Heat Xchanger Outdoor Tub

sootmonkey

Hello, I need some advice for plumbing a heat exchanger to an outdoor hot tub.The tub is outside and will be used and/or see -20 degrees. The heat exchanger will be fed by the boiler. My idea is to mount the heat exchanger in the home and run the pipes/tubeing to the tub. OK, dumb question time. How do I keep the pipes/tubeing from freezing? Can I use copper pipe with the chemicals in the tub? Have you done this? What kind of problems did you have? I have some ideas on what may work, but I know some one here will make me look stupid. I am doing this job for a GOOD friend, who pays very well.......in beer :)

Ken_8

Insulate the pipes with double fiberglass

making the wall thickness at least 3" thick and then be certain the "excercise" pump schedule is every 30 minutes.

Without anti-freeze, the pipes could probably sustain over 12 hours of electrical outage - on the coldest day of the year.



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Glen

piping materials -

I would not use copper for any piping that is sugject to pool chemicals. Stick to schedule 40 PVC with the appropriate glue & primer and it will last a very long time. Outside installations should also have the pump run 24/7 but a reliable excercise timing module would work too.

hr

How far

from the boiler to tub? You might consider putting the pipe in an unsulated waterproof sleeve, in the ground. I sell the www.insulseal product for this application.

If the piping is exposed check into some insulation with a waterproof covering. www.techlite.net is the brand I like.

A properly located, and installed, freezestat could protect the piping, although power outages might still pose a problem without a battery powered backup system.

What type of freeze protection does the system currently have? Seems a well insulated tub and surround would buy you hours, or maybe a days worth, of freeze protection for equipment located within the tub skirt.

Just depends how far you want to go for absolute protection from the arbitrary

hot rod

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sootmonkey

tub

The tub is now heated with its own built in electric heater. The tub has been in place and been used for a few years. No problems with the tub freezeing as the temp is kept at 104 deg. The tub sets on a deck, about 4 feet from the exterier wall of the house. There is room to cut a good sized hole in the foundation, run the pipe under the deck and come up through the deck and tie into the tub under the skirting. I was thinking of building something to "box" the pipeing in with and then packing the "box" with insulation. I now see where it would be good if the "box" was water tight. Hotrod, Is there a picture and info of what you sell that I could look at? Thanks guys.

Mike Kraft_2

Freezing

Sootmonkey,

I have many pipes in areas that are well within tempting disaster.A good friend of mine(he pays well too................$$$$$$ )built an octagon two story addition.The master bath cantelevers 5' off one side(second story).It has five exposures.The floor is framed with 2X10 joists.I have DW and heat pipes in those cavaties.I double insulated(thermcell insultube) and kept them above the insulation in the air cavity strapped to the bottom of the subfloor.He then installed extrude polystyrene to the bottom of the joists and then screwed lapped hemlock rough sawn to the face of this soffit.It's been that way for years.No problems.With the right recipe and an exercise control as Ken suggested you should be fine.

cheese

Weezbo

we live where Cold Is Plentitudinous:)

we go with an onder ground box with visquine (polyethelyne sheating) then some blue foam and some small pieces of blue foam to hold it up off that, and two inch or so between both pipes,tape some chromalocx or not to the pipes every 6 " .have an insulator come in and foam the pipe 3" all the way around the tube .wrap it with the visquine as it is drying put the lid over it. back fill.
should it Ever freeze you have heat tape to genly (4.5 W a foot)heat them or break the unions turn off the power and thaw them out with a large battery charger or dc thawing machine. soft k copper can handel maybe 12 freezes before its smoked:) thats alot of years for the occasional bad pump or untimely fuel outage or electrical outage:) Cool?

[Deleted User]

Step of a Dollar to Pick up a Dime

Guys, I sell and service hot tubs. How much do you think all of this is going to cost? (Even if you throw in the free beer). A well insulated tub will only cost you about $25 for a month of cold weather, much less in warm weather. It sounds like a Tim Taylor, the Tool Man thing. The electric heater is is simple, already there, and a new element is about $45. Just think about it.....

Weezbo

i have a Hot Tub story to tell you:)

a buddy installed one with a stainless steel HX and the guy he installed it for was a lawyer.... and he installed another one for that guys buddy who is a doctor and there were a Group of factory things that went kablooy... he spent the last two years of his mechanical contrating carrer fixing them..before he went outta business...
My insurance agent asked me to come take a look at doing a new install on his heat and adda a zone or two oh By the Way he says how about looking at the new hot tub i got for free from a friend..."Let me guess" i say , yup sure enough...nah i dont do hot tubs i say..the blue goo is enough to steer me away from this one " ah the deal isnt always the deal:)did you get it from so and so.":.."How Did You,.. know?" he asks" "I listen to God" i tell him:))))