Home made Hot tub from barrel stove

   / Home made Hot tub from barrel stove #1  

Mecheng

New member
Joined
May 21, 2004
Messages
14
Location
StL Co/Macon Co, Mo.
Tractor
JD1070 MFWD
Homemade hot tub at our 115 acre farm in Macon Co. Heat is provided by a wood burning barrel stove. Water is circulated through the exchanger and hot tub by a spa pump. The tub 8' dia x 2.5' deep holds 500 gallons of water. This deer season we had the tub up to 106F in 25F ambient. Total cost in the unit was $27 for 1/2" copper pipe, $30 for the barrel stove conversion kit and $10 for the garden hose. Tub and barrel were donated. Chlorinated county water on tap. Wood slabs are purchased from a local saw mill, $7.00 for 2500 lbs.( it's cheaper and faster than cutting my own wood).
 

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   / Home made Hot tub from barrel stove
  • Thread Starter
#2  
and a pic of the heat exchanger weld together with copper phos wire
 

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   / Home made Hot tub from barrel stove #3  
Wow, talk about a redneck hot tub... I love it! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
What gets the hot water from the wood burner to the tub, garden hose? Is it OK to run that hot of water through hose, if you do?
More info please. Nice creativeness!
 
   / Home made Hot tub from barrel stove #4  
Neat idea and I'm glad that it works well for you. I am hoping the 106 degree water temperature was just a test. The following safety information came from a popular spa manufacturer.

Keep in mind that spa temperatures should never exceed 104 Degrees Fahrenheit. This is not only important for comfort, but also for safety. If you have children who will be using the spa, it is important to pay particular attention to the control system.

TC-40D SS web pictures click here
 
   / Home made Hot tub from barrel stove
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Okay, I have to admit I work for major motor manufacturer that supplies motors to the pool and spa industry. The 3/4 hp pump/ motor is unique in that it circulates water between the fully encapsulated stator and rotor. Also for electrical protection it is hooked up to a GFCI. I would be a lot happier with a 1/3 hp motor but free is free.

I keep wanting to bring up thermocouple wire and a voltmeter to measure the inlet and outlet water temps. The engineer in me just want to keep tweaking to boost efficiency. What you can't see on the other side of the heat exchanger, there is 5/8 automotive heater hose connected to the 1/2 ID copper pipe. then through standard fittings to the garden hose. Reinforced garden hose is necessary as the suction side will collapse when the water temp gets up. Makes it easy to disconnect too. I just let the water boil out before I put the stove away so don't have worry about the water freezing and bursting the pipes.
 
   / Home made Hot tub from barrel stove #6  
ya got a relief valve in that system, a steam explosion sure could ruin your day, i know a girl who lost part of her leg when a woodstove exploded due to a homemade water heating coil setup inside it
 
   / Home made Hot tub from barrel stove #7  
That, is classic /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

"Water the stock and ease your joint pain"
 
   / Home made Hot tub from barrel stove #8  
I have a neighbor that built one of those. His looks a little more redneck. His heat exchanger is run all over and around the outside of the barrel stove. Same looking size stock tank for the tub.

For fuel he uses tires. Yeah, tires. Stove gets redhot and looks everybit the accident waiting to happen

His has a very special need. The neighbor is a fireman and every Jan 1st he and a bunch of his firemen friends get together, break the ice on the fish pond outback and go for a polar bear plunge. The redneck hot tub is then used to bring body temp back to normal. They keep asking me if I am ready to join them. I keep telling them I haven't killed enough brain cells yet. Fun to watch though. Each of the guys is real tough looking...Right up to the point they hit that pond. The look of surprise and pain on their faces is the same as you would see on any five year old boy.

crazy


Mike
 
   / Home made Hot tub from barrel stove #9  
If you even think of burning a tire in Georgia, the DNR guy will have his ticket book out ready to write you a big one. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Jeff
 
   / Home made Hot tub from barrel stove #10  
I think with just a little elevation, you wont need a pump. I have a copper pipe coil adapted to my wood stove for heating hot water. The water is stored in a regular electric hotwater heater tank. I ran a copper pipe from the drain on the tank to the bottom of my coil and the top of the coil to the relief valve port on the tank. I used galvanized tee's to keep the popoff valve and tank drain intact. I run cold water into the tank thru the normal fill side and hot water out thru the normal outlet port into another hot water heater that is still hooked to the grid. The water will circulate by natural convection from the heater coil into the tank and I maintain about 120degree hot water for refilling my electric heater. Only problem I have is I catn use it in the summer time, well I could, but that would defeat the purpose of my air conditioner If your spa is set up higher than the top of the coil coming out of your heater, it should be pretty easy to use natural convection to heat the water. You would just need to run a return water line back to the bottom of the coil.
 
 
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