How Do People Keep Ice From Building Up When People Get Out Of The Tub Dripping In Wintertime?

[PFC5]

I was just curious if I overlooked a trick or two about how people avoid ice build up in the winter on the deck when a few people exit a tub. WHen we have another couple in the tub with my wife and I, I am always the last to leave the tub, and with it at 10 degrees, it turns into an ice rink on the deck from everyone beofre me dripping on the deck which then freezes within a couple of minutes. We have the deck up against one side of the deck on a platform.

There must be some trick to avoiding this happening since when the weather sustains such cold weather this ice will keep building up and I do not want anyone to slip and get hurt. Any ideas? We already have a small mat but that can fill with water that turns to ice quickly and not sure what would be a better way. Someone must have a better idea since so many only use their spa in the winter, so how do you all deal with this problem?

TIA

[THE SPA GUY]

I personally do not use anything after i get out of our tub, even at the temps right now low 20s , you might think of getting an oversize beach towel that you can throw down to get out , then pick up throw in the dryer,, ...

[PFC5]

Thanks!

But in the winter here when I would have to use an electric dryer to dry all those towels the electric bill would soar doing that. . Any other more economical way? I am thinking about getting a roll of that plastic grass mat and rolling it out with a path to the house door and then rolling it up to squeegee out the water before it freezes as one thought. Anyone try this?

[Dr. Spa]

How is the grass mat going to differ from the deck?

" it turns into an ice rink on the deck from everyone beofre me dripping on the deck which then freezes within a couple of minutes."

[quantumchromodynamics]

http://www.americanfloormats.com/locker-room-pool-mats/

http://www.americanfloormats.com/turtle-tile-shower-matting/

http://www.americanfloormats.com/duragrid-deck-matting/

[PFC5]

I was thinking since the fake grass could hold the water lower and the grass would stick up it could make it much less slippery, and then roll it up to force the water out and place it inside the door until the next use.

I was hoping someone here could come up with a better solution though to be honest.

Also since you are one of the experts here could you comment on my questions in this thread I posted?

My link

It is much appreciated all the help this site has provided and your posts included.

[PFC5]

http://www.americanf...room-pool-mats/

http://www.americanf...shower-matting/

http://www.americanf...d-deck-matting/

Thanks for the links. Damn those are expensive, but maybe I can get something similar at Home Depot to use.

[Dan53]

try a outdoor patio propane heater like the ones they use at restuarant.

[Dan53]

how do you remove the larger 3 1/2 and 4 3/4 inch jets. i was able to remove the 2 3/4 inch jets with no problems. I tried the same technique i used on the 2 3/4 inch jet with no success. I have a Marquis spa.

[Mikey_in_NY]

There's no secrets or tricks to avoiding this ice build-up - something you'll probably just have to put up with.

You could try pouring a little hot water from the tub on it, then immediately wiping it dry with a towel? Not very high-tech I know, but certainly cheap and effective.

[spawn]

Instead of wearing flip flops (or in my case soccer kicks) to the tub, wear knee high rubber boots. When you step out of the tub into the boots all of the water will run down your legs into the boots. When you get inside, dump the water out of the boots. As a possible side benefit, although it is not my thing, some people may find the rubber boots to be kinda sexy. Insert smiley face here...

[PFC5]

So there really is no "trick" to avoiding this ice build up I guess. The rubber boots thing is interesting for a laugh at least. I bet the wife would love that.

[JetCaptain]

We bought our first hot tub (Sundance Cameo) a few months ago and thought I would throw in our winter solution. We have to get across 20 feet of deck to get to the lower hot tub deck, so I bought a 3' by 20' roll of indoor/outdoor rubber backed black carpet from Lowes and it works fine. It lies flat on the deck and we just use our plastic edged snow shovel to clear the path. Since it is black, it absorbs the sunlight (what little there is) and remains fairly clear. We wear rubber or plastic tongs and no slips yet.

For the lower deck by the tub, we bought a remnant of green indoor/outdoor carpet with a light rubber backing that stays in place just fine and can be shoveled without it moving. If the snow is not too deep, I just use the Toro leaf blower and it is the best and much faster than trying to shovel. We also put strips of the same green carpet on the hot tub stairs and then remove them when we go back into the house. If the weather is forecast to be lousy, we leave the strips on the steps to protect them from ice and buildup. I have a good picture of all this but I'll be dipped if I can include it with this post! Hope this gives some ideas! JC

[dark rider]

I guess I've been lucky so far. My slate over concrete patio where my hot tub sits hasn't built up any ice, even with the freezing temps. I do have some grading built into it to promote runoff, and I just use a nylon bristle broom to sweep the water out of the low spots occasionally. So far, it has worked for me. Wood decking wood be somthing more to contend with, since the wood will become saturated and freeze. The best defense I could think of is waterproofing the deck really well in the off season and ensuring appropriate drainage.

[PFC5]

We bought our first hot tub (Sundance Cameo) a few months ago and thought I would throw in our winter solution. We have to get across 20 feet of deck to get to the lower hot tub deck, so I bought a 3' by 20' roll of indoor/outdoor rubber backed black carpet from Lowes and it works fine. It lies flat on the deck and we just use our plastic edged snow shovel to clear the path. Since it is black, it absorbs the sunlight (what little there is) and remains fairly clear. We wear rubber or plastic tongs and no slips yet.

For the lower deck by the tub, we bought a remnant of green indoor/outdoor carpet with a light rubber backing that stays in place just fine and can be shoveled without it moving. If the snow is not too deep, I just use the Toro leaf blower and it is the best and much faster than trying to shovel. We also put strips of the same green carpet on the hot tub stairs and then remove them when we go back into the house. If the weather is forecast to be lousy, we leave the strips on the steps to protect them from ice and buildup. I have a good picture of all this but I'll be dipped if I can include it with this post! Hope this gives some ideas! JC

Do you have a link to that 20' roll of outdoor carpet you bought at Lowes? I have checked Home Depot but did not check Lowes. I find both those sites have horrible search engines and bring up crazy stuff as hits when I use them.

Thanks again for your experience with winter and how you handle the ice build up when you get out of the tub in winter. It is appreciated.

[PFC5]

I guess I've been lucky so far. My slate over concrete patio where my hot tub sits hasn't built up any ice, even with the freezing temps. I do have some grading built into it to promote runoff, and I just use a nylon bristle broom to sweep the water out of the low spots occasionally. So far, it has worked for me. Wood decking wood be somthing more to contend with, since the wood will become saturated and freeze. The best defense I could think of is waterproofing the deck really well in the off season and ensuring appropriate drainage.

Most of our soaking is after the sun goes down in the winter especially since the sun goes down by about 4pm in the winter, so we do not get any radiant heat from the sun to help stop the build up. But this is where having stone or similar might come in handy.

Thanks!

[Bularae]

I just got my tub and am trying to come up with a similar solution. I'm thinking to go buy two cheap rubber-backed bathroom rugs at Walmart and just take them out with me and bring them back in to dry overnight. They have enough nap that the ice should be below the pile for the most part, and I figure one will be for the top step, the second for the ground (in your case deck).

I'm curious, with 10° temps are you having any issues with 104° tub temp being warm enough?

[PFC5]

I just got my tub and am trying to come up with a similar solution. I'm thinking to go buy two cheap rubber-backed bathroom rugs at Walmart and just take them out with me and bring them back in to dry overnight. They have enough nap that the ice should be below the pile for the most part, and I figure one will be for the top step, the second for the ground (in your case deck).

I'm curious, with 10° temps are you having any issues with 104° tub temp being warm enough?

If the last question was for me, I keep mine at 100 degrees, not 104. My body does not like too much drastic change in temp, and I also like to stay in for an hour and find myself resting my arms on the top edge to get them out of the water every so often to keep from overheating even at 100 degrees. For some who like scalding water for showers/baths 100 degrees is likely not high enough for them, but it works for me & my family so far.

[JetCaptain]

To PFC5 and anyone else who may be interested in the rubber backed runner from Lowe's, I could not find a link for it on their web site, but do have the info for that item. The Lowe's item number is #71747 and the product name is Durawear Runner Steel Wool. It is on a roll that is 3' wide and they can cut it to whatever length you like. Price is $3 per foot. I agree with those who have tried to find items at Lowe's via their crappy search function. I gave up and just called the store. Anyway, this runner lies down flat and the wind does not move it around. it is even better when it is wet. When it snows, we shovel it off with a plastic shovel and if it does get a little icy or a lot of ice from dripping icicles, we throw down some ice melter and it works great without harming the runner or the deck. We figured if it just lasted the winter in northeast Ohio, that would be good enough until we maybe came up with a better plan for next winter. This winter has been a mother so far and this system is doing fine so far. Sure wish I could send along a picture. Good luck!

[PFC5]

Man Lowes search engine is horrible. I could not find it at Lowes with either the item number 71747 or by the name or partial name. I appreciate the effort though. I guess I will have to make a trip there to try to find it.

Thanks again!

[JamesWisco]

I use gutter melt electric heater cables.  Attach under stairs and deck.