Hillbilly Hot Tub

As we move toward homesteading, one thing we realized is that being off-grid, some luxuries aren't available at the start. Running water is taken for granted in our modern day society. When we moved our camper to a friend's property in Tennessee to help clear his land, it became clear how much we would miss running water.

Water is life. And without it well not much can be done. Carrying water from Ohio to Tennessee became burdensome. The water we carried was for cooking and washing dishes. And if we were fortunate a sponge bath before heading home after a couple days of work. Needless to say my wife and I would almost fight who got in the shower first when we returned home.

Life changed when a well with s hand pump was installed on the property. Having water readily available has made life a little closer to normal. This week I rigged up a hillbilly hot tub.

The project cost less than $240.00. A 150 gallon feeder tub was purchased from TSC for $160. A 20' copper coil and fittings cost approximately $80.

The longest and hardest part of the project was hand pumping the well to fill the tub. Once the tub was full, we started a fire. It takes between 3 to 4 hours to heat.

The water in the pipeline is heated and pushes to the top which creates a vacuum and cold water is drawn into the line and the process continues. Keeping the fire stoked is extremely important. If you look closely at the first picture you can see the ripples in the tub as the hot water is being pumped out.

We love our hillbilly hot tub. It works great and feels even better to have such a luxury.