right temperature. As with any water that is left to sit, the water in your spa will cool down to room temperature or the outdoor temperature when the spa is not in use. This means that you will have to use even more energy to heat it up again before using it a second time, and a third, and so on. The colder you let your water get, the more energy that it will take to heat it up.
Sundance Spa Covers – Spa covers help conserve energy by keeping your water temperature consistent. You see, the spa cover is made with a layer of foam insulation that works the same way that a thermos does. It keeps the cold air out and the warm water, well warm. This means that it will only take you a little time and a little bit of energy to heat your spa to the desired temperature before use.
Sundance Spa Covers
Sundance Spa Covers – Paying an absurd amount of money for a replacement spa cover could be the worst thing you do. The typical cost of a spa cover (before shipping/handling costs are applied) should range between $290 to $370. $290 will typically be a base-model cover that will do the job, but not as well as a cover with heavier foam, higher foam density, better plastics, etc.
Look at the features and upgrades offered, and make sure you’re not being taken advantage of.
Sundance Spa Covers – First, let’s look at R values (insulating values), and what affects them.
R values for most base-model covers starts around R-12, which is a combination of the foam, plastics, and vinyl insulating abilities. R-12 usually means your cover is made with 1 pound foam, a basic 2 mil plastic protecting the foam, 4″ to 2″ taper, basic steam stoppers on each side of the hinge (fold) of the cover, and a skirt (flap).
Sundance Spa Covers – What people don’t usually think about is, while most base-model spa covers do a reasonable job in regions that are always warm, that same spa cover most likely will not do the job nearly well in regions that take on cold weather conditions. First, a cover with 4″ to 2″ taper (thickness) and 1 pound foam is not going to insulate as well in winter-like conditions or withstand the weight of snow, ice, or tree limbs nearly as well as a cover with 6″ to 4″ taper and 2 pound foam, which increases the insulating value to at least R-15 by the time you include the protective plastic around the foam and the vinyl.
Sundance Spa Covers – The next thing to think about is the hinge. You wont notice it in a warm climate, but in a winter-like climate, you will see snow piled on a spa cover, and the hinge (fold) area is completely defrosted. Obviously, heat is escaping. You want to be sure that when you order your cover, that the retailer you choose offers upgrades like foam stitched into the hinge for additional insulation, this not only extends the life of the heating components of your spa, but keeps your energy bills down!
Sundance Spa Covers – Something that many people don’t think about, or just don’t understand is the heat-sealed plastic that protects your foam inserts.
Sundance Spa Covers – A spa-owner’s worst nightmare is dealing with a spa cover that seemingly gained 50 pounds over time. This is typically the case when a spa cover becomes water-logged. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, but you notice that your spa cover is dripping brown or rusty water back into your spa, your cover is well on it’s way to becoming water-logged. This is caused when the protective plastic has begun to expose the foam inserts to moisture. A cover in this condition is not only difficult to maneuver, but is dangerous to your health because you can strain your back, or other areas.
Sundance Spa Covers – Back to the original purpose of this article: money!
Yes, these upgrades and features will increase the price of your next cover, but not nearly as much as people who spend an average of $450 a year on energy to keep their spa heated, and nearly the same every 1.5 years replacing their spa cover due to premature failure.
The best way to extend the life of a spa cover is to:
1) keep it clean, and treated properly. We recommend 303 Products for vinyl.
2) leave the spa uncovered for at least an hour after treating with chemicals.
This allows the spa to breath off chemical vapors and suds generated by the chemicals so that these things don’t break down the plastics that protect your foam inserts -Sundance Spa Covers-.