Can a Hot Tub help conserve water?
Your city and state officials will say “Absolutely NOT!” In fact during the last drought in 1990, Californians were told that filling up Hot Tubs was prohibited. Ever since, the Hot Tub industry has tried to educate every consumer on not only the health benefits of owning a Hot Tub but it’s effectiveness in water conservation.
Average Showering Habits of a California Resident.
During a dry year, the California Department of Water Resources wants us to limit our lawn watering, use of our washing machine/dishwashing machines, and most importantly to limit our time showering each morning. So how long is an average shower? Researching on the internet our answer came out to be about 12-15 minutes. The average rate of a low flow showerhead that has been replaced within the last 5 years is 1.7 gallons per minute. If the showerhead is older, chances are that the flow rate is about 2.5 gallons per minute. If we err on the side of conservation:
12 X 1.7 = 20.4 gallons used per shower per person.
20.4 X 31= 632.4 gallons used by a single person per month.
Now what about an average family of 4? They use 632.4 x 4 = 2529.6 gallons of water per month.
How Hot Spring Spa owners cut their shower water consumption by half.
We have sold Hot Spring Spas for over 33 years now, and have lived through quite a few dry years. During the last drought in 1990 many of our customers in an effort to save water usage, took a long warm soak in their Hot Spring Spa, then a quick cooler 6 minute shower just to cool down and clean up. Their water consumption dropped drastically, while their Hot Spring Spa became their only source for reusable hot water.
How the numbers look.
The average Hot Spring Spa size is about 300 gallons though we can go as low as 130 gallons with our smallest Hot Tub. Using our patented ACE Salt Water Sanitizing system, our customers drain their Hot Tubs 2 times a year. So for 6 months they have a reusable 300 gallon source of water. Now in term of monthly usage:
300/6 = 50 gallons a month of water used in the Hot Tub. That’s a little over two 12 minute showers worth of water.
Cutting the shower time by half, after taking a long hot soak, a Hot Tub owner would be using: (632.4/2) + 50 = 366.2 gallons per month per person instead of 632.4 gallons.
As for a family of four people: (2529.6/2) + 50 = 1314.8 gallons per month per family in stead of 2529.6
Now what happens with those 300 gallons of water when they drain their Hot Spring Spa? It is easily used to water their lawn and plants. Just turn the Hot Tub off and leave uncovered for 12 hours before draining. Using a water sprayer attached to the drain hose, watering the lawn and plants is very simple.
Conclusion:
There should be NO guilt associated with buying and using a Hot Tub during a dry year.
- It makes you feel better, sleep better, and gets you to spend time and connect with your loved ones.
- It is one of the few reusable sources of hot water people have at home.
- It helps conserve water by giving that hot therapeutic jolt, before taking a shower and minimizing the time people take that shower by half.
- Relax…your Hot Tub saves water!