Do you dream of a hot tub in the garden, luxuriating under the stars after a hard day’s work – perhaps with some friends to share it with?
A conventional hot tub will cost you at least 3,000 dollars to buy, and there will be the fitting costs on top of that. Then you have to face the heating bills. But a solar hot tub can be made for about 400 dollars, and the heating bills will be zero. Free!Â
It is very easy to build a solar hot tub. You will have a great centerpiece for your backyard, and it will work in any climate. The water will actually get so hot that you will need to fit a pressure relief valve for safety!
Start with a good set of diy plans. Included should be a full list of materials needed, clear step-by-step instructions and diagrams, plumbing schematics and setting-up details.
These are the main parts of a solar hot tub:
Solar collector box
Stand-alone tub
Filter
Pump (option, site-dependent)
Various CPVC plumbing parts
Pressure relief and control valves
A sheet of corrugated tin laid in a shallow wooden box is the basis of the solar collector. The box base can be made of ¼ inch or ½ inch ply sheet, with edges made from 6 x 2 planks or similar, and then line it with insulating foam sheet.
CPVC pipes (3/4 inch will do) are laid and fastened along the corrugations and connected in series allowing cold water to enter the solar collector at the bottom and exit at the top. CPVC pipe is best, incidentally, because it has better heat tolerance then PVC. The whole inside of the box and the pipes are painted flat black, and a sheet of ¼ inch (or thereabouts) polycarbonate glazing is attached to the top of the box to close it. Â
You can try out various stand-alone tubs at your local hardware store and choose a suitable size, usually between 150 and 500 gallons depending on the number of people to use it at one time.
If you can mount the solar collector at least one foot below the tub to allow thermosyphoning, you should be able to avoid fitting a pump. If this is not possible you will need a pump rated at about 150 GPH fitted at the outlet from the tub.
Try to arrange the shortest possible pipe runs and to avoid 90 degree bends. Fitting an inline filter near the tub water outlet will avoid the task of having to clean out the tub from time to time. You will also need control valves at tub inlet and outlet, and a pressure relief valve for safety.
After testing the solar hot tub for leaks fit as much insulation as possible – all outside plumbing, the sides of the tub and the tub cover (vital to minimize nighttime heat losses).
Because the tub is designed to stand alone, any surrounding structure that you decide to add will be purely for convenient access and aesthetics, such as covering up the plumbing.
The positioning of the solar collector is important. In northern latitudes place it facing due south, or within 10 degrees of it, and sloping at between 15 and 30 degrees from the horizontal. Also you should slightly tilt the solar collector lengthwise to encourage better water flow through it.
What time can you expect to take for heating the solar hot tub water? It might take as long as two days to establish a comfortable 110 degrees first time around. Once there, though, you will find your main problem will be cooling the water rather than heating it!
It is essential, however, that you plan in thorough detail before starting to build your solar hot tub. Determine the size of tub you want, and where you want to locate it. Then invest in some good professional advice – you will not regret it.
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