indoor spas

BigGary · Dec 28, 2004

We are planning on building a large 20X24 foot room onto
our home as a sun room/spa room/bar room for the entertainment of guests and family.
We would like to put a spa in and I am researching how to regulate the moisture that is sure to be a large factor.
The room will have an open to the roof line cathedral cealing
and I have been told to have electric opening sky lights over the spa. Have any members of this forum been involved in an installation of this type and any advise would be greatly appreciated.

chucko · Dec 28, 2004

better make sure the floor will hold that my water....most floors are only designed for 55psf

BigGary · Dec 28, 2004

Chuck,
Concrete with ceramic tile should hold anything we should decide to put on it.
Radiant heat in the floor will keep it warm.

PhilNH5 · Dec 28, 2004

This house came with a spa in a room in the basement.We were concerned about this as a family member has mold allergies. Bu t we have had no problems.
The room is 10 by 12 and the spa takes up most of it. The room is completely lined with cedar on the walls and ceiling. There is a small bathroom vent fan in the ceiling that is vented to the outside. I do not know the CFM.

We keep the spa covered at all times except during use. We have never had any moisture/humidity problems. We do run the fan while in the tub.

Hope some of this helps.
Phil

GerardC · Dec 28, 2004

( better make sure the floor will hold that my water....most floors are only designed for 55psf )

What about a water bed? A king size probably holds more water than some spas. G

mikim · Dec 28, 2004

I have one in a room just that size off the kitchen ... but it's a screen room - commonly known as a "Florida" room - has vinyl windows that slide up - leaving a screen wall open to the air. no problems. 8 foot ceiling - coated with marine varnish.

GerardC · Dec 28, 2004

( This house came with a spa in a room in the basement.We were concerned about this as a family member has mold allergies. Bu t we have had no problems.
The room is 10 by 12 and the spa takes up most of it. The room is completely lined with cedar on the walls and ceiling. There is a small bathroom vent fan in the ceiling that is vented to the outside. I do not know the CFM.

We keep the spa covered at all times except during use. We have never had any moisture/humidity problems. We do run the fan while in the tub.

Hope some of this helps.
Phil )

That's what I would've said in my next response. I wouldn't worry about it. G

chucko · Dec 28, 2004

Yea you should be ok with that /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Henro · Dec 28, 2004

Somehow I don't think moisture has to be a major consideration, but I guess it depends on how much time the surface of the water is exposed and how long the spa is used each time. Also how hot the water is...

Now I can say that we don't have a spa, but we do have a Japanese bath. The system/use is different. It could be that the Japanese bath actually increases evaporation of water, as the use involves washing outside the tub before getting in a soaking in the clean, hot water. So you are essentially splashing a lot of hot water around and kind of maximizing evaporation potential before entering the bath and letting the heat soak in the body.

Now I doubt that we would soak in the bath more than 30 minutes max, more or less, so time difference might be a factor too, when comparing our experience and a hot tub experience.

Still, we have never noticed a moisture problem, and we do NOT have vent fan. Our Japanese bath is a room that is about 12 x12, with the bathing area being about 9x12. The actual tub is not as large as an American hot tub, but is does hold two comfortably. Could be that the smaller surface area is to our advantage.

I doubt I would want any exterior openings during winter, and I also doubt that they are really required. We do keep the water surface covered with sheets of that blue foam insulation (sometimes pink color) sold at Home Depot and other building supply stores. That stuff is great and does not absorb any water and sure does keep the heat in.

Our bath is lined with ceadar, walls and ceiling and that may make a difference, I don't know. I would rather have ceadar than dry wall for sure.

The Largest single-pane window in the house (about 5x5 feet) in is the bath beside the tub. Splash some hot water on it and enjoy the view kind of thing.

I guess moisture is a concern to some degree, but even without a vent fan we have not found it to be a problem in our case...

Now our house is pretty well insulated except for where the windows are, and mostly wood inside. Maybe that makes a difference...

Hope this is of some help. Different animals, a hot tub and a Japanese bath, but stil water is water and a house is a house... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

MarkV · Dec 29, 2004

Gary,
Sounds like some of the guys have had good luck with an indoor spa which surprises me. My folks have had one for about 15 years in a room with tiled radiant heated floors and vaulted ceilings that has been a real moisture problem source. This is an older built in unit with remote filters and pumps, like a pool, and does not have a cover option. That may be the big difference from others experience with newer units. They have had a heck of a time keeping paint and varnish on the walls and woodwork. There is a large amount of window space in the room and it is always dripping water when the spa is up to temp. Even with an exhaust fan they have not been able to solve the problem.

I sure would consider an opening sky light and an exhaust fan if I was doing one inside. It is a lot easier to install one while building the room than it would be to retro fit one if it becomes a problem. The other thing I would do is look at the amount of noise the exhaust fan makes. Some of them are so loud they become very irritating. There are units now that have a remote blower that is installed into the duct work to keep the noise down and work very well. Also consider whether the tile you use will be slippery when wet. A smooth face tile can be like ice when people get in and out of the spa leaving water on the tile.

Sounds like a fun room. Good luck with the addition.

MarkV