Many ice bathing enthusiasts want to get into cold water all year round, including in the summer months. This is naturally a little more difficult, as there are not so many ways to cool the water sufficiently in summer. In this article, we will show you which aids you can use to avoid having to miss out on ice bathing in summer.
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Cooling water with a flow-through cooler
In the world of cooling technology, water cooling with flow-through coolers has undergone a remarkable development in recent years. Originally used in catering and industrial applications, this technology has now spread to private households and various other areas. But what exactly makes cooling the water for ice baths with an instant cooler so effective and attractive?
A once-through cooler is a device that passes water through a series of cooling fins or tubes to cool it down quickly and efficiently. This method of cooling has several advantages over conventional air coolers. Among other things, once-through coolers can cool water to lower temperatures than air coolers. The instant coolers used by Eisbaden.de can theoretically cool water down to 3°C – however, from our practical experience, 4-5 °C is more realistic when not in continuous operation. However, these are still great temperatures for a pleasantly cold bath in summer!
In addition, the coolers are relatively compact in size (dimensions approx. 50x50x50 cm depending on the variant), but they weigh around 20 kg and upwards. The coolers are therefore intended more for use in one place, even if we also transport them from A to B from time to time. Another advantage is the speed of the coolers. The more watts of cooling power they have, the faster the water is cooled down. There are many different variants, starting with rather low cooling capacities of around 400 watts up to 2,000 watts and more. As is so often the case in life, the optimum is probably somewhere in the middle, in our experience even at the lower end. In our opinion, a flow-through cooler with an output of 800-1,500 watts is a very good choice. With a lower cooling capacity, it simply takes forever (approx. 6-10 hours depending on the outside temperature, amount of water and insulation), which is definitely also energy inefficient. With very powerful appliances, there is a risk that the fuses and wiring will not cope well with the operation of the appliance, especially if other consumers are running at the same time.
Professional cold pools
Professional cooling pools are specially designed pools that are permanently installed with a cooling unit, filters and hoses or pipes. These are often weatherproof and can sometimes be set up outdoors.
Professional cold pools allow precise adjustment of the water temperature to ensure a consistent and safe experience for users. The pools are also often equipped with modern filtration and disinfection technology to keep the water quality at a high standard for longer. The materials used are often stainless steel or fiberglass to ensure durability and resistance to the demands of regular use, but also outdoor use for some products. The appearance of these products also plays an important role, as an integrated cold pool can be a real eye-catcher and also comes with additional gimmicks such as lighting, handrails, ergonomic seating areas, non-slip surfaces and app control. This is reflected in the price, which is definitely in the 4-digit range.
Ice cubes
Ice cubes or ice molds are of course also suitable for cooling down water. However, they are not as good as you might think, because ice cubes are actually more for looks in the summer than for any real cooling effect. The problem is that you need huge amounts of ice to generate a reasonably good cooling effect. We have tried this out several times and ended up with around 7-15% ice in relation to the water. For a pool with a moderate 200 liters of water, that would mean around 15-30kg of ice! One option, of course, is to fill the bathtub with a minimal amount of water and then lie down in it. This is less comfortable and often some impractically built body parts stick out 🙂 But pragmatists could certainly still enjoy an ice bath – in this case, you might be able to get by with about 7-10 kg of ice.
Converting freezers
Freezers are also a very effective way to enjoy an ice bath in summer with a little DIY work. Freezers that are normally used for food storage can be converted for use as ice baths. They are usually large enough to hold one person, have precise temperature control to cool the water to the desired temperature and have very good insulating properties. This means that the water stays cold for a very long time and, as freezers also have a lid that can be easily closed, dirt and dust are also kept out of the ice bath.
On the one hand, the disadvantages are of a visual nature: a freezer is a freezer and looks like one too. Although it is possible to clad the chest in a wooden look, it is and remains a freezer. For some ice bathers, a lack of space also speaks against this solution. You should have (minimal) manual skills to seal the joints of the chest. It is also very important to completely disconnect the electricity from the chest before entering the ice bath. For those interested, we have written detailed instructions for ice bathing in the freezer.
Ice bathing in cold waters
Anyone who has the privilege of living in the Alps and having a glacial stream on their doorstep or at least somewhere in the immediate vicinity can of course save themselves a lot of effort. Alpine streams, which are mainly fed by melt and glacier water, are a wonderful natural experience for every ice bather. And even in summer, these glacial streams rarely get warmer than 8-10 °C.
Rating
Vessel | Continuous flow cooler | Cold pool | Ice cubes | Deep freezer | Waters |
Acquisition costs | |||||
Duration until the 1st cooling | – | ||||
Practicality | |||||
Energy efficiency | |||||
Water purification | |||||
Insulation | – | ||||
Optics | |||||
Ice bath temperature |
Conclusion
Unfortunately, we are not blessed with a mountain glacier on our doorstep. As a result, natural waters are unfortunately out of the question for us in summer without extremely high travel costs. After a few attempts, we have also ruled out ice cubes, as there is simply not enough space in a normal fridge-freezer and there is a lot of fiddling around with the water and the molds. What bothers us the most, however, is the low cooling capacity and the long waiting time – after all, the ice also takes a while to melt.
The cold pool, on the other hand, is a really good method of ice bathing in summer. If costs only play a minor role and it is a purchase for a business, for example, then a professional cold pool is definitely the right choice.
We personally opted for two options, namely a blast chiller and a freezer. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, which is why we didn’t want to commit ourselves 🙂 Our freezer is superbly insulated, has low energy consumption and was inexpensive to buy. The blast chiller, on the other hand, is also relatively cheap, mobile, cools faster than the freezer and can be used with any container. However, it may lack the proper insulation that a freezer provides.
We would also like to mention another crucial aspect that we only came across after using it for a while. If you want to go ice bathing very regularly in summer, i.e. every day or every other day, the freezer is very suitable for this. The water remains constantly cold for a long time and you only have to cool it down for a very long time the first time (approx. 10-14 hours). After that, approx. 1 hour of operation per day is sufficient (if at all). The flow-through cooler, on the other hand, has the advantage that you can reach a low temperature more quickly. In this respect, the continuous cooler is particularly suitable for occasional ice bathing in summer, for example if you only want to do this 1-2 times a week or after sport.
Happy ice swimming!
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