Business Opportunity
January 20, 2021
A Safer Alternative for Heated Spas:
Spa owners have long been dissatisfied with EPS/Styrofoam/PVC vinyl spa covers and rightly so as they experiment with other covers regardless of efficacy as the market proves. Popular now with those seemingly unconcerned with energy efficiency are covers intended to support two large men…who does that play to? It seems prudent to consider much of the concern from spa owners is associated with smelly, water saturated, polluting foam spa covers that few would consider a, “Wellness” feature after having one or two.
More states require products with dangerous chemicals to have bold labels (e.g. CA Prop. 65) warning of toxic exposure to cancer causing chemicals to better inform consumers especially pregnant women and those with small children. Styrene is a class ‘A’ carcinogen and styrene oxide along with benzene and PVC are also classified as cancer causing. EPS/PVC Safety Data Sheets warn these spa cover chemicals are incompatible and become unstable when exposed to strong oxidizers like chlorine, bromine or ozone that greatly increase risks to humans.
At the 2008 PG&E spa energy test at Cal Poly University and using my patented single hinge design, my Coverplay spa entry (V) easily outperformed all OEM acrylic spas tested. Inspired by that achievement, I created the Airframe spa cover by applying engineering to the basic physics of heat energy transfer and was awarded U.S. patent # 9340989.
Congress passed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act in 2016. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a mandate to inform the public of chemicals in consumer products harmful to their family’s health. That action produced a TOP 10 list of hazardous chemicals including asbestos and hexabromocyclododecane, (HBCD) a neurotoxin used specifically in polystyrene (EPS/XPS) foam board. As consultant to the rule making committee for the California Energy Commission on portable spa efficiency, I presented my research to them and the spa industry in July 2016 exposing the inefficiencies of water-soaked EPS spa covers and potential health dangers to spa users from unprotected exposure.
The, “Green” Airframe uses my patented integrated removal system, is lightweight, energy efficient, sustainable and repairable. Airframe doesn’t gain water weight like Styrofoam, is non-toxic and won’t end up as landfill for 2000 years!
To help reduce Styrofoam pollution and its toxic exposure to families with spas, I offer licenses to manufacture my multi- patented Airframe design to those committed to helping eliminate polystyrene from the spa industry. This 21st century, “Pollution solution” would improve public confidence in spa models touting health and wellness. Who among the spa industry will be first…last?
Sustainable change is inevitable and to those inspired to help protect spa families, our oceans and our planet can make a difference by acting now!
Thanks in advance,
E. Jess Tudor
Design Engineer (retired)
Coverplay, Inc.
Central Point, OR 97502 USA