Remote Living > Water

The Evolution of a Hillbilly Hot Tub

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madlabs:
Hi All,

< Cue the Deliverance banjo music >

The Hillbilly Hot tub has evolved! As I have said before, if a hot tub could wear a wife-beater and have a beer gut, this one would. Mind you, the gut would be from eating organic, grass fed burgers and guzzling fine micro-brews. :-)

Anyhoo, added two thermal panels and three PV panels to the mix. Now the propane tank/sand water filter is powered by PV and pumping through the thermal panels. On a nice hot day here I seem to be getting *about* four degrees rise per hour. All while keeping the water clean. Sweet deal. I'm guessing it's going to go quite a ways towards lowering the fire wood consumption.

Just had to share. I'm wildly entertained by it. :-)

Jonathan

Bruce S:
I LIKE IT!!  ;D
Especially the color coordinated hews of blues you have going on there.
If you're into micro-brews try the Black Art and B.A gold both are tasty even at warm pool temps.
ENJOY!

madlabs:
Well, at the end of the day we got 18 degrees F of rise. Awesome! That is more than it loses over night, so over a run of a couple of days sun it should keep it toasty. As it was it took just a small quick fire to reach tub temp today.

Can't wait for my first all solar tub out of this system. I have a few more thermal panels to throw at the problem if I want more heat. I hope the bilge pump I'm using doesn't mind the lower voltage of the panels at the beginning and end of the day.

Jonathan

madlabs:
Muhahaha! Had my first all solar hot tub last night! Came home from my 48 hour shift at work and the tub was a perfect 106 degrees. Did use the Chofu to keep the temp fater dark when friends came over. Awesome.

Jonathan

Simen:
I know the feeling. ;)

I have a similar (almost free) setup; a corner bathtub (free) with a 7m2 (rated 5kW) solar thermal panel for swimming pool (free; had some leakage, but fixed). the only item not free, are the sandfilter pump; gave around $200 for it (running on solar energy from my main bank :) ).

My tub would be around 1/3 in volume, compared to yours i guess, so heating time from 16c to 40c would be around 3hours in full sun.

Nothing beats the feeling, soaking in 40deg C. water for free... ;)

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