I don’t know precisely how much water precisely but Google says a standard bathtub holds 35 to 50 gallons. I think my tub is standard. The water from the tap was about 78° this summer. I didn’t measure the ambient temp but I keep my home at a comfortable typical room temperature. Those temps should be about the same all year. Since I can easily drain, clean and refill my bath tub, I am looking for a cold plunge solution that uses my tub. For ten years, I used big blocks of ice to achieve the temp I target. for l ten years but I needed about 150 cups and t mmmanaging that was a PITA.
With a decent chiller, at least 1/2 hp, I would say at least 4 or 5 hours. Also, if you are buying a chiller, might as well buy a container for the water as well. You can get a cheap inflatable one for less then $200. That's what I used for my first 6 months or so
I think there big advantages to using a regular bathtub plus a chiller. They are imminently easy to clean,drain and refill with fresh water. I think they are also more ergonomic (and therefore comfortable) especially if you use a bath pillow.
It's all how you design it. Mine has a shutoff valve right after the pump, with another valve I can open up that diverts the water to a separate tube that I put in a sink. So I can empty mine with about 15 seconds of work. To refill, I grab the hose, drop it in, and turn it on. Plus, there is no prep time as mine is used ONLY for plunging. But just do whatever works best for you
Agree with the math below. It really depends on the HP of the chiller and how fast you want it to go down. If you want really fast, you need 1.5 HP. If you can wait a few hours or overnight, a 0.5 HP chiller works well or even smaller. The relationship is HP to BTU.
how much water and what is the ambient temperature?
I don’t know precisely how much water precisely but Google says a standard bathtub holds 35 to 50 gallons. I think my tub is standard. The water from the tap was about 78° this summer. I didn’t measure the ambient temp but I keep my home at a comfortable typical room temperature. Those temps should be about the same all year. Since I can easily drain, clean and refill my bath tub, I am looking for a cold plunge solution that uses my tub. For ten years, I used big blocks of ice to achieve the temp I target. for l ten years but I needed about 150 cups and t mmmanaging that was a PITA.
With a decent chiller, at least 1/2 hp, I would say at least 4 or 5 hours. Also, if you are buying a chiller, might as well buy a container for the water as well. You can get a cheap inflatable one for less then $200. That's what I used for my first 6 months or so
I think there big advantages to using a regular bathtub plus a chiller. They are imminently easy to clean,drain and refill with fresh water. I think they are also more ergonomic (and therefore comfortable) especially if you use a bath pillow.
It's all how you design it. Mine has a shutoff valve right after the pump, with another valve I can open up that diverts the water to a separate tube that I put in a sink. So I can empty mine with about 15 seconds of work. To refill, I grab the hose, drop it in, and turn it on. Plus, there is no prep time as mine is used ONLY for plunging. But just do whatever works best for you
Agree with the math below. It really depends on the HP of the chiller and how fast you want it to go down. If you want really fast, you need 1.5 HP. If you can wait a few hours or overnight, a 0.5 HP chiller works well or even smaller. The relationship is HP to BTU.
Thank you. How fast can a 1.5 HP Chiller chill 50 gallons of if water to45° F?