Solar Hot Tubs
With the increased efficiency of solar vacuum tubes, heating hot tubs has become more and more popular using solar. The basic principle of a solar hot tub is to use the solar collectors during the day to heat the tub. In the evening you may find you will still need and auxiliary heater. We always recommend keeping your existing heater and running the solar hot tub heater on a secondary supplemental heating loop.
if you are in a warmer climate or using your hot tub in non-freezing conditions, then solar flat plate panels would be the best choice as they are effective but don’t over heat in the summer. Since a hot tub is a smaller body of water than a pool the solar vacuum tubes may contribute too much heat to the hot tub in the summer. Flat plate solar collectors are better suited where summer season is longer than winter.
If you intend to heat your hot tub during freezing conditions via solar then you would need a solar water heating system that uses an antifreeze mixture between the hot tub and the solar hot tub heater. The hot tub and solar heating fluid are separated by a stainless steel or titanium solar heat exchanger. Alternatively the hot tub could be used as a secondary zone for domestic hot water heating or solar space heating. In this way the SDS (Solar Distribution System) will control the heat of the hot tub as well as hot water. A dual zone system allows for maximum use of your solar water heater year round!
Looking for another way to heat your hot tub? Visit our Sister company at TimberLine Wood Water Stoves for unique wood fired water heaters that use no electricity and require not pumps! These wood fired hot tub heaters are great for off grid applications or to assist you with heating your hot tub or spa. They use a principle called thermosiphon whereby water is heated up in the stainless steel double walled water jacket. The hot water rises to the top and out a port into the hot tub. Meanwhile cold water is sucked in through the bottom of the tub to be reheated. Simple, quiet, cost effective! If you are looking for a complete wood fired hot tub then visit our other Sister Company at Northern Lights Solar Tubs for the best real cedar hot tubs that can be heated with wood fired hot tub stoves or other means such as electricity, gas, or using a heat exchanger.
