Mike Basichs’ Wood Fired Hot Tub at Area 241

Check this thing out! It’s a pretty rad custom setup for his mountain rock fortress near Tahoe. It’s hard to see exactly how it works but looks like he’s got a spring or a pump feeding a lot of cold water down a waterfall into a cold pool next to the hot tub and there’s also a little stream of cold water that flows around the hot tub to cool beers n such for the bathers.

Now this is what he doesn’t show but I think he’s using a metal stock tank, a kinda small one that’s probably heated with a fire below. The stone and cement work he’s done up there is impressive, I only wish he’s post more videos!

I’d like to setup something like this at Camp Taint outside the sauna, but the project is a ways out.

I used to have a 6′ round, 4′ deep Snorkel hot tub that I got used off Craigslist but I never got our water system out at the property to work so it never made it out there… My neighbor didn’t really like me running that thing in my backyard in the city so I eventually put in back on Craigslist and got twice what I paid for it. Which was still a steal for how much they cost new. Someday I hope to figure something out that doesn’t cost that much since it would only be used a few times a year.


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7 Responses

  1. Adam says:

    Why dose my hot tube wood burner not circulate water all it does is boil the water a melt water pipes please someone one give me the answer

  2. Your article is very useful to me. With relevant evidence you provide the more makes me confident.

  3. Bckrvue says:

    I’ve had a Snorkel hot tub for about 15 years now and I use it year around. It’s a great cool tub in the summer months and heated with wood in the Spring, Fall and occasionally in the Winter. When we drain the tub to clean it, we run hoses down the hill to the gardens. One of the best investments we’ve made.

  4. Test says:

    Test Comment

  5. Scott says:

    Hey, great post! I’ve been searching for a DIY wood fired hot tub for quite a while. You’re a lucky duck to have (had) one for home. Your neighbors are a bunch of weenier s to make you sell it. A factory made tub up here in BC is like $3500, so for a small cabin owner (on a budget) like me, I looking for the DIY route. Finding the big metal tubs is really hard. The recyclers tend to snatch all the cheap deals up and sell for scrap. Makes the finds on craigslist more and more rare.
    I found this company in California that makes external wood fired boxes that just hang over the side of a metal tub. Check out the http://www.cowboyhottubs.com/

  1. February 25, 2013

    […] you can see the pentgram shaped cabin made out of local rocks and cement. Hot tub on the left.  (See my earlier post on Mike’s his hot tub) Lower storage area and 2 solar […]

  2. March 18, 2013

    […] Mike Basich’s Off Grid Mountain Playground: Wood fired hot tub […]