Firewood Heated Hot Tub | How We Built Ours

[@achsahkaleb4844]

brilliant video!!! the little ring that goes over the copper pipe is called a farrel, the 3/4 inch to 1/2 inch adapter is called a polycob male reduser. From 56 year old lady in south africa that has built 3 houses literally with her own hands. God bless you!! Shalom

[@davegolding8861]

ferule

[@unionse7en]

Ferrule

[@OldNavajoTricks]

Olive is the nane I know, they're soldered or brazed in place then the lock nut pulls the pipe to tge connector when tightened.

[@romanlyssenko5618]

It's an olive. They're not brazed or soldered. It's called a compression fitting for a reason. Once you tighten the fitting it "bites down" on the tubing.

[@xscreamskier24]

I made the same mistakes exactly. 1/2”, too many coils, not steep enough angles, etc. failed years ago. Revisited after this video and got it going!!! Switched to 3/4, shortened the length, and bam!

[@alexfranzwa6730]

What length did you end up with?

[@SaintJames40]

@@xscreamskier24 what length did you go with?

[@campkap]

As others have said, this is definitely the most helpful video on DIY wood-fired stock tank style hot tubs that I've come across! Thank you for sharing your findings as this will certainly help me out on my project this summer.

[@justinlyle7831]

Bad ass. I'm glad you shared your mistakes and the full experience. Not only makes for a more entertaining video but the obvious, i can learn from them.

[@ryanbell6537]

Really appreciate hearing about the boiling wrecking the thermal siphoning!! Thanks a bunch!!

[@actualsurfer]

Best Hillbilly Hot Tub tutorial on the internet!

[@alexaguiar4636]

One of the most informative videos on this subject out there and I have seen many. Will add your knowledge to a rocket stove and hopefully have a warm jacuzzi

[@rodylima5947]

did you do it? im doing it this week

[@onionm1535]

Thank you so much for doing all of my homework for me! This is the BEST instructional video I've seen on off grid hot tub by far!

[@jamesontravis2650]

Sorry to be offtopic but does someone know a way to get back into an instagram account? I was stupid lost the password. I would love any tips you can give me

[@roninomari5741]

@Jameson Travis Instablaster =)

[@jamesontravis2650]

@Ronin Omari thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site on google and Im trying it out atm. Takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@jamesontravis2650]

@Ronin Omari It worked and I finally got access to my account again. Im so happy! Thanks so much you saved my account :D

[@roninomari5741]

@Jameson Travis happy to help :D

[@robertslater5706]

Hey, great vid, if you add an inlet valve at the bottom of the coil so that you can put water in slowly via the hot coil this fills the tub slowly with hot water. It saves on time over all. You block the bottom entry to the tub(the cold outlet at the bottom) so that the water can only rise up through the heating coil. This is the method Dutch tubs use for the initial fill of hot water. It work much better because you don’t have to wait for the thermal siphon to take effect.

[@pewusinger]

Try using a brass one way piston at the bottom so the water will move in one direction only as soon as it starts to heat up in the coil.

[@angelsaucedo2231]

Im not much of a hands on person myself but for thoughts on a more permanent construction why not encase the coiling within a brick and mortar/ clay oven structure so the fire burns in it and its thermal mass allows it to retain more heat. Maybe also insulating the exposed piping. It might heat faster or consume less wood perhaps and increase the longevity of the piping? Looks pretty awesome cool method of hot tubbing

[@wirejacker81]

You said there was a formula for the length of the copper tubing versus coils and distance between the coils as well as the hot side of the tubing having a slight incline is there a formula? Where did you find this information?

[@dropbassnetwork]

thank you for posting this and the mistakes. saved me some money!

[@revid64]

Is there a “sweet” distance between the top and bottom inlets in the tub for water transfer? Was thinking of building one like this or building a tub with the back of a stainless steel stove directly in a tub. Obviously protected from anyone touching it.

[@quintsaunders8093]

The heat transfer would likely be more efficient if you put the coals inside of a barrel. This would keep the wind from cooling the pipe, as well as maintain more heat and contain the fire.

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Agreed. I’ve since built an enclosure around the coil for this purpose. It heats up much faster now.

[@cedarcrapids1707]

these boys livin

[@razingcanez717]

Can I do this with an in ground pool? I'm wanting to find out if the fire can be above the pool level.

[@maxralfsson2592]

This video and this channel is great! I just now found your channel. How does this not have more views??!!

[@SweetChillieBeat]

Wactha think about using that system to heat some tubes that run through a bench do you figure I could have a heated seat that way?

[@1812bhw]

Building one now… wondering how many ft of 3/4” is optimal… 30’? Also wondering about the shape of the coil. I have a nice fire basket but the coil is smaller at the bottom to accommodate the conical basket.

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

30’ is a great length. Also the conical design would work well.

[@jerryhansen5116]

I've done this but I incorporated a pump and have gotten water way too hot to get in. The only problem I had was a bit of vapor lock.

[@ashleyevans5506]

I may have missed it but could you provide the link to all the fittings

[@flaquitoyork]

It will heat faster if you put the coil inside of a drum with so that less wood, higher heat and faster turn over

[@jimtepin4840]

Very nice. I would be curious about a more flexible pipe between the coil and the tank, just for more portability (assuming the fittings could handle it).

[@igorjovicic8903]

awesome, how fast you think it could heat 1500L water from 6C to 20 C ?

[@EvrSpd]

I wonder what difference it would make to enclose the fire and coils around the sides to create a kind of oven and then to add thermal insulation to the hot pipe leading to the tub

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

We have thought about enclosing it in a stove type set up.

[@chemistryguy100]

We recently built an enclosure around the cool and the heating efficiency has gone way up!

[@wirejacker81]

I got a question for you. On the second set of copper tubing when you used the three-quarter thicker pipe you wrapped it around what looked like a metal fire Container did you ever think of leaving the pipe wrapped around it and putting the wood inside the container and letting the heat transfer from the container to the copper piping so that you didn’t damage the piping after several uses?

[@transcendtravel]

what would you say is the best height difference is between inlet and outlet? Thanks

[@gfanslow]

Great video and thanks especially for explaining the mistakes you made. I'd like to put the coil down into a fire pit, but I can't drill a hole through the bottom for the cold inlet. So the cold pipe would need to go up over the edge and down to the bottom, do you think the convection is strong enough to have a siphon like this?

[@anonymous_friend]

What if you put one tank inside a slightly larger tank and insulated the tub that way? I bet you are losing a lot of heat to direct loss to the ground

[@Dongerino.]

How long is the copper tubing at the end, when it works? Planning to build something similar.

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

About 35-40 feet. Works great.

[@Lazarus-aap]

Perfect! This is all I needed! So not too many coils and bigger tubing? Great video! Thanks

[@micjam1986]

You just save me a ton of time and effort...ty for posting.. God bless you too!

[@JasonRauschelbach]

Could a different tubing material work as well? Does the copper clean up well after use? Thanks guys.

[@josegomes6424]

Any tubing will work like copper,steel pipe bend it to your desire.

[@kerrylaneful]

what do you do to keep it from getting too hot? Do you ever take the fire off of it? Also doesn't the metal get hot?

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Just monitor the temp inside, and don’t feed the fire when it’s getting hot enough. The metal doesn’t get hot because it quickly passes off the heat to the water.

[@IRONREBELLION]

MAn I was having this same problem. really thin tube was just vaporizing the crap out of the water. also thinks for the tip on the recycle center

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Yeah, it was really frustrating. Glad we switched to the thicker tubing!

[@alanmcrae8594]

I think a one way check valve is supposed to fix that problem as it gives the warming water only one end to escape thru.

[@kennethshattuck4689]

Would you tell me how big was the galvanized tank you used in the video. Thanks and great DIY

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

It’s a 2x6 foot tank.

[@AndreaMenzies]

Great information thanks.

[@JasonRauschelbach]

I can't find the other video that you refer to on installing the tub in the woods but would love to see it.

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Link in the description 👆

[@jimmonroe8532]

If you put two coils in the fire, do you think it would heat up twice as fast???

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Yes.

[@NeilBarryDunn]

Thanks for recording your trial & error before success

[@ryang5668]

How many feet of the 3/4 inch copper pipe did you need? Thanks

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

About 35 feet.

[@karelleubner]

Hello, that is nice job, thank you! 🙂 Please, what was the temperature of the Cu tube near the bathtub at the output? I'd like to heat the water in te IBC container the same way and I hope it was not hot enough to destroy/melt it.

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

No idea, but I would guess right at 85-99c, as water is not boiling on the way out

[@kevindouglas8768]

Just get a small wood stove with a boiler system. They have a tank built into the stove. Also put a pump at the cold line so it doesn't get the hot water to deal with. BAM !!!

[@mydogma7116]

Awesome thanks I'm going to try building one myself, got a nice salvaged 4 seater...

[@gammap6114]

Since the tub is metal, would that be quicker if the fire is below it. If the base of the tub is lifted up and give room for a firewood to burn and seal around the tub with soil to confine the heat (pipe the chimney away) do you think it would be more efficient?

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Yes, but moloch more difficult to regulate - it would be like sitting in a boiling pot. The button would be very hot to sit in. Smoke leak around the tub would be atrocious. But do give it a try and let me know how it goes!

[@mattfrick8038]

Would it work better for the life of the copper to just coil the copper around a steel drum? Be easier to contain the wood fire too.

[@cody481]

I found that the steel drum wrapped outside did warm the water but not as much as the copper tube inside the drum.

[@aliciahazzard6926]

Do you think this would work using an 8ft or 10ft stock tank? What changes would you make to accomodate the increase in size and capacity?

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Yes it will work. I would insulate the tub and put the copper tubing into a barrel to increase efficiency.

[@Dingerboys2]

Love the concept and trying it out but did you use copper fittings that come into contact with the galvanized?

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

They are brass.

[@emilybomersbach3690]

Does the stock tank need to be raised off the ground? I saw another video where they placed it on wood like yours, but I also saw one where they made concrete footings, and then covered in gravel and sand. I’m trying to make something temporary (and cheap). Would some bricks laid on the grass work alright? Thanks.

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

It doesn’t have to have any special footing. Bricks on the grass would work great.

[@123bluespinner]

@@ReviewOutdoorGear put down some blue insulation panels on the ground

[@patbez01]

Do you have an easy trick or plan to empty the copper pipe during cold season, to avoid breakage?

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Yes, we tilt the tub on its side slightly and let the water drain out.

[@NaeMuckle]

You can fit a no return valve that stops water returning back down towards the cold inlet.

[@davidwalker8359]

Yeah but won't the water be volatile and become explosive with steam?

[@NaeMuckle]

@@davidwalker8359 not if you have a pressure release valve.

[@davidwalker8359]

@@NaeMuckle makes sense, thanks

[@JesseDTF]

How has the copper pipe held up after repeated fires?/have you had enough fires to make any observations of 'long term' durability?

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Held up great so far. No issues.

[@michael-qq3gw]

Hi I'm using a plastic 1000L IBC the plastic connections it gets too hot on the outlet do you think it would work running the copper in from the top and under the water or does it have to come directly in at the side do you think ?? Handy video some good information thanks

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

You could run it in over the top. The hot water outlet doesn’t need to be submerged.

[@michael-qq3gw]

I had it running in at the top before and it doesn't keep going because it wants to flow back then it loses water and shoot back out as Steam and burst of water 💦 and runs out the inlet then back out the top

[@joshsoorlin579]

Good showing the fittings, hardest part to find!!

[@DannyJanuario]

It’s a good video and idea,my only thing is how long is that copper piping gonna last,I’ve seen the copper wrapped around a tank providing the heat while the piping stays away from flames

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

It’s lasted 4 years.

[@DannyJanuario]

@@ReviewOutdoorGear ,not too bad,I thought it woulda been way sooner than that,ty for responding

[@JaapSmit-p3b]

I am wondering, since usually people put chlorine in their water for a pool do you also do this? If not, wont the water get dirty really quickly? If yes, doesnt the chlorine rust the pipes?

[@mnotlyon]

Chlorine does not clean water. It kills bacteria. There's no need for chlorine if they refill it each time.

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

No chlorine. We dump out the water after every use.

[@rudebwoydread13]

Is there a pump being used? how is the water circulating? Maybe I missed that part

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

No, there’s no pump, the circulation is due to heat with hot water rising due to being less dense than cold water

[@derangedchild]

How long does it take to get to temp from cold?

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

About 20 degrees per hour

[@derangedchild]

Thanks. So start burning two hours before use 👍🏼roughly

[@crazybob1954mo]

@@derangedchild Too Long!! LOL He should have raised the tub a bit higher and just built a tiny fire under the tub... Such a stupidly Inefficient way he built it. A majority of the heat just goes up into the air!! LOL

[@carmencarnegie3399]

Hi like the video but what is the length of the 3/4 copper tube

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

About 30 feet.

[@chrisknightstravel]

Could the bath be made of plastic or wood?

[@satansbiscuit]

Can I do the same sèt up as you guys but have both the inlet hose and the outlet hose both entering and exiting water by having the pipes both hang over the top of the tub rather than thru the sides?

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Maybe - this may not work very well, and you need to make sure that the hose connecting to the bottom of the coil is sitting in the bottom of the tank so that it will collect cold water that will then be heated up in the coil. The top hose can exit at the top or bottom.

[@DwightStebner]

could you regulate the flow of water enough to heat and fill the tub when filling with a pump. pump water direct through coil while heating

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Yes I think that would work. I’ve thought about doing that.

[@ryanrobertson4001]

Great video, thank you. I am building one now. 300 gal tank +\~ . I have 1 inch tubing, about a 2ft coil, 7 coils, 5’ intake and out put. My question is: is it better to have the hot water in tube to be at the very top of the tank or is it okay for it to be 10 inches from the top? I don’t understand the dynamics of if there would be too much head pressure for the water to get into the tank? Any help is appreciated

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

It’s okay to have it lower. Good luck!

[@viktorwestergren4127]

copper and galvazined steel. wont it corrode?

[@SaintJames40]

Why a shorter length of coil? Wouldn’t it heat the water faster with a longer length? More area for the water to travel through?

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Yes, but this increases the distance. The water has to travel, increases the resistance, and allows the water to heat beyond warm and into boiling, causing the water to vaporize and sputter in both directions.

[@SaintJames40]

@@ReviewOutdoorGear ah yeah I have run into that problem with mine. It’s not that long either. What about diameter? Wouldn’t the larger the better work for it? Or is 3/4 the sweet spot? Mine is 3/8 and it’s not good.

[@auhmsoogood]

Have you considered to build insulation around the tub to help prevent the loss of heat from the steel to the open air?

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Yeah I think I want to wrap it in the insulated bubble wrap!

[@auhmsoogood]

@ReviewOutdoorGear perhaps just insulated pink foam, it's ridged, but it won't pop, and they have a higher R rating. Then, potentially just adding dirt up the side for further support! Thanks for the video. It will save me a lot of mistakes and trouble shooting

[@paulsmith4995]

How long will the cooper coil last I've heard stainless steel pipe is better too use as a coil I'm guessing this is how they build these pool heaters out of when buy them

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

It will probably last 10-15 years. Been 3 years and no show of wear.

[@bonazzibadin8724]

buongiorno. for 2000 liter, how many hour, for wich temperature, and wich siza of pipe?and thanks alot

[@crazybob1954mo]

Don't ask these Clowns... HaHa

[@TrentCamera858]

I have an acrilic plastic claw tub in my backyard hooked up to a propane water heater and i was thinking about building a fire pit near it to supplement the baths heat and because its cool. would it be a hazard to use the fire pit without the tub filled with water? fire risk?

[@Gizzard4400]

How many feet of 3/4 inch Tubing did u end up using

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

About 30-40 feet

[@ryanrobertson4001]

Still having trouble with mine cycling? 1 inch tube. Could use some help on how it cycles? It almost pumps and spurts?

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Make sure you have no more than 5-7 coils

[@ooceansurf]

nice vid!

[@johnathansparks1678]

Wonder if this could be done with a old hot tub that is not running...I see those for free every day that ends in Y on Craig's List??

[@raeleneeckmann2849]

How did you fill the tube with water? Did you truck it in, or by buckets.

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

We have running water.

[@lukewarm2075]

Great videos do more guys

[@jeffebasan6352]

Hey man, I hope you see my comment, does the copper tubing last at all? It doesnt seem to be in good condition after one use. THANK YOU! I'm asking because copper tubing is expensive here 🤣

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

It actually does! It’s still working perfectly and no burn through or damage.

[@baddonkey6876]

3:04 Farrell fitting Although I'm probably spelling it wrong but yeah, compression farrell fitting

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Yes you’re correct. It’s a ferrule. 🙂

[@eggnogfrog]

Never seen a stepped drill bit used like that before.

[@jerandjulieberggren4105]

What cleans the water? Looks like a single use then stagnant water the next day.

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Empty every time.

[@SaintJames40]

I use a submersible pond pump to push the water through. Works twice as fast.

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Yes, but you need electricity for that… This is intended to be totally off the grid with no electricity

[@АндрейЖорник-б6и]

This is COOL!!!!

[@AnneLindyberg]

Beautiful job

[@crazysquirrel9425]

Insulate the tank and it will heat up faster. You might want to look into a tempering valve to see if that would be any benefit. IMHO you should have painted the tubing with grill paint.

[@tommy_ezy5162]

What if you just put a croxnut with a hex nipple on both ends (outlet and inlet)and connect on to the nipples with valves so you detach both ends when it’s at temperature and reattach to warm back up . If that made sense

[@crazysquirrel9425]

@@tommy_ezy5162 seems like a lot of work to detach and reattach when a tempering valve regulates it for you.

[@robsoncruz5029]

Thank you! It helped me so much!

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Glad it helped!

[@StringerCourier]

Watching your video, I just had this wild idea: How do you think it would work if I took a small galvanized bucket, filled it with hot charcoals, and suspended the bucket in the water opposite the end where I sit? It would be easier to keep the heat up in the bucket by just adding more charcoal.

[@danielbrown9532]

The bucket would radiate not circulate the heat like the tube. Circulation has more heat exchange then radiation. You would be overwhelmed by constantly adding charcoal to the bucket to keep up.

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Agreed.

[@davidwalker8359]

Sounds messy.

[@ĎẹĵäPüĥ]

How about lighting a controlled fire 🔥 below the tub and build a wooden contraption to sit and lean on🤔

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Believe it or not, that would take longer to heat the water. The surface area provided by the copper tubing combined with the heat transfer capability of copper allows the water to heat up much faster.

[@crazybob1954mo]

@@ReviewOutdoorGear HaHa Bullshit! You are No engineer.... The way you built it is stupidly inefficient. The majority of the heat simply goes up into the atmosphere. Tell me I am wrong... ???? 🤔

[@WoodsmanocD86]

Awesome video guys.. help me out loads .. cheers

[@trouble11eleven]

Im in the north of Ontario canada, it gets super cold during winter, how would i go about with frozen water in the coil and pipes extending to the tub, would it just melt once id start a fire? Im worried that the pipes extending to my tub wont unthaw and can be a disaster I cant find anything online with anyone with experience with these builds and using during winter months.

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

I would recommend you drain the tub between uses in that case or use a flame torch to melt the tubes leading away and to your tub

[@petepete66]

You can try .... fire 🔥 above .... tank 50 cm down under from fire .... so hot water is automatic running down into tank ...

[@crazybob1954mo]

HaHa... You Gots it Backwar Dummy....BaHaHaHaHaHa.... Fool....

[@wtfbbqbye]

can you use 1/2 piping with a water pump hooked up?

[@michelkirsch2482]

Of course. Better with a pump. You get the energy from the fire sooo much faster in the tank

[@paulsmith4995]

It's a very hard invention too build a pool heater that works on burning wood and keep temperature in pool

[@addisonsmith3899]

How do you regulate the temperature? I would like to make one but am worried about it getting to hot, any suggestions on regulating it?

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

We add cold water.

[@homersipes]

@@ReviewOutdoorGear what if you put a ball valve in line so you could regulate how much hot water moves, granted the water would be hotter but wouldn't circulate as much

[@SimplyGreenHomestead]

Could you add a small cover to screw on the bottom water intake? it would stop flow , thus no increase in heat, and when you wanted more heat, you take the cover off?@@ReviewOutdoorGear

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

@Kallegacy no, because then the water that remains in the tube and coil will overheat, boil and spout out the top outlet. When the tube is empty, it will begin to overheat and possibly deform in the heat.

[@kevyt3095]

Should have run the filling water through the copper piping while filling it up, would have save a ton of time. everthing else is great! Nice project.

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

Yeah we thought about that too. Would be a good idea.

[@bobdinovo6889]

Thats sooo cool

[@kylevega7933]

random question are you not worried about electrolysis?

[@ReviewOutdoorGear]

There is no electrical current.

[@TitoInTexas]

Is it just me or are a lot of these could maximize heat by putting these a little underground or at least the tub can be protected from natural temperature.

[@jessebreyerb5082]

Check out a refrigeration supply store they will have what you need to pump it too

[@louiseharbick5670]

Where did you get the 3/4inch compression by 1/2inch male iron pipe adapter?

[@chemistryguy100]

At a local store specializing in hose and piping. It’s called House of Hose.

[@aengusgiblin2284]

Awesome

[@mikedavis1137]

FINALLY a great video on a hillbilly hot tub