[Greenbuilding] A Solar Hot Tub

[Corwyn]

On Jul 08, 2007, at 20:00, Kathy Cochran wrote:

> I have been conjuring up building a hot tub into the
> side of the hill looking south to the view, where I could put a drain 
> into
> the bottom and it would simply irrigate the pasture below.  Shoud I 
> build
> it out of native rock and then LINE it with concrete, or do I need to 
> use
> rebar to make a form?  I am open to any suggestions that any of your 
> might
> have.  I would like to heat it with solar and maybe run a circulating 
> pump
> - don't know if I can do that with solar or not.  What is involved,
> cost-wise, to heat a hot-tub with SOLAR?  I don't want it to be large -
> enough for 2 people and a ledge for a glass of wine and maybe some 
> built-in
> speakers.  Should I hire a backhoe to dig a deeper hole, or is the 
> side of
> the hill, with quite a slope (about a 45 degree angle), all I need for 
> the
> basic form?  Maybe I should build the basic form from the External IN, 
> with
> rocks, then line with concrete, fill with water, turn on the pump and 
> GO!

Dear Kathy,

I am not cognizant of the particulars of building a hot tub, but it 
sounds like, one you are over-engineering, two aren't planning on 
insulating it.  You might talk to a custom pool installer.

The second item is going to make heating it with solar difficult.  You 
are going to have a few hundred gallons of water at 100-105º next to an 
infinite supply of earth at local ground temperature.  "Heating the 
whole outdoors" is how my mother would have put it.

Thank You Kindly,

Corwyn

-- 
Corwyn
Kermit didn't know the half of it...
http://www.greenfret.com/
corwyn at greenfret.com