Misc Wood burning hot tub

[kyrsyan]

It is not going to happen this year. There is just too much on the to do list. And my gut says there is more than I realize.
But I'd like to plan it and I'd love feedback because I'm only doing this once.

Right now, the brain says use rocket stove tech and a metal cattle trough. Problems I foresee - base. Do I put a concrete base under it? Can I build in "tubes" for heat and smoke to go through? How would that hold up to weight and continual heat/cold expansion/contraction? How would the metal hold up to continually sitting on concrete? (I know some metals rust faster in that situation.)
I want to avoid extra holes in the "tub" so I was thinking to build a clay surround with natural tubes through it for the heat/smoke. One thing here is weather/moisture proofing. Is there a clay that can handle that without firing? Or concrete again? Same expansion/contraction questions and metal/concrete/clay questions.
I looked online but found nothing even similar. I'm looking at using the basic rocket stove idea because I get lots of tree limbs throughout the year. And I do mean lots. So it would clear up that problem while providing a nice, peaceful way for me to recover from dealing with that problem.
So anyone have any ideas? Or other issues I haven't gotten to yet?

 

[lonestar09]

Mother earth news magazine has several articles with pictures on different types homeowner built. You might check there for some ideas. I had looked years back at building one and thought about basically a square concrete box with a rocket stove for heating. Someone had told be about making one using a compost pile as the heat source but I have to figure out more on that setup.

 

[Cardinal]

I went to Amazon and typed in "Build a Hot tub" after picking the books category, hoping to bring up some free Kindle books on the subject. Amazon returned several old books with outrageous prices, and one dildo, for "mind blowing orgasms." I double checked my spelling.
Nope, everything spelled correctly.
Amazon must be feeling frisky tonight.

 

[kyrsyan]

Mother Earth News added some ideas.
I do like the steel barrel stove idea. But I'd want to use a smaller one if I go that route.
I'm not sure that cob would survive well in the humidity of the AL. But it did show that using some type of earthen surround would help both heat it, and keep the heat in.
Ran across one made of pallets and one of those large containers that folks like to use as large rain collectors. I'm not too sure how well that plastic would hold up. But again, another idea.
And yet another idea I ran across was restoring one that someone was tossing. But I'd be focusing on how to convert it to wood fired.

 

[Carl2]

30 years ago I made a hot tub using a 7-feet diameter galvanized stock tank; used galvanized steel that came in a roll to extend the height; sealed it with "Automotive Goop". Placed an aluminum wood-burning "Snorkel Stove" in it to heat the water. This worked well, although a 6' diameter tank would have been plenty large enough. I still have the stove; need to sell it (SW Idaho).

 

[kyrsyan]

30 years ago I made a hot tub using a 7-feet diameter galvanized stock tank; used galvanized steel that came in a roll to extend the height; sealed it with "Automotive Goop". Placed an aluminum wood-burning "Snorkel Stove" in it to heat the water. This worked well, although a 6' diameter tank would have been plenty large enough. I still have the stove; need to sell it (SW Idaho).

I'm too far away for that. But I'm leaning that direction. It's on the list.