Homemade Mud Jacuzzi

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mscfmjkj
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Homemade Mud Jacuzzi

Postby mscfmjkj » Thu Mar 25, 2021 9:21 pm

Building off the excellent earlier posts about making homemade mud pits:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=18269
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=20342

I'm about to move into a house (renting), and I want to set up some kind of home mud pit. Here are my initial thoughts... please help me refine them with your suggestions and experience!

Location
As I am only renting the property, I can't do any digging. The garage has a half-bath (toilet, sink, shower stall), so that might be a possibility for privacy and proximity to cleanup without tramping mud throughout the house. I could set up a small preliminary cleanup exit area right next to the tub to squeegee off the big chunks of clay (and also to collect said chunks to replace back into the tub) and lightly rinse off. Then in the garage shower, I'd have a kind of filter rack/strainer/mesh (ideas?) on the floor to filter out other fine particulates, catching them so they can't clog the drain.

Size
While I long for the deep Studio588 pits, if I'm going to do it in the garage, I'll need a more modest-sized container. One thought was to fill one of those inflatable jacuzzis. That would mean paying a premium for the "jacuzzi features" which wouldn't really apply whilst repurposing it as a mud bath. Although... I wonder if it could be possible to intercept the input/output points of the jacuzzi's water heater and connect them to a closed system of tubing, making for a way to circulate hot water and heat the mud? Or I could set it up on a large heating pad (never set hot enough to damage the vinyl of the tub, but enough to percolate some heat up through the mud). Alternatively/Additionally, I'm thinking about using a strong pond liner inside the jacuzzi, as an extra level of containment redundancy, and to protect the jacuzzi in case I ever want to use it for its intended purpose in the future. It would be cool if I could repurpose the jacuzzi to make a heated clay pit... but those things aren't cheap, when all I really need is a sturdy container to fill with mud.

Another consideration is structural strength. Naturally, the inflatable jacuzzis must have been product tested to easily withstand the pressures of being filled with water and the wear & tear of getting knocked around by people climbing in and out... but would it be strong enough to withstand the heavier load of being full of clay? Any other ideas for a strong free-standing container?

Mud
My first thought went to bentonite clay, as that has been tried and true for years at Studio588. Its natural antimicrobial properties will help safeguard against mold or other undesirables. I was actually just able to scoop up 200lbs of Extra High Yield Bentonite (four 50lb bags) for cheap - left over from someone else's well project. And I've mapped a source nearby to get more!

Bentonite does have a smooth, gel-like (sometimes downright jiggly) consistency that feels amazing, but I'm also curious about other clays.

I realize I may be in the minority, but I really like things thick and sticky! I love the feeling of being stuck. In fact, I've also been harboring a desire to do this project but fill the tub up with slime like this! https://youtu.be/7dc49UtOHp0 (But that would be absurdly expensive! If money wasn't an option, I'd fill up a swimming pool with melted marshmallow and cannon ball right into the middle! :lol: )

How that would translate to clays is... maybe finding clays with high plasticity? I think ball or kaolin clay might be candidates for being stickier and more plasticier? I want to mix the clay really thick and feel a bit of stretch/resistance/surface tension(?), as if the mud was trying to eat me up and didn't want to let me go!

Thoughts?
So, those are some ideas I had about trying to make a homemade mud spa in the garage. Please let me know if you have any thoughts to improve the idea! I will also have a small backyard (but that creates all sorts of new challenges about privacy, etc). What do you think? After a long day of work, will I be able to pop open a beer and climb into a cozy clay pit to unwind from all of life's troubles???

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Re: Homemade Mud Jacuzzi

Postby Fred588 » Thu Mar 25, 2021 10:27 pm

I would not recommend trying to re-circulate bentonite through any kind of pipe. One of its commercial uses is to SEAL pipes, including oil well bore holes,that are no longer needed
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Re: Homemade Mud Jacuzzi

Postby mscfmjkj » Fri Mar 26, 2021 12:19 am

Fred588 wrote:I would not recommend trying to re-circulate bentonite through any kind of pipe. One of its commercial uses is to SEAL pipes, including oil well bore holes,that are no longer needed

With my current brainstorming, there would be no attempts to move or circulate any bentonite. The one thought, if I use an inflatable jacuzzi, is to use the water heater to circulate hot water through some pipes/tubes arranged in the jacuzzi. Instead of the heater moving water from the full jacuzzi (which would now be full of clay), the heater would only move water through a closed system of pipes submerged in the clay (like in your clay pit). Water would be the only thing being circulated.

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Re: Homemade Mud Jacuzzi

Postby Fred588 » Fri Mar 26, 2021 12:51 am

mscfmjkj wrote:
Fred588 wrote:I would not recommend trying to re-circulate bentonite through any kind of pipe. One of its commercial uses is to SEAL pipes, including oil well bore holes,that are no longer needed

With my current brainstorming, there would be no attempts to move or circulate any bentonite. The one thought, if I use an inflatable jacuzzi, is to use the water heater to circulate hot water through some pipes/tubes arranged in the jacuzzi. Instead of the heater moving water from the full jacuzzi (which would now be full of clay), the heater would only move water through a closed system of pipes submerged in the clay (like in your clay pit). Water would be the only thing being circulated.


That ought to work. I am not familiar with inflatable jacuzzis but do consider what happens if it springs a leak. Be sure whatever structure this rests on has the strength to hold the weight.
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Re: Homemade Mud Jacuzzi

Postby Mynock » Fri Mar 26, 2021 4:02 pm

Water weighs 8.5lbs per gallon.
I'd guess a gallon of wet clay would conservatively weigh 1.5 to 2 times that, say 12 to 16 pounds.
That might not seem like much of a difference but if your hot tub has a capacity of, say, 500 gallons:

8.5lbs x 500 Gallons = 4,250lbs (Water)
12.75lbs x 500 Gallons = 6,375lbs (If Clay 1.5x Weight)
16lbs x 500 Gallons = 8,000lbs (If. Clay 2x Weight)

Best case scenario you're adding literally a ton of weight to your pool. Would definitely result in a blowout and your own minitature Lahar pouring out your garage door. Which might be entertaining to see if you don't have to clean it up. :D
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mscfmjkj
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Re: Homemade Mud Jacuzzi

Postby mscfmjkj » Fri Mar 26, 2021 6:21 pm

Mynock wrote:Water weighs 8.5lbs per gallon.
I'd guess a gallon of wet clay would conservatively weigh 1.5 to 2 times that, say 12 to 16 pounds.
That might not seem like much of a difference but if your hot tub has a capacity of, say, 500 gallons:

8.5lbs x 500 Gallons = 4,250lbs (Water)
12.75lbs x 500 Gallons = 6,375lbs (If Clay 1.5x Weight)
16lbs x 500 Gallons = 8,000lbs (If. Clay 2x Weight)

Best case scenario you're adding literally a ton of weight to your pool. Would definitely result in a blowout and your own minitature Lahar pouring out your garage door. Which might be entertaining to see if you don't have to clean it up. :D


Yeah, I have no idea what the standard strength tolerances are for those inflatable hot tubs.

Any ideas for alternatives?

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Re: Homemade Mud Jacuzzi

Postby Duncan Edwards » Fri Mar 26, 2021 7:07 pm

mscfmjkj wrote:
Mynock wrote:Water weighs 8.5lbs per gallon.
I'd guess a gallon of wet clay would conservatively weigh 1.5 to 2 times that, say 12 to 16 pounds.
That might not seem like much of a difference but if your hot tub has a capacity of, say, 500 gallons:

8.5lbs x 500 Gallons = 4,250lbs (Water)
12.75lbs x 500 Gallons = 6,375lbs (If Clay 1.5x Weight)
16lbs x 500 Gallons = 8,000lbs (If. Clay 2x Weight)

Best case scenario you're adding literally a ton of weight to your pool. Would definitely result in a blowout and your own minitature Lahar pouring out your garage door. Which might be entertaining to see if you don't have to clean it up. :D


Yeah, I have no idea what the standard strength tolerances are for those inflatable hot tubs.

Any ideas for alternatives?


Forget about inflatables. They are intended to hold not much more than water and basic engineering tables show clay weighing roughly twice that before it's wet. If you load any kind of above ground pool with clay it's not going to end well. My suggestion would be to calculate the volume of clay you want to work with and build a box from plywood and 2x4 lumber to hold it. Line it with a tarp. You can make it more vertical if you like depth over length and so forth. Mynock paints an accurate picture.

As Fred mentioned, Bentonite is great for the purpose you have in mind but putting it through a pipe will also end badly. Not only is it intended to seal such things, a regular pump will kill itself trying to move something that dense. If you want to heat it you would be better off to circulate hot water through it in a closed loop.

If you stand on a tarp for outdoor cleanup in the garage, make sure you drain the runoff outside and plan on using lots of water. Dilution is the solution.
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Mynock
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Re: Homemade Mud Jacuzzi

Postby Mynock » Fri Mar 26, 2021 7:30 pm

Duncan Edwards wrote:.....build a box from plywood and 2x4 lumber to hold it. Line it with a tarp. You can make it more vertical if you like depth over length and so forth.


This would be your most cost effective solution. Youtube search "Wood Pond". With a little extra reinforcement the Koi pond build vids you'll find could easily be repurposed. If you can draw up plans and do the math beforehand Lowes will even cut all the pieces to size for you so all youll need to assemble it will be nails and a hammer.
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Re: Homemade Mud Jacuzzi

Postby Duncan Edwards » Fri Mar 26, 2021 7:59 pm

Mynock wrote:
Duncan Edwards wrote:.....build a box from plywood and 2x4 lumber to hold it. Line it with a tarp. You can make it more vertical if you like depth over length and so forth.


This would be your most cost effective solution. Youtube search "Wood Pond". With a little extra reinforcement the Koi pond build vids you'll find could easily be repurposed. If you can draw up plans and do the math beforehand Lowes will even cut all the pieces to size for you so all youll need to assemble it will be nails and a hammer.


Yeah, base all your dimensions on a 4'x8' sheet of plywood to keep the cuts and expense to a minimum. A 4x4x4 foot box is a lot of clay and will require 3 sheets of plywood cut in half so only three cuts. I wouldn't use OSB but regular 1/2" plywood. I tend to over-engineer things because I don't like it to fall apart on me so it all sits on/in a 2x4 lumber frame. If it was me the corners would be 4x4 posts and that supports a deck board around the top that's 6" wide.

Another thing you can do is visit a builder's salvage store like Habitat for Humanity's Restore and get an old bathtub. I know a guy around here who has done some stuff with those things.
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Re: Homemade Mud Jacuzzi

Postby Fred588 » Sat Mar 27, 2021 12:54 pm

Mynock wrote:
Duncan Edwards wrote:.....build a box from plywood and 2x4 lumber to hold it. Line it with a tarp. You can make it more vertical if you like depth over length and so forth.


This would be your most cost effective solution. Youtube search "Wood Pond". With a little extra reinforcement the Koi pond build vids you'll find could easily be repurposed. If you can draw up plans and do the math beforehand Lowes will even cut all the pieces to size for you so all youll need to assemble it will be nails and a hammer.


Considering the damage that could be caused if this burst, I would suggest bolts rather than nails. And 3/4 inch plywood rather than 1/2. If the panels bulge outward AT ALL when the tank is filled then it needs reinforcement.
Studio 588 currently offers more than 2200 different HD and QD quicksand videos and has supported production of well over 2400 video scenes and other projects by 13 different producers. Info may be found at:
http://studio588qs.com
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http://psychicworldjungleland.com


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