Hot tub stoves - a variety of water heating options

You can heat the water in the font using several methods:

• Indoor or outdoor wood stove;
• Electric heater;
• Gas heater;
• Outdoor wood stove.

The outer oven is a double-walled cylinder made of stainless steel. Liquid circulation occurs between the walls along the entire circuit of the equipment. Inside the device, at the top there is a heat exchanger.

The design of the furnace ensures fast and efficient heating of the liquid. Water circulation is ensured by the law of convection: hot water tends upward. Cold water is sucked into the bottom of the oven.

The heated liquid from the top of the wood stove goes into the font. There is an air supply damper on the furnace firebox doors, which can be easily adjusted if necessary. This allows you to determine the optimal heating mode. Advantages of this oven:

• Does not take up space in the font;
• Easy to heat and clean;
• Helps prevent ash from getting into the font;
• Fast and easy installation.

Features and types of font designs

The font is an addition to the sauna in the form of a wooden barrel with cold water for traditional dipping after the steam room. In modern conditions, the design is used as a multifunctional device for a set of water procedures outdoors or indoors. Heating is provided by electric or gas equipment, or a solid fuel boiler is used.

Oval font

The following types of fonts are distinguished by shape:

• round and oval;
• rectangular and square;
• polygonal, trapezoidal.

According to the design, heated fonts are divided into 2 categories:

• with a cauldron inside the bowl;
• with heat supplied from a generator outside.

Depending on the volume, there are options for diving one or several people. The outside of the structure is equipped with steps; inside the container there is a ledge used as a bench.

Octagonal font

Metal version of the outdoor font

Stainless steel, copper and cast iron are ideal materials for the manufacture of real sauna vats and fonts. The most expensive are considered to be copper baths with internal surfaces decorated with tiles and valuable types of wood. The only advantage of copper is the high decorative qualities of the bathtub and the rapid heating of water, so heating such a bathtub even in cold weather outside takes 30-40 minutes of burning a brick firebox.

A bathtub or vat made of cast iron takes three times longer to heat up, but, unlike a copper container, such a tub is much cheaper, safer and more convenient for everyday use. Cast iron structures, due to the wall thickness of 10-12 mm, have great rigidity, so several people can fit in the font at the same time when swimming.

Cast iron bathtubs are installed on a stationary stone or brick support in the form of a ring wall. A real stove with a firebox, an ash pan and a chimney is installed under the container. A cast-iron outdoor hot tub with a stove has two very important advantages:

• Most of the hot gases flow around the bottom of the body, so the metal is heated mainly from below, respectively, the edges and edge of the vessel are embedded in stone and remain only warm;
• Flue gases from the furnace firebox, at any heating intensity, are removed to a considerable distance from the bath. Accordingly, you can breathe fresh air, and not smoky fumes.

For country baths and recreation in suburban areas, they mainly buy inexpensive bathtubs made of alloy steel or stainless steel. Due to their low weight, such vats can be transported by personal transport, moved indoors, and even suspended on chains over a fire.

Steel fonts on the street warm up quickly enough on a regular wood fire, but you can also use an external potbelly stove. With proper care and handling, an alloy steel container can last at least 30 years.

Materials for production

When deciding how to make a heated font with your own hands, most often they give preference to a stationary design, however, mobile options also have their admirers. Depending on the characteristics of use, the tank for taking water procedures is made of various materials.

Made from concrete

To build a concrete font, formwork with reinforcement is constructed and concrete mortar is poured. It is necessary to provide water supply and drainage and ensure tight connections. For cladding, those types of slabs are used that tolerate contact with water well.

A concrete swimming tank looks like a mini swimming pool, and when built in accordance with regulatory requirements, it will last a long time. The downside is the labor-intensive construction and high time costs, since the time for complete hardening of concrete is about 30 days, depending on environmental conditions.

Made of plastic

Factory plastic models are cast in various shapes and sizes. The polymer font is installed in a recess with preliminary concreting of the perimeter of the walls and the bottom of the pit or sheathed with wood in the case of ground installation. The recessed option provides for insulation. The advantage of a plastic bowl is the speed and ease of installation compared to other types of bathing structures.

Heated plastic hot tub

Metal

Metal bowls are rarely installed in bathhouses; they are mainly used in the form of a steel or cast iron vat suspended on a chain from a tripod. This extreme version of the design is most often found in street versions. The water in the font is heated by a fire under the bottom. There is a pipe at the bottom of the vat for drainage. To prevent burns, the bottom of the bowl is lined with pebbles or other covering.

Wooden

Planks with tongue-and-groove fastening are used; according to the method of connecting the elements, there are adhesive models and options without the use of glue. When choosing a material for assembling a heated font with your own hands, preference is given to bathing rocks with high performance potential.

Outdoor wooden hot tub heated with wood

Oak

The structure of the species is characterized by water-repellent properties, which makes oak effective in conditions of high humidity. The following advantages of the material are also noted:

• high strength coefficient;
• rot resistance;
• spectacular appearance.

The nuances of using an oak font:

• The container should not be mounted on a concrete base; it is necessary to use an insert made of a thick layer of rubber;
• To emphasize the beautiful texture with a characteristic pattern, the outer surface of the oak structure is treated with linseed oil.

The water in the oak bowl is enriched with beneficial substances that are released from the wood when heated.

Cedar

The breed has a dense structure with a rich composition of essential oils. Cedar is valued as a natural healer; the water in the container is saturated with phytoncides and takes on the healing properties of the wood. The only drawback is the high cost of the building material.

Siberian larch

The species is characterized by high biostability; the wood gains strength every year. Larch is considered the most suitable solution for building a font with your own hands, including due to the democratic nature of the material. The beneficial substances contained in coniferous species purify the air, help lower blood pressure, and have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

Pine

Due to the nature of the rock, the slats of the pine bathtub are not glued together. Otherwise, cracking of the wood and deformation of the structure are observed. It is recommended to burn the surface once every 3 years. Also, to optimize the service life of a pine bowl, it is necessary to treat it with an antiseptic.

Gas heater

Such a heater is much easier to operate and cheaper than an electric one. It is of floor type. The heater has a trigger mechanism that maintains the temperature at the desired level. There is no need to connect various types of equipment to the gas heater.

The circulation of liquid is carried out according to the same principle as in a wood heater. To operate this heater, you need a gas source, so we connect a cylinder containing liquefied gas to it. The negative quality of this type of heating is the high price of gas and high consumption.

In order to heat a font with a diameter of up to 2 meters, up to 30 liters of gas can be spent. The heater comes complete with a chimney, a hose and fittings (nozzles) for the hot tub. Installing the stove will take no more than 20 minutes. The rated power is 12 kW. The water will heat up in about two hours if the diameter of the font is no more than two meters and the temperature is approximately 40 degrees.

Installation nuances

A heated font can be built for use indoors or outdoors by allocating an appropriate place on the site.

On the street

It is necessary to prepare a flat and solid base for mounting the bowl. This takes into account the weight of the structure when filled with water, along with the weight of the intended users. In order to comfortably take water procedures, the outdoor version of the font is surrounded by decorative plantings overlooking a beautiful garden landscape. It is necessary to build a canopy; if necessary, you can supplement the outdoor bathing complex with a hedge.

In room

Often, bathtubs are placed in a bathhouse; if desired, the bowl can be mounted on a veranda, in a garage, or an indoor pool. Indoors, the structure should not be installed close to heating appliances. If you have a heated floor system, it is recommended to equip the podium with insulating materials, for example, plywood with a layer of polystyrene foam and a rubber backing.

Wooden fonts

The most traditional option, which is also the healthiest and one of the most popular. However, these baths are quite expensive. The price level and useful properties are determined by the type of wood that was used in the manufacture of the font:

• beech has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system and skin;
• cedar has a beneficial effect on the human nervous system and skin;
• oak is also good for the skin, and in addition normalizes sleep and calms the nervous system;
• Larch helps relax the human body.

Making a wooden font

An outdoor model of a bathing tank can be designed as a mobile structure on timber stands.

Tools and materials

To make a wooden heated font outdoors with your own hands, you will need the following set of materials and tools:

• boards, slats, beams;
• metal hoops, bolts;
• polypropylene pipe, hose;
• siphon, durable cord, float mechanism;
• stove with a sealed housing of a special design;
• screws, sealant;
• jigsaw;
• grinder with a disc for grinding;
• electric drill;
• mallet;
• building level, tape measure, marker.

The main parts of the structure are made from 120x20 mm boards. The slats are used for the bench, 100x100 mm timber will be needed for the stands.

Drawing

Based on a schematic image with the exact parameters of the designed structure, it is easy to determine the material consumption. It is worth making drawings in different projections in order to correctly perform calculations for the manufacture of the walls of the font and the bottom, stairs, benches and other parts.

Drawing of an oval wooden font

Manufacturing parts for the font

At the initial stage, preparations are made:

1. The boards should be cut taking into account the height of the walls of the planned structure plus 120-130 mm. The material must be processed on a milling machine to create a tongue-and-groove system. This is exactly how blanks are made from boards to decorate the bottom.
2. On the bottom of the wall planks, you need to mill a square groove with a depth of 1/3 of the board, after marking from the edge 100 mm with the addition of the thickness of the bottom board, which is 20-35 mm.
3. Next, you should prepare parts for the bench based on the drawing and make slats for the stairs.
4. If the project involves installing a stove inside a container, it is necessary to prepare slats to form a lattice partition.

Thorough sanding of all lumber is mandatory.

Heating system

When arranging a hot tub with internal heating, a special wood-burning stove of a sealed design is used. The door for storing firewood is located at the top of the heat generator. There is a hole on the side for ventilation with an exit to the outside.

Most often, hot tubs are built with a heater on the outside, and the heat exchanger is mounted inside a wooden container.

The principle of processing and joining boards

Installation stages

The assembly of a wooden font involves the following sequence:

1. To install the bottom, the blanks are laid out in a row, the tongues are treated with glue, and connected into a shield. Next, the panel needs to be secured with clamps. After the bottom structure has been glued together under pressure, you should draw an oval of the required size with a marker and saw off the excess.
2. A stand is constructed from 2 bars, which need to be screwed from below using self-tapping screws.
3. To drain: drill a hole and insert a pipe. The siphon is attached to the slats using self-tapping screws. The joints with wood are carefully treated with sealant.
4. To form the walls, planks are assembled around the bottom, connecting grooves at the bottom to the perimeter of the base of the structure. To firmly fix the fragments, you must use a mallet.
5. The wall panel is tightened with metal clamps and tightened with bolts.
6. The inner surfaces of the bowl are carefully sanded before installing the bench. The bench can be stretched along the entire contour of the container or you can make a short version of the seat for one person.
7. Part of the space must be fenced off with a slatted grill if you plan to install the stove inside the bowl.

At the final stage, the stairs are installed and the internal and external surfaces of the wooden structure are carefully sanded.

Operating rules

To increase the service life of a wooden hot tub, it is important to take into account the properties of the natural material and adhere to the following recommendations:

• after a session of water procedures, it is necessary to drain the contents of the container;
• To clean and disinfect the bowl, liquid compounds and a soft sponge are used; do not use abrasive agents;
• it is important to build a canopy if the font is installed outdoors, since the wood dries out under the sun;
• to prevent deformation of the wooden font during periods of prolonged inactivity, place a container of water inside the bowl and cover the structure with a sheet of plywood, tarpaulin or thick fabric;
• It is recommended to regularly check the tension level of the hoops; if necessary, tighten the nuts.

Before use after a long period of inactivity, a wooden font should be filled with cold water to soak for a certain period in order to avoid incidents during water procedures.

Pros and cons of spa pools and bathtubs for summer cottages

The advantages of installing an outdoor Jacuzzi include:

• the opportunity to relieve fatigue after a hard day at work;
• improvement in general health after taking water procedures;
• reduction of pain after bathing;
• relaxation of the nervous system.
• easy care;
• operation throughout the year (winter and summer);
• compactness and spaciousness;
• variety of shapes, sizes and colors.

A stationary pool must be disinfected once a month. In general, cleaning products for outdoor and indoor Jacuzzis are identical. Therefore, we recommend that you read the article on how to properly clean and disinfect hot tubs .
As for the disadvantages of stationary devices, they cannot be moved around the site, and they are large in size. Also, their installation takes a lot of free time and money. But all this is paid off by the high comfort of taking water procedures, the durability of the product and the possibility of use in the winter season.

When choosing a stationary spa pool, be sure to pay attention to its functionality. Modern models are equipped with different types of massage (turbo, jet, bubble). They provide different functions:

• aromatherapy;
• air massage;
• hydromassage;
• backlight;