Indoor hot tub

[Mrs.Jelinek]

Hello building a structure for my hot tub to be indoor and I am having a problem. I need to know what I can use for the walls and ceiling for the hot tub room so it don’t get mold and will last. I don’t want to use cedar because it is very expensive and I’m on a budget. Can anyone help me out?

[jimbo]

. I don’t want to use cedar because it is very expensive and I’m on a budget. Can anyone help me out?

If you are on a budget, forget the hot tub. Do it right or not at all.

Mold is caused by moisture. The secret to avoiding mold is LOTS of ventilation. Other than cedar or teak, or ceramic tile, the only material left for the walls is FRP ( plastic panels like you see in public washrooms)

[hj]

Why does everyone want to find some way to cut corners because they cannot afford to do the job correctly to start with. But then later somehow find the money to redo it correctly when the cheap job fails, and it costs extra because he has to take the old stuff apart first?

[Mrs.Jelinek]

it not that im not going to finish it i just need some ideas on what to use indoor for the hot tub. beside cedar...

[Mrs.Jelinek]

ok i never herd of teak. but i do want to finish it and i have a large room to do so cedar is out if the question. so i just wanted to know what else i can use for the space and i do have a lot of ventilation. from the top of the celing and im going to put a vent fan in as well

If you are on a budget, forget the hot tub. Do it right or not at all.

Mold is caused by moisture. The secret to avoiding mold is LOTS of ventilation. Other than cedar or teak, or ceramic tile, the only material left for the walls is FRP ( plastic panels like you see in public washrooms)

[Terry]

Here is my experience with hot tubs or swimming pools indoors.

I rented one home with a sunroom and hot tub.
We had to keep the cover on it constantly to keep the moisture from dripping off the glass and wood structure.
The repairs to the wood framing were a few thousand dollars.

We looked at another indoor hot tub rental,
it was downstairs in the basement, the whole house smelled of chlorine.

Most hot tub rooms will have water dripping from the ceiling.
To keep the air dry, you need an air to air heat exchanger.
Otherwise, the cold air coming will condense the water vapor.

Street of Dreams home near Bear Creek.
This one had a swimming pool.
The drywall kept falling off the ceiling.
The contractor tried several ventilation systems,
Problem was never solved as far as I know.

Customer with indoor hot tub,
This couple had a baseball field in their back yard in the city.
That's how big their lot was. I thought it was a city park.
They got so tired of fixing the house, that they sold it and moved to Pullman.

Hot tubs are big water vapor producers.

Have you ever swam at a public pool, and it feels like rain inside?
That's all the moisture from the air, hitting the cooler ceiling and condensing into water.
I can't think of too many public pools that still have wood structures over them anymore.

Best method?
Figure out how to remove the moisture.

A roof seems fine, I'm not so hot on the "closing it in" part.

When I go to Whistler Blackcomb and stay at the Crystal Inn, I use their outdoor swimming pool and hot tub.
The temperature is below freezing, and it feels fine.

http://www.terrylove.com/images/terry/blackcomb_crystal.jpg
The swimming pool and hot tub are on the left, on the first floor roof.
Yes, that's snow on the ground too. It snowed every night.

[Scuba_Dave]

Both of my hot tubs at both houses have been outdoors
My current house the tub is tucked into a corner
Sunroom on one side, house on the back, greenhouse blocks wind on a 3rd side. Lattice on the greenhouse side gives privacy
IMOP - don't do it, but if you do:
The entire room would need to be cement board with vapor barrier to keep moisture in the room. Use tile or the plastic FRP sheets as suggested EVERYWHERE
You will need an exhaust fan (heat exchanger a great idea) to vent the moist air outside. Best bet is to close this room off with doors from the rest of the house. Installation in a basement is a no go due to the fact they are usually damp to begin with. Be prepared to spend a lot of electric to heat the tub. And expect your heating bill to increase in the winter when you need to vent moist air outside. If you are in an area that is humid & you use AC expect the AC to work harder (?) to pull moisture out of the air. In addition a dehumidifier or two would be a needed additionto keep humidty levels down

We have a "swing" umbrella that we can swing over out hot tub if it is raining, other then that I like to see the sky & stars. We were out in single digits weather in the hot tub for 5 hours. Alternating between in the tub, sitting on the edge, running for more beers, or going to the bathroom :D
To me, the best part of a hot tub is being outside, especially in the winter

There is no inexpensive solution to installing a tub inside to do it right

[Gary Swart]

If you can't afford cedar, then don't even look at teak. I think an indoor hot tub is a foolish idea for all of the reasons others have noted. If you can't afford to do the job right, don't do it at all. because the corners you cut will come back to haunt you later. If you go ahead with this project, I predicate within 3 years you will either just drain and discontinue using the tub, or you will remove it entirely.