An average hot tub would require one to two liters of gas to heat. The amount of propane gas required to heat water in a hot tub, on the other hand, is determined by the size of the hot tub, or the amount of water it can contain. The larger the size or quantity of water in the hot tub, the more propane is required to heat it.
It also depends on how hot you want your hot tub to be when you’re using it. The amount of propane required to heat a hot tub is also affected by the state of the atmosphere and weather, as this has an effect on the initial temperature of the water in the tub before heating begins.
The British thermal unit, or BTU for short, is used to measure the quantity of heat required. The BTU (British thermal unit) is a heat measurement unit. The amount of heat required to increase the temperature of one pound unit of water by one degree Fahrenheit is measured in BTU. Nowadays, the joule (J) is the most often used unit. The calorie is defined as the amount of heat necessary to increase the temperature of one gram unit of water by one degree Celsius. BTU is a metric system unit that is very similar to the calorie.
To raise the temperature of one gallon of water by one degree, it takes around 8 BTUs. That means that if you want to raise the temperature of a gallon of water by 10 degrees, you’ll need 8 BTU multiplied by the temperature increase, which is 10. To raise the temperature of one gallon of water by ten degrees, it will take 80 BTU.
Let’s say the normal temperature of the water in the tub is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and the optimal temperature for soaking in the hot tub is 104 degrees. If your hot tub holds 500 gallons of water, raising the temperature from 80 to 104 degrees will require BTU of the temperature difference between the initial and final temperatures multiplied by the BTU required to raise one gallon of water by one degree, and multiplied by the number of gallons the hot tub can hold.
96,000 BTU = (104-80) X 8 BTU X 500 gallons Now, knowing that a gallon of propane can provide roughly 91,547 BTUs and taking into account some heat loss. On a normal day, one to two gallons of propane are required to heat a hot tub, and two to three gallons are required on frigid days.
How much does it cost to run a propane hot tub? ?
Isn’t it a little disappointing? Sure, it’d be lovely if there was a single, definitive answer you could use to budget for your hot tub upkeep and related costs. However, the expense of running your hot tub is not the same as it is for your neighbor or someone in another city, state, or country. There are simply too many things to consider.
- How many people do you think utilize your hot tub? (higher bather load will require more chemicals)
An energy-efficient hot tub costs roughly $1 per day to operate, or a $20-$30 increase in your monthly electric bill. However, if your hot tub is old or neglected, it might cost you up to $50 every month.
The good news is that, while exact hot tub costs are impossible to predict, you may use some strategies to keep your hot tub maintenance costs low, regardless of the circumstances.
What does it cost to operate a gas hot tub?
If bathing in a professional spa is your idea of a pleasant day, the only way to improve it is to bring the tranquility closer to home. However, hot tubs are high-end things with high-end prices, and the costs don’t end after the tub is completed. Keeping that water warm and circulating will increase your monthly energy cost significantly.
The cost of running a modern hot tub is advertised as being around one dollar per day, with a high end of $50 per month. The heater, which typically draws between 1,500 and 6,000 watts, determines the energy cost of a hot tub. At 1,500 watts, the pump is another major energy consumer. The real cost of running a hot tub is determined on your energy cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh), local climate, and maintenance and use habits.
Is it possible to run a hot tub on propane?
Propane or natural gas are used to power gas spa heaters like the Pentair MasterTemp or the Raypak 106A. They can be mounted outside of the spa cabinet for inground spas, free-standing wooden hot tubs, or even portable spas. A gas contractor connects a gas line to the heater to provide a continual supply of fuel that is lit by spark ignition.
- Low Operating Costs: In recent years, natural gas has gotten less expensive. Propane gas is more expensive than natural gas, although it produces slightly more BTUs.
- Fast Heating: When it comes to heating speed, gas heaters come out on top. A gas spa heater can raise the temperature by 1-2 degrees each minute, whereas an electric heater may take an hour to raise the temperature by a few degrees. This allows you to retain the spa at a lower resting temperature while fast heating it up when needed.
- When compared to gas heat, electric spa heaters can be expensive to operate for large spas exceeding 700 gallons, or for poorly insulated spas or wooden hot tubs that are used year-round in frigid climates.
- Higher Initial Investment: A gas spa heater alone costs around $1,000. It must also be connected to the natural gas meter by a gas line (or the propane tank). The cost of a buried gas line varies depending on the distance between the meter and the heater, and it can sometimes be more expensive than the heater itself.
- They’re Gas: Accidents with gas spa heaters are extremely rare, but they do happen. If you’re concerned about the safety of gas appliances, you should think about the risks that come with them, such as gas leaks and carbon monoxide emissions.
- External Installation: Not that gas heaters are unattractive, but you can’t really bury one behind a portable spa. It must be able to sit outside in the open air, with fresh air and a clean sky above it for exhaust.
What is the average amount of propane used by a pool spa?
If you’ve never used a propane pool heater before, you might be surprised the first time you use it especially if you use it before the summer temperatures really start to increase.
The reason for this is that the average propane pool heater consumes around 1 gallon of propane per 100,000 Btus. A propane pool heater with a 400,000 Btu output for a standard-sized pool (21,000 gallons) will burn roughly four gallons of propane every hour.
So, how long will the heater be turned on? This necessitates a little math (bear with us).
- A average pool holds 21,000 gallons of water, which weighs 8.34 pounds per gallon. To raise the temperature of a standard-sized pool by one degree, you’ll need roughly 175,100 Btus.
- Pool heaters have an efficiency range of 80-95 percent; assuming an average efficiency of 80 percent, a 400,000 BTU heater will only produce 320,000 BTUs per hour. To put it another way, if you run a 400,000 BTU heater for one hour (using four gallons of propane), the temperature in a 21,000 gallon pool will rise by around 1.82 degrees.
- Now, if your pool is 60 degrees and you want to swim in 80-degree water, you’ll have to operate the pool heater for 10 to 12 hours; propane costs about $3.00 per gallon in Connecticut.
Of course, this is an extreme example, as you are unlikely to need to raise the temperature in your pool by 20 degrees any time other than late spring or early fall. However, it emphasizes the need of doing all possible to improve the efficiency of your pool heater.
- Use a pool cover – 70% of a pool’s heat is lost through evaporation, so cover it while it’s not in use!
- Maintain a pool temperature of 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Increasing the temperature by one degree raises energy expenses substantially; keep the water warm, but not spa-warm.
- When you won’t be using the pool for a few days, cover it and set the thermostat to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn off the heater if you’re going to be gone for an extended amount of time.
- Have your pool heater serviced at least once a year A pool heater, like any other fuel-burning appliance, requires routine maintenance to function properly. In fact, an annual pool heater tune-up will usually pay for itself in efficiency gains alone, not to mention the long-term benefits of frequent maintenance for your pool heater.
Are you having fun in your heated pool? Great! Just make sure you’re not spending more money than necessary to keep it going. To maintain your pool heater functioning at top efficiency, sign up for a Hocon Pool Heat Inspection and Tune-up, one of the many high-value Home Comfort Solutions we provide our loyal Connecticut customers.
Is it more cost-effective to leave a hot tub running all the time?
Maintaining the temperature of your tub rather than heating it from scratch each time is far more cost effective. If you had to heat up your hot tub from cold every time you wanted to use it, your hot tub operating costs would skyrocket.
How long does it take to heat up a gas hot tub?
It will take 30 minutes for a gas heater to reach 93 degrees and will cost $12 per day if you use propane at $2 a gallon. (To attain your desired temperature, you’ll need six gallons of propane gas.)
At $1 per therm (unit of natural gas), a gas heater will heat to your target temperature in 30 minutes and cost $4.71 per day (4.71 therms is necessary to reach 93 degrees).
How much does it cost to run a hot tub on a monthly basis?
The most basic level of hot tub water care (using bottled chemicals) costs roughly $20 per month to maintain, depending on the water system you choose. Upgrading your water treatment system may be more expensive at first, but it will save you money and time in the long run. Furthermore, top-tier salt water systems (which use salt to make water cleansers and eliminate the need for chemical additives) are ideal for little maintenance and an improved spa experience.
When your hot tub isn’t in use, what temperature should you maintain it at?
The simple answer is that while your hot tub is not in use, the money saved by keeping the temperature higher is actually less expensive than the expense of lowering the temperature and having to re-heat the water by 10-20 degrees.
While it may seem intuitive to turn your hot tub down whenever it is not in use, it is actually preferable to maintain a constant soaking temperature, which for most people is around 100 Fahrenheit.
The 5 rule
It’s a good idea to keep it within 5 of your ideal temperature when it’s not in use, as a general rule of thumb. Using a cover to insulate the spa can also help you save money.
If you have your spa heated all of the time, it will use the least amount of energy when it is set to the same temperature as the surrounding air, assuming that is warm enough for you. Which it most likely isn’t.
Because many modern (and efficient) hot tubs can raise water temperature by 3 to 10 Fahrenheit every hour, it could take 3-4 hours or longer to reach the ideal temperatures of 100-102 Fahrenheit that many people love.
The length of time it takes to heat your hot tub is determined by its size and the efficiency with which it heats water.
Conserve energy with a thermal hot tub cover
Maintaining a consistent temperature is frequently easier than people think, because a decent hot tub cover will already assist to save electricity.
You’ll get a sense of how quickly the hot tub cools down and heats up with an adequate thermal cover in place. Then you can use that knowledge to guide your evaluation of the trade-off between convenience and energy use.
A thick foam cover, such as the one depicted above, which I got on Amazon here, does a fantastic job of insulating the water and limiting evaporation, which cools it.
Insulating with a hot tub bubble cover
You might also use a soft floating membrane, such as this one, to reduce evaporation and protect the spa cover’s underside from chemical damage.
Thermal protection and insulation can help you save money on your energy bills if you use your hot tub frequently, but for most individuals, it boils down to convenience.
What is the most cost-effective method of heating a hot tub?
The majority of people prefer their hot tubs to be heated to a temperature of 38 to 40 degrees Celsius. Assuring that it is ready to use at any time.
However, maintaining this temperature in a hot tub, especially in cold weather, can consume more electricity and cost more money to operate.
Turning the temperature down a few degrees is the easiest method to save money on your hot tub. Each degree reduces your hot tub’s energy use by about 10%.
If you prefer it a little cooler, this could be a nice option. Or if you don’t intend to use it for a long time. However, if you prefer your hot tub to be extremely hot, this may not be the ideal option for you.