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Hot Tub advice

Air source heat pump might get enough temperature. Will use less electricity - but yer gotta put up with the fan noise.
 
When we bought our current home 12 years ago, it came with a hot tub on the back deck. Used it maybe a half dozen times in three years, got tired of the high electricity costs and ripped it out. The large in-ground swimming pool that also came with the house gets almost constant use in the summer however. I guess it depends on what you're after: are you a leisurely bathtub soak type of person (bubble baths, cucumber slices, mud pack, etc), or not? I will say that due to the small size and heat, one must be extra vigilant about the water chemistry in a hot tub, certainly more so than a swimming pool. Good luck.
 
I’ve got an inflatable one (lay z spa Monaco), it’s definitely one of the more robust models, but has a large water capacity, so if you’re heating it, it’s going to cost, both financially and environmentally, I only use it in situations like now, no need to run the heater at all, I filled it Sunday evening partially with cold water, and then topped off with hot water to match the average ambient temperature (about 32°c), dosed it with chemicals and it was ready to use yesterday morning… temperature was 30°c but was back at 32°c by the afternoon, it had dropped again to 30°c at 8AM but was back at 32°c half hour ago, all from the sun/air temperature. It doesn’t feel cold when you get in at all, just comfortable. When I drop the water, I’ll use it to clean the drive and patio. They cab be used in an environmentally friendly manner and I do. Mine is about 4 years old and has lasted well… and just to add, water testing and treatment is vital, it’s easier to keep it in balance with bromine as opposed to chlorine, especially at temperatures above 30°c, although Bromine is about three times the price of chlorine.
 
JensenHealey said:
Air source heat pump might get enough temperature. Will use less electricity - but yer gotta put up with the fan noise.
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Far, far better value would be to use solar-thermal - evacuated tube collectors, a couple of sq.m should provide most if not all the heating needed. NB these can go on the roof , or on vertical walls exposed to the sub - the tubes are rotated within the mount to each to face the sky.
 
MJS said:
Do these hot tubs not use Air Source Heat Pumps, or is that extra cost?
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There would certainly be no reason why a heat pump or a solar hot water system couldn't be used, the manual for our heat pump shows the solar hot water system being diverted for a swimming pool or even heat exchanging with the ground loop fluid and putting heat back in the ground.

Equally if we bought the add-on module we could also have a degree of house cooling via the heat pump.

Regards

Richard
 
martin clark said:
Far, far better value would be to use solar-thermal - evacuated tube collectors, a couple of sq.m should provide most if not all the heating needed
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Got three of these, sourcing replacement tubes is a bit of a pain:-

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Regards

Richard
 
gintonic said:
you need to fill it with ice cubes then
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Tempting for myself… off for my early afternoon swim shortly, the pool is 29°c, which to me is more than warm enough… makes me laugh when people start bracing and complaining it’s cold as they dip their toes… they should try an open water swim in March!:D

(yes I’m a keen and competent swimmer, currently doing between 1.5-2 miles daily)
 
Richard Lines said:
Got three of these, sourcing replacement tubes is a bit of a pain:-

7BQNL6N.png


Regards

Richard
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Would these be suitable on a flat roof? I live in a Dorma bungalow and have plenty of flat roof space, less sloping. My garage is an outbuilding but in a perfect position for PV panels so I’m looking into installing those on the garage roof… be nice if I could be almost self sufficient!
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
Tempting for myself… off for my early afternoon swim shortly, the pool is 29°c, which to me is more than warm enough… makes me laugh when people start bracing and complaining it’s cold as they dip their toes… they should try an open water swim in March!:D

(yes I’m a keen and competent swimmer, currently doing between 1.5-2 miles daily)
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Yes done a bit of open water. I was swimming about 5km on a daily basis in my heyday. To this day i hate a warm pool which is why i stopped going to the local one.
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
Would these be suitable on a flat roof?
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They would need to be on a slope of some kind as the tubes rely on hot gas migrating to the top of the copper tube within, I honestly don't know what the minimum would be.

Edit - Just seen Martin's post - I'll bow to his greater knowledge.........

Regards

Richard
 
gintonic said:
Yes done a bit of open water. I was swimming about 5km on a daily basis in my heyday. To this day i hate a warm pool which is why i stopped going to the local one.
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29°c is okay, ideally I’d like it a bit cooler, but that’s what it is, and I’m addicted to my swimming. I could do 5km no problem, apart from time… I wouldn’t cover 5km in 90 minutes, which is about my limit time wise… unless I broke it down into two sessions. I think id be able to cover more distance in the time I have if it were a bit cooler!
 
Richard Lines said:
They would need to be on a slope of some kind as the tubes rely on hot gas migrating to the top of the copper tube within, I honestly don't know what the minimum would be.

Edit - Just seen Martin's post - I'll bow to his greater knowledge.........

Regards

Richard
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I could put some gradient on them anyway, I have a large amount of un-shaded flat roof space to the rear.

Thinking of getting some decent used PV panels and covering the whole garage roof, at least one side of the apex is in full sun all day, and it’s a large surface area. I could house batteries in the roof space… just need to work out the best way of integrating the generated power with the mains coming in off the grid.
 
cutting42 said:
Hi pfm massive

My wife and daughter have decided we "need" a hot tub in the garden, I am less convinced but rather than adopting a victorian dad "forbidden" response right out of the box, am going to do some research.

It will need a base building where the location has to be, and style would be more Norwegen/Japanese wooden style hot tub rather than a full disco Jacuzzi although some bubbles have been requested.

Any on here have one, key considerations, costs, concerns? Do they need a water treatment plant in a nearby shed or are they self contained? How much hassle are they, can you leave them full for a long time?

Thanks for any advice.
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Cold tub.
 
Best thing ever. We’ve had one over 10 years now - Catalina. Wife checks the chems every week but basically looks after itself (a basic floating bromine dispenser shaped like a duck works well). We sit together every morning when we’re home, have coffee, see in the day and just sort ourselves out. Costs? not much. Set to 37 in the summer maybe a little higher 38.5, in the winter. Best times - when it’s really cold especially after a bike ride, nothing better. It has thermostat, runs the pumps itself from time to time. We almost never use the bubbles- sometimes use lights in the evenings. It is gorgeous, a constant comforting thing. We had a power supply installed but that’s pretty basic stuff. Top it up with water every few months. Not sure when we last drained / refilled it but it’s fresh and lovely. No costumes obviously - that would be silly. Get a good one with good insulation.
 
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