An idea pops up in your mind. You want to have your hot tub or spa in your place. Is this idea feasible? Can you afford it? Getting the service of a contractor to build one for you can be very costly and may create a hole in your pocket. The price of a DIY hot tub can be a more sensible option so long as you are focused and fully decided to complete it. Nothing is more exciting and fulfilling than creating and building your hot tub based on what you want. What are the other perks of a DIY project? You can do some tweaks to fit the design, create your timetable, and work within what you can afford now.
So how and where will you start? Begin with drawing up a realistic and doable plan. You may also explore your resources. Everything is now available online. All the information, tips, and ideas that you may need are all within your reach, with just a few clicks on the internet. Take time to watch the experts. They have uploaded several videos online showing the steps of how-to DIY’s hot tub or spa. They also cover all the details that include even the technical specifications. You can start on it as soon as you already have the vital knowledge of the DIY hot tub project. What you planned for will soon be a reality after some hard work and painstaking efforts. All’s well that ends well is what they say, and you will even be surprised to see the fruits of your labor in no time at all.
What are the different types of hot tubs?
Not all hot tubs can be the same. They can have different specifications like size and shape, layout, materials, and technical design. The location where you will place the hot tub can also vary. All of these will depend on your own needs and personal preference. You can choose to have either a circular, square, or rectangular-shaped hot tub, an in-ground spa, or a hot tub built at an elevated level placed indoors or outdoors. Design and aesthetics for outdoor hot tubs or spas must match your existing landscape. The decision is yours to make. Once you’ve decided on these items, you can proceed with the more technical side of the construction – plumbing, heating, and the rest.
There are a lot of technical considerations that you may need to know before starting to build your DIY hot tub. It will be wise to familiarize yourself with the plumbing, mechanical, electrical, and other aspects of construction and installation before embarking on this project. Your best bet will be to ask the experts if you can. Some of the contractors can offer free consultations. This project may also require you to do extensive research on all aspects of construction before you create a plan and start with this DIY project.
Source: (buildahottub.com)
What is the best method to heat my DIY Hot Tub?
Heating is a very crucial part of building a hot tub or spa. You must be sure to make the right choice as a wrong decision may result in a lot of wasted time, effort, and inconvenience. You have several options, and each one has its pros and cons depending on many factors. Just bear in mind that heating time will vary depending on the type of heater that you’ll choose, the energy or power source, the size of your hot tub or spa, your location, usage, and of course, the weather condition. You may read through the different types of heaters below to know what each can offer.
Coal or Wood Fire Heater
The most conventional type of heater for hot tubs is by using wood or coal. Coal or wood fire heater can heat the water in about two to three hours for an average-sized hot tub. However, it may take longer to heat the water in colder winter months.
This type of heating works like the typical furnace heating some water through the pipes which runs around the wood burner. Once heated, the water flows upward out of the tubes or pipes and flows into the tub. Just imagine the water circling until it heats up and flows back to the tub. Using wood fire to heat your DIY hot tub uses a natural source of power and thus, does not harm the environment. The downside is the long time and effort spent to heat the furnace.
Natural Gas or Propane Heaters
There are two gas types for spa heaters, propane or natural gas. Gas heating is a traditional way of heating used for inground spas, elevated wooden hot tubs, and even portable spas. Natural gas or propane can heat the water faster with approximately 45 to 60 minutes of heating time for an average size spa. But, again, the heating time has many variables and can vary depending on many conditions. The process goes with the water passing through a filter, then goes into the heater. Once heated, the water returns to the tub. Most gas spa heaters have an automatic shut-off feature that turns off the power after several hours of not being touched.
Gas heaters are a very efficient type of heater as they can provide fast heating even in freezing climates at lower operating costs. However, setting up and installation is expensive, so you should be ready to shell out a higher initial cost. In addition, gas heaters have a more complicated design and usually are more costly to repair and maintain. Generally, natural or propane gas heaters are more expensive with higher operating costs as you need to store on fuel supply.
Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP)
This heater uses the same principle as the regular air conditioning units. The ASHP device has two functions and uses a compressor and a condenser. The dual function works two ways by absorbing heat from the outside air for heating or, it gets air from water for cooling effects. Air source heat pumps can be very efficient as it heats water in your hot tub for a shorter time. It is a low-maintenance device that can last for a longer time. This hot tub water heater has a lower heat supply and can emit noise when running. Its operating costs may be higher as it still needs electricity to run. To save on energy costs, you can buy the inverter type ASHP.
Electric Heaters
Today, people are more into the more flexible and easy-to-use gadgets and appliance units that include their choices for hot tub heater for their hot tub or spa. Most homes now are equipped with electric spa heaters are flow-thru heaters. Generally, this type of heater operates and runs at a lower cost. They are easy to install with most electric power heaters powered by 240 volts. Repair and maintenance are also affordable with readily available spare parts. The downside is that electric heaters are slow to heat and take about 2-3 hours on a small-sized spa. Safety issues can also be a primary concern with the possibilities of overheating and electric shock. Since its runs on electricity, it can also have higher operational costs although, it can still depend on many factors.
What is a Spa Pack?
A Spa Pack is an integrated electric heater and controller system in one complete package. With this pack, you can easily control all your hot tub functions. It serves as the heart and nerve of your spa equipment like the jet pumps, filters, time, and heater. There are two types of control used in hot tubs – electronic, digital-type systems and conventional, mechanical air controls. For safety reasons, everything must be located inside your control rooms for faster and easier troubleshooting if it malfunctions, maintenance, and routine checks.
Solar heaters
The most cost-effective and natural method to heat your hot tub water can be the solar heater. It is fast becoming popular now despite the many limitations. First and foremost, these solar heaters need at least 6 hours of unobstructed direct sunlight to power up. As such, it can only be an ideal alternative source of power in places with adequate sunlight. However, in other areas of lesser light from the golden sun, solar heaters can still work as a supplemental heat supply for a hot tub or spa.
These solar heaters work using thermal energy from the sun’s power or energy collected thru solar panels. This energy, however, cannot be stored. Without the sun, these heaters will never work. The sun is their primary and only source of power that can convert energy to heat. Since they need to collect rays of direct sunlight, you will need ample space in your roof for setting up the panels. The solar heater’s output will depend on the abundance and availability of direct sunlight and, it can only heat water during the daytime. You can use well-insulated water storage tanks so you can have heated water to use during nighttime. These solar heaters can run at a cheaper operating cost as it uses no electricity and relies purely on renewable and clean energy source. These heaters are easy to install and require less maintenance, a wise investment in the long run. They will not be helpful during the winter, rainy and foggy months.
Conclusion
Whatever type of heater you may choose to have for your DIY hot tub, each one can have its advantages and disadvantages. There are a lot of factors that may also affect their functionality and efficiency. You may go for what can work best for you and your family’s needs. Another helpful idea is to keep in mind that there are different ways to save on energy and utility costs. Keeping your tub’s temperature if you use it often can be more economical than switching it off and back on again after every use.
Also Read:
How to Replace a Hot Tub Heater
In addition, you will need a way to store the generated energy to be used at night when there is not much sunlight. Insulation ensures that whatever energy source you use stays warm for as long as possible, which in turn ensures that the heat you put in the bath stays in it longer.
Just like the radiators in LED fixtures, the bathtub will radiate heat wherever metal is exposed, which is why it is best to wrap the bathtub with bubble wrap insulation, which can be found in any hardware store and attached with heating tape. Using a metal bath is good for keeping the water warm and pleasant, but it also works as a radiator.
The oven can be placed directly in the storage tank or on the side so that the water passes through the drum to warm it up. The oval reservoir holds in sizes 2 and 4 long 103 gallons and can hold two people in a crumpled state.
A simple hot tub with a do-it-yourself drain tank is a great idea – you will heat the water with a water heater. Even the tub itself is made of cedar, as it is considered the best tree for this – this ocean firewood tub uses an inflatable hot tub and a small generator to power the pump, then a heat exchanger to maintain the temperature of the water – using simple Amazon floor-standing propane tools Water Heater – Turn your reserve pool into a jacuzzi or heated pool.
Build this self-contained, DIY hot tub next to your vegetable garden so that after a long day of gardening, you can soak up tired muscles and use the water (after it cools) to water your plants. Use this free guide to build a solar hot tub so you can heat the water without electricity and save a small fortune by not using electricity or buying wood to keep the water warm.
For anyone who might want to try this out there, we took a look at the internet to see what others have done. As a result, we present some of our best designs: no. 2 – expensive wood-heated metal vat, no. 5 portable piano and no. 12 – beautiful cedar design that complements the outdoor terrace.
In this video, learn how to make an easy-to-make wood-fired hot tub that allows you to enjoy long boiling baths without spending a lot of money. Then, read on to learn how you can build one of your heated hot tubs that’s a fraction of what you’ll spend trying to install one of these fancy hot tubs in your home. We collected hundreds of hot tubs from the Phoenix homes to know that they are a short-lived luxury in the Valley of the Sun.
If you need a small one-person hot tub but don’t like the idea of using a spare tank or an old tub, you can build a 2×6 cedar tub like this one from HomeMadeModern. The cedarwood from which this homemade hot tub is made will last for years, and its dimensions are ideal for families. A wood-fired snorkel stove will keep the water warm in your homemade hot tub, even on the coldest winter days.
An internal burner, often referred to as a snorkel tube, is the most efficient way to heat a tank. The wood used is recycled pallet wood, and the heater is made from an old propane tank. Since wood baths are generally smaller than electric ones and are more “manual” to use, water is usually replaced instead of filtered and treated.
The water does not always stay hot, so you should schedule each soak several hours in advance. Before each soak, I wash my face with a hot water soaked straight from the bath, this helps to clean the water, and I adapted to the temperature of the water.
The Japanese traditionally prefer hot water, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that hot tub water never exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Just turn on the tap, and you have hot water, just like in an indoor bathroom. This ingenious design uses a coil that transfers heat to the water, and it takes only a couple of hours to heat a tank of over 700 gallons. Of course, you will need a reasonably large container – 150 pounds to be exact – but the concept is outstanding.
Warm water is one of the essential functions of a hot tub, so it’s a great resource if you want to learn how to keep the water warm while soaking. Here is another plan for building a freestanding hot tub, and this plan will find many details on how to make the heater itself.
Sources
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