Solar Heated Hot Tubs
Some people are concerned about the strain and cost they will encounter on their electric utility if they were to purchase a hot tub. Ingenious creators, eco-friendly, friends of the planet have come up with an option that will give you all of the amenities that a hot tub will afford you and they’ve made it so the tub is heated by solar power, not from a plug!
The first thing to consider when you’re looking into purchasing a solar-heated hot tub is understand that this is a unit that will need to be outdoors. If your idea of the perfect hot tub setting is in a room of your home, there is likely to be an absence of sunlight that you will need to heat your tub. That said; the other consideration is the area where you live. If you live in a region that sees little sunlight then the solar-heated hot tub is not something that would work.
Let’s say you live in an area that will sufficiently accommodate the solar-heated hot tub and you are comfortable with the idea of having it outside of the house, what next? Do you fill the hot tub and wait for the sunlight to heat it up? What about when the sun goes down, what happens to the heat that has accumulated during the daylight hours?
It is recommended that instead of having to wait for the sun to come out in order to enjoy a hot temperature of water, there are types of solar heat equipment that will allow you to store the heat that is solar generated in order to be used later when it is time to enjoy the benefits of the hot tub itself. It may appear to be an expense that is not worth it and it is an up-front expense, but the pay off is that by having the solar heated unit; you will never have to plug it in and further drain those resources. In the end, the cost saving measures that a solar heated hot tub will allow, far out weigh the need for electrical energy or propane gas.
Solar heated hot tubs, like their electric and propane powered counterparts will always benefit from the use of a safety cover that is designed to contain the heat generated, rather than having to waste time and money waiting for the water to heat up itself.
If you are considering an eco-friendly option for a hot tub, the solar heated hot tub is where you want to look. Keeping in mind that it will need to be outside, that indoors is not an option; you live in a region that is sunny enough to properly heat up the hot tub and you know ahead of time that there is the possibility of the cost for the solar heater, by all means, go solar. Know that you’ll be able to reap the benefits of the use of a hot tub and you will be doing your part in the effort to protect the environment.
The Ultimate Extravagate Hot Tub
Imagine that you are awarded an amount of money that would afford you all of the luxuries the world has to offer; now think about what you would do about designing a hot tub/spa area.
Just for kicks, what extravagant options would you build into this dream of a hot tub? There are so many options available today by manufacturers that your choices are nearly limitless. Would you go with an in-ground model or one with a deck?
The designing of a hot tub always begins with one question: How am I going to use it? Who will be spending time in it? How many people do I expect at any one time and would like the room for? Okay, so you figure you’ll treat yourself to the biggest hot tub around, which can hold up to 10 people! You equip the unit with as many massaging jets as possible, a few reclining seats, a few where you sit straight up where there are jets that force air and water up from the bottom of the hot tub to do one job; keep your feet happy.
Do you need to build a structure to house this extravagant hot tub? Will you have the walls without any obstruction so the air can move freely right through it? Will you have walls and doors and windows for that extra privacy? Again, the choices are unbelievable right now, for the options available to the hot tub buyer and/or owner.
One of my favorite options that are available for today’s extravagant hot tubs is the use of light and LED screens. There are waterfalls that are built into the unit that are lighted with color changing features that can change colors with the rhythm of the music, if you’d like. Some of these high end, extravagant hot tubs come with stereo systems and surround sound that most of us don’t have in our homes.
What about movies? Is it a dream for you, like it is for me to be able to enjoy the benefits of a hot tub while watching a movie? It may be a movie you’ve seen a thousand times, or for the first time. There could even be a TV attachment, where you can watch your favorite programs and relax in the hot tub at the same time.
One of my favorite options is the one where there is a remote control device, so you can check and adjust the temperature of the outdoor hot tub before going out into the inclement weather. Picture it; you’re in your warm fire-place heated cabin in the mountains and there is snow on the ground. Earlier in the day you cleared a path from the back door to the hot tub and you decide it’s time to hit the hot tub for a little relaxation. Do you walk out, through the snow, hoping that temperature will be warm enough in the tub that you can just get right into it?
What if you walk outside, in a bathrobe and warm slippers only to find that the heater isn’t working and you need to get back indoors as quickly as possible? That kind of thing never has to happen with the most extravagant hot tubs; just rely on your remote control to check the temp ahead of time, make heating adjustments if needed and head out for an experience like no other, by sitting under the stars, on a snowy night, enjoying your hot tub.
The Medical Community And Hot Tubs
It doesn’t take much investigation to be able to come to the conclusion that the medical community is all in favor of the healing properties that are brought up by the simple activity of relaxing in a hot tub.
It’s not just about relaxing, either, because there are athletes and trainers who have been using the whirlpool effect with hot water to soothe athletes for years.
How many times have you seen the nightly news only to see a story about an athlete who is feeling sore in a specific area and we can see him in the background, sitting next to a big aluminum-looking tub with whatever is ailing him submerged in the water? Coaches and trainers have known for years what the medical community is just now advocating; by allowing submersion in hot water, a healing can occur. No medications, no drugs, no shots, just some hot water. Go figure.
Aren’t we just amazed by what professional athletes put their bodies through? Watch one game on Monday night football to gain a respect of what those guys put themselves through for the sake of the game, that’s all you’ll need to start to understand that if they find a healing property in hot water, why shouldn’t we?
I remember the movie North Dallas Forty from many years ago which is about the Dallas Cowboys’ football team. I remember a scene where the camera angle was as close to the real thing of being in the place of the player and for just a few moments, as the audience, could experience what it must be like to play that game as a pro. It was incredible! Men weighing more than 200 pounds, wearing cleats on their feet were actually stepping on one another to get that football, it was painful to watch. Immediately after the game, it did not show the players at a bar, enjoying a beer together or at home with their families. What we saw was probably a lot more like the reality of players; they were bandaged up, moaning because of their sore muscles and they were neck high in a hot tub because they knew, without a doubt, that by sitting in hot water they could reap some of the benefits of healing without the need for drugs.
Maybe I read too much into the movie, but the point is, the trainers and coaches of great athletes have been using the hot tub-method for healing for centuries and it is today, in the 21st Century that the medical community has hopped on board and backed the findings that sitting in a hot tub will help to heal sore muscles.
Today the medical community is using the idea of hot tubs for healing for all kinds of medical problems; people with diabetes have been known to reduce their blood sugar with a consistent use of a hot tub, people who have suffered a stroke have been able to have that almost-normal feeling they had before their stroke when they are in a hot tub.
Maybe it has taken a long time for the medical community to endorse the use of hot tubs for healing, but the bottom line is they have come to the conclusion and that’s progress.
Hot Tubs for Hydrotherapy
If you’ve ever experience chronic pain or arthritis or any number of ailments, you may not know that one of the best healing properties available to us today, is the ability to sit in warm water, up to our neck for 15-20 minutes a day.
It’s amazing the number of medical benefits you can get from one hot tub; by sitting in a hot tub with air and water blowing jets you can relieve tension from almost every part of your body.
Being able to recline in a molded seat that is equipped with jets that are focused on your sore spots, whether it’s the back of your neck, or your lower back or calves, you will be able to find relief with a hot tub. The very nature of sitting in water, with its buoyancy affect takes an incredible amount of gravitational pressure that is with you when you are not submerged in warm water. Sometimes the pressure lifted can equal up to 30% of your body’s weight, or weight mass, and there is so much more that can be done under these conditions.
The ability for people who suffer from arthritis are able to get some exercise while in a hot tub, people who have problems with balance are much more likely to be able to move around in water in a hot tub and hot tubs for hydrotherapy have even been used in centers that treat people who are the victims of burns.
Isn’t it astounding to think of the relaxing in warm water could be so healing? This understanding, of water being a healer, goes back to Ancient Egypt who would encourage people to bathe in the warm waters and they even went a step further and added essential oils to further enhance the promotion of relaxation.
During the Roman Empire the big thing to do to relax was to partake in the public baths and you could even combine some business with your relaxation time as the Roman baths were viewed as a social environment rather than a means of good hygiene.
Hot tubs for hydrotherapy are more than just warm waters, they are fitted with jets that will, with the use of air and water, soothe tired muscles, massage muscles that are tense and they can be strategically placed to concentrate on any body area that is necessary.
Are you looking for a reason to purchase a hot tub for hydrotherapy? It’s a smart choice because of the money you can save by not needing to go to a rehab for your exercises, or to a hospital, but is something you can treat yourself to any time of the day or night. The benefits of hot tubs with hydrotherapy far out weigh any cost because you can’t put a price on your good health, not to mention your mental health as well, which is greatly improved when your physical body is feeling well.
The bottom line is this, you can’t go wrong if you’re looking for a hot tub and why not equip it with the hydrotherapy jets, it’ll only get better.
Child Safety in Hot Tubs
There is nothing more enjoyable than watching a child play in water. Hot tubs are especially attractive to children because of their depth, which is usually not as deep as the swimming pool and because of the warm temperature. But there are dangers when children and hot tubs are mixed and there isn’t a clue as to what may happen if precautions are not followed.
First child safety tip in regards to a hot tub is to not allow access to any child to the water, especially in the absence of adult supervision. How is that achieved? That safety precaution is kept by having a lockable hot tub cover that will not allow a child access to the water.
No matter what, under any circumstances, should a child be left alone near a hot tub, if a phone rings and you need to answer it, take the child, too. There isn’t any reason for a child to be near a hot tub without adult supervision and many potentially fatal accidents have been prevented by the attention of an adult.
It is important to keep the temperature of a hot tub in mind if child safety is an issue. While most adults can tolerate high temperatures, children are less likely to because among other things, their skin is thinner than that of an adult. With thinner skin, a child is more likely to become over-heated, which can cause dizziness and light-headedness, which can lead to drowning. Children should not stay in a hot tub, with a temperature more than 104 degrees than five minutes or so. Again, this is where adult supervision comes in because a child will not know what is happening to them if they become disoriented as a result of prolonged time in a hot tub; and they may not be able to communicate that they are feeling over-heated or nauseous. As an adult, the monitoring of a child is entirely up to you, no excuses.
The environment in which we enjoy hot tubs can also be a breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria and if not treated, can cause serious illness. If there is any child with an open wound, they should not enter the hot tub, in their own best interest. If a child is too young to tell someone that they need to go to the bathroom, or if they are still in a diaper, they should not, under any circumstances be allowed in a hot tub. Any fecal matter in the moist, warm environment of a hot tub is a dangerous mixture and can cause many, many illnesses. Be safe with this one by keeping the pH levels balanced and having the proper chemicals on hand, if they are needed.
Because children are more susceptible to germs and have not been around long enough to have produced the antibodies it takes to fight some infections, it is imperative that their safety and the safety of those around them, not be compromised by not adhering to the point that children not yet able to express the need to use the bathroom be put in a hot tub, where they may cause fecal matter to be introduced to the atmosphere.