We might remodel our bathroom and remove a 120yo clawfoot tub that’s in rough shape. I’m thinking about a hillbilly hot tub. You can find lots of people online who prop it up outside, fill it, and then light a fire under it. But I’m thinking about setting it on an old rear-vented wood stove (or two?) for a few reasons: 1) I could divert the smoke through a chimney and not be surrounded by it, 2) I might be able to control the fire better, and 3) it might just be cleaner overall. Does anyone have any thoughts/advice on this? One challenge is that the tub would have to sit up pretty high, so I’d need to figure that out. Thanks!
I would make sure that old tub isn't a collectible first. Some of them are worth a few bucks, especially if it has been or gets restored by someone who knows what they're doing.
I would at least consider a W/A or W/W heat exchanger and a small pump to ciruculate the water in the tub through them...unless you are wanting to run this without electricity.
Check out the info on the University's web site. Just coil up some copper tubing to allow for the heat from the fire to transfer to the water (inside the tubing) and use natural convection for the delivery/return of it. Old time Finns would wrap tubing around the smoke pipe of the hunting camps wood stove and be able to have hot water at the camp.
Be careful what you wish for! It’s an interesting idea. Unfortunately the porcelain has some pretty big chips in it. I see a few on CL that are in better shape and being given away. This is probably better than propping up a heavy tub, with heavy water, plus my heavy butt, all on top of a stove. I’ll probably try a stainless steel or copper coil around the fire…seems to be a proven method.
Yeah this seems like the most popular choice. The coils are a little pricy, so I’ll watch for something cheap.
