Noise - Full Foam Insulation vs. Other Insulation

Last night was just an absolutely awesome night for hot tubbing. No lights, no jets, no stereo. I think the temp was around 16 °F The star field was just beautiful. Noise - Full Foam Insulation vs. Other Insulation I thought I would start the debate at an area where everybody that has a hot tub will easily understand. Manufactures that insist that full foam insulation is the way to go always point out noise. Okay, so why don't they insulate the equipment bay? That is where the noise makers are - the main pumps. In the age of 5 - 7 horse power motors, you could not hear the sound of the water going through the plumbing if your life depended on it. Speaking of foam insulating the equipment bay, yesterday I worked on a hot tub that had one of the shut off valves foamed over. I won't mention the brand, but that is sloppy to put it kindly. I have also found trash incased with the foam before. Usually it is just scrap wood and the like but still... In conclusion, the noise from water flowing through the plumbing is imperceptible, and does not warrant using foam to reduce it. If these manufactures where taking measures to reduce noise, the equipment bay should be their focus - not the plumbing. Alas, they do not. So, full foaming the plumbing for noise reduction is not a valid argument. Score: Full Foam 0, Other means 1 . -Gary