Redneck Hot Tub

by replayreb

16K7320

Intro: Redneck Hot Tub

When we renovated an old house a couple of years ago we chose not to have a bathtub in order to have a larger shower but every now and then I miss having a tub just to soak, relax and warm up. There are plenty of examples of DIY stock tank hot tubs out there but this is just my simple, portable version.

STEP 1:

Every time I've pulled up to the local hardware store the past couple of years there's been this 100-gallon Rubbermaid plastic stock tank sitting outside that is almost the exact size as a clawfoot tub. It was only $69 so I bought it.

STEP 2:

I didn't do anything fancy like build a wood facade or make a heater out of copper tubing. The only reason I did it is because when we renovated we installed a tankless water heater so we have an unlimited hot water supply. I just bought a hot/cold tap, pex tubing, fittings and crimp tool which was more expensive then the actual tub!

STEP 3:

The only things I added was a cup holder and clamp mount for my tablet.

STEP 4:

Per my brother's suggestion I did add some wheels later so I can transport it more easily. It's not that heavy but awkward to carry since it's so large. I bought 1/2" steel rod, 6" lawnmower wheels, 1/2" shaft collars and drilled a 1/2" hole in either side of the base then notched it so the axle snaps into place.

STEP 5:

So what I do is fill it up with warm water then leave only the hot tap on so I can just turn on the garden hose attachment when I need to warm it up. I cut a 1-inch overflow hole in one end so it doesn't overflow the top and get my towel wet. The best thing about this DIY hot tub, besides the price, is that its portable so I can pull the plug and store it behind the garage. Thanks for looking!

16 Comments

Jennifer_Gainey 3 months ago

Great minds think alike! I did almost exactly the same thing! I picked up an outdoor tankless hot water heater with decent GPM that runs on propane for under $100 and built a stand for it. I plumbed it directly to the stock tank using a recirculation pump to give the heater water flow. I also added a small filter I found at a thrift store for a couple of bucks. I made a cover for it using insulated bubble wrap to keep unwanted things out of it when it’s not in use. It only takes about 15-20 minutes to get the water from ambient temperature to 104 degrees. I use it two to three times a week and a small propane tank will last me about a month. Best little investment I’ve made in myself in quite awhile! Is it the prettiest hot tub out there? Definitely not! Do I care about such things when I’m soaking in it? Definitely not!

replayreb 3 years ago

Yes, there's one on the side. It's a male, threaded pvc plug.

BevCanTech 3 years ago

Great idea and nicely done. Homer would have been impressed!

jedikitty 3 years ago

I totally love this project so thank you for posting it! I tried something similar with a very large storage tub (rectangular, black plastic box from Home Depot; they come with a yellow lids), but it was an epic fail... After my "tub" was half filled with water, it bowed and cracked on the long sides, so that was that. Still useable as a storage bin but definitely not strong enough to withstand the sideways pressure of the 102 litres of water.
My question to you is: how did the wheels and axles fare under a 100 gallon worth of water weight? Curious if they survived or collapsed... I'm currently looking for a tub similar to yours, and might build a wooden crate-like frame (or use a repurposed wooden pallet), and add heavy duty casters.

replayreb 3 years ago

Oh, I empty the tub before I snap on the wheels to move it.

Dakotamouse 3 years ago

I wish you would have shown a video in use. Sounds like fun.

replayreb 3 years ago

I just added a short video. A commercial about spas came on while I was in my $69 "spa" lol.

JohnC430 3 years ago

Funny! My child's garden swimming pool can do the same thing.
Do you really fit in that tub? Looks like a large compost bin repurposed for this Instructible.

replayreb 3 years ago

I took a lot of the pictures with the wide angle setting on my phone so that makes it look smaller. Here's one not wide angle. The door behind it is 36 inches wide.

replayreb 3 years ago

It's literally the same size as a claw foot tub but taller and since it doesn't have feet it goes all the way to the ground so it actually holds more water.

shalnachywyt 3 years ago

My neighbor sometimes uses his child's above ground swimming pool to raise fish! :)

jpharkey 3 years ago

I've been trying to figure out how to do this so thank you! Did you already have the hot water line to the outside spigot? I think ours only has cold out there. thanks again

replayreb 3 years ago

No, I had to crawl under the house and cut one of the 1/2" hot water pex lines, insert a T-connector, crimp that and then run the new hot water pex extension to an exterior wall and crimp that onto the hot/cold tap.