Whether it’s staying warm on a winter’s night under the stars or enjoying a summer evening on the deck, hot tubs offer year-round enjoyment and relaxation. It doesn’t take a small effort to keep these tubs at temperature however, and the more a heater has to work to keep the water warm, the more power a hot tub uses and the greater the cost for energy. To keep these products as efficient as possible, hot tubs feature insulating covers that trap the warmth. These are almost exclusively made of vinyl covered polystyrene.
There are many reasons polystyrene is used in hot tub covers, but the most important is its insulation ability. With a strong R-Value, a measure of thermal insulation, polystyrene keeps heat within the tub better than other materials. The greater the density of foam, the better it insulates as well. It is also water-resistant and will not easily absorb moisture or vapors. By virtue of the cover being used inches from a large source of moisture, all materials will eventually need to be replaced over time, but polystyrene offers the longest usage life of potential covering materials at an excellent value.
Polystyrene is also surprisingly easy to manipulate. With hot wire cutters, manufacturing companies can cut this foam to size in nearly any dimension or shape, important for covering custom-size tubs. Because of this, getting foam cut to order for hot tub cover replacement is often as easy as locating a foam manufacturer and sending in the dimensions of your tub.
When designed and installed properly, a polystyrene hot tub cover can provide years of efficiency and enjoyment with your hot tub.