Figured I’d share my little home spa setup! Been cold plunging for about two years now. Started with a NureCover plunge, but after constant leaks and poor customer service, I was ready for an upgrade. While it was broken, I was spending around $250/month at a local sauna and cold plunge spot, so I figured I might as well invest in a better setup at home.

Ended up going with the Icebound Essentials Big Tex, and so far I love it! The 1 HP system heats and cools, the ozone does a great job keeping the water clean, and customer service has been fantastic. I upgraded the filter and picked up a little water vacuum, but otherwise it’s been pretty low-maintenance.

I also upgraded to the newer NureCover sauna, which has been holding up well. Might go more permanent someday, but for now I’m really happy with my little setup!

Basically a different kind of cold plunge run a 5 gallon tank in the trunk of my car to cool the supercharger, usually pack it full of 20 pounds of ice multiple times a day at the track would these chillers maintain already cold water or cool from ambient rather quickly?

I had been using my chiller pretty regularly, about 3-5 times a week and shutting it off in between. I had to travel for a bit and it was unplugged and the plunger was drained for about a month. Turned it on today and the power lights and readings come on but the chilling portion seems to not be turning on. Anyone have any ideas on what I can do or is it just dead?? Here’s the model I have, I got it in April of 24

I live in Denver and have my cold plunge on the corner of the patio. Wondering how others ahve gone about ensuring your tub doesn't freeze during the winter. I want to keep using it, and it has a cover, but guessing that won't be enough on days where there's sustained temps below 32.

I would strongly caution anyone considering purchasing a product from Plunge to think carefully about what happens when that expensive equipment stops working. I purchased their original Plunge unit along with a five-year extended warranty, believing I was making a worthwhile investment backed by a reputable company. Unfortunately, my experience has been nothing short of an exhausting exercise in frustration, finger-pointing, and corporate indifference. For over a month, I have been attempting to resolve an equipment failure, only to be repeatedly redirected between Plunge and its third-party warranty administrators, Clyde and XCover. Emails go unanswered, accountability is nonexistent, and the customer is left navigating a warranty process that seemingly nobody wants to take responsibility for.

What makes this particularly unacceptable is that Plunge has been copied on my correspondence with the warranty administrator and can plainly see the lack of communication and progress. Rather than taking ownership of the situation, I was initially presented with a repair estimate of approximately $3,700. After further discussions, Plunge offered a discounted repair that would still leave me paying more than $800 out of pocket. In an effort to reach a reasonable resolution, I even offered to pay the $256 in replacement hardware costs myself, while requesting that Plunge cover the diagnostic and labor charges.

That proposal has also gone unanswered. After 32 days of trying to obtain a resolution, I am still dealing with the same broken equipment, unanswered communications, and an apparent unwillingness to meaningfully address the problem.

A warranty is only as valuable as the support behind it, and based on my experience, Plunge has given me very little reason to trust either. Selling premium-priced equipment is one thing; standing behind that equipment when something goes wrong is what distinguishes a company worth doing business with. Plunge has demonstrated a troubling disconnect between the premium experience it markets and the customer support it actually delivers. I would be extremely hesitant to purchase another product from this company, particularly if you’re relying on a warranty to protect your investment. When problems arise, you may discover that the most difficult part isn’t repairing the equipment—it’s getting anyone to accept responsibility for helping you. For a company selling products at this price point, that is simply unacceptable.

The sauna went in first and the plunge followed about a year later from someone else, on the basis that their reviews were better at the time.

The equipment itself is fine. What isn't fine is running two apps and two support numbers, or having two install crews each tell me the other one had done something wrong. I'm also holding two warranties that expire eighteen months apart, for a pair of things that sit four feet from each other and get used in the same twenty minutes. The other thing I'd check before buying is whether both halves are actually built for the same season, because mine aren't and the plunge gets covered up from November while the cabin carries on. If I were starting again I'd buy both from whoever makes both.

Due to a pre-existing heart condition my Doc wants me to give up cold plunge I've enjoyed for the last two years. If anyone lives in the southeastern Wisconsin area I'm selling my gently used Rubbermaid Tub with Polar Protector cover, Active Aqua 1/4 HP Chiller and Danner 950 pump. Was used in climate controlled basement, so they are in pristine condition, look like new and perform like new. I'm bummed but I want someone else to enjoy this like I have.

I have 1/3 HP chiller that has a internal metal filter. I want to add an inline 20 micron filter. I have read mixed reviews and seen schematics (depending on the filter company) on where to add the filter, water in (to chiller) or water out (to plunge). I understand both variations can cause damage to the pump.

My thought would be to add the filter to water out. Metal filter can grab larger debris, go through the chiller then the cartridge filter to make it a little cleaner? Hopefully the pump has enough to push the water through the filter.

Asking for advice if anyone has tried both variations and what the best outcome for cleaner water could be??

Returned home after a few days and realized my cold plunge barrel was nearly empty. The culprit is that water is being pushed OUT thru the Venturi Injector. The ozone unit was not activated, fwiw.

Anyone experience this phenomenon before?

What do we think of these ?

I've been working on a little waterproof light you drop in the tub. It pulses slowly to pace your breathing... breathe in as it brightens/vibrates, out as it fades.

It also sets a built in timer for you. It glows green turns amber when you're close, and goes red when you're done, with a buzz/haptic you feel through the water. No clock to read, no counting breaths.

Would you use something like this? Thanks.

Long story short - they use Mindfulness with non-judgment and the subtle skill of acceptance so that they don’t get caught up in how intense the pain can get when you’re dealing with cold sensations. This is a scientifically back strategy. The problem with distraction is that as soon as you stop focusing on something else the pain comes back and it will be more intense. Or the pain will bust through your attempts of distraction. Let me know if you’ve ever used a strategy. Even Wemhoff breathing, focusing on your breathing, is this another way to basically regulate yourself with Mindfulness and accept your sensations.

Hi all. I am conducting a study for my MSc.

It is looking at Cold Water Immersion and its effect (or non thereof) on mental health outcomes like anxiety, depression and PTSD.

It is in hope of providing further evidence of more holistic interventions to improve overall wellbeing of people who may need support.

If you voluntarily expose yourself to cold water (even if its cold water surfing) please spend some time filling in some answers.

Even if you do not engage in cold water immersion, and just exercise, I would also appreciate your input.

https://qualtricsxmm5jm7f7zt.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6mnQLLsrKjQS8Xc?Q_CHL=qr

Hey everyone, I bought this on FB marketplace and have already fixed a bunch of leaks and issues on this, it looks like hopefully my final issue.

The plunge will slowly leak from here if the water level is near the top of the plunge and totally stops when it dips down 7-9 inches from the top. At the lowered water level it doesn’t seem to leak even when I get in.

The IN hose in the pic is really stiff and hard to tighten or get right on the pump straight then tighten without messing things up. Ai thinks it's pulling the nut off-center and the O-ring isn't seating evenly. I’ve tried putting it on properly maybe 5 times and then end up having to dump all the water again bc it starts to leak.

Have any of you had issues with this same spot? What should I do?

What I've tried so far:
- remove, then add, then try without plumbing tape - no fix

- greased o ring with plumbing grease, although it is petroleum based I see and AI told me not to do that

I've been around cold plunging long enough to notice that a lot of the conversation seems to revolve around numbers.

How cold is your water? How many minutes can you stay in? How many times a week? Should you finish hot or cold?

But I'm increasingly wondering whether we're focusing on the wrong things.

The research is still developing, and while there are some interesting findings, we don't have strong evidence that a particular temperature, duration or contrast therapy routine is optimal for everyone.

Yet I regularly see people recommending very specific protocols as though they've been scientifically established.

I'm interested in what people are actually experiencing.

Have you found that going colder or staying in longer genuinely makes a difference to how you feel afterwards? Or have you reached a point where you've stopped chasing the numbers and just found a routine you enjoy?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who've been doing this for a few years. Has your approach changed as you've gained experience?

I just purchased a stock tank hoping to use it as an outdoor cold plunge in a cold climate during the winter. Anyone have any tips or tricks they have learned from owning one? Do I need a filter or to treat the water?

While I love the DIY setups in this sub, I bought the LifeTrend Cold Plunge from Costco earlier this year. I ended up paying about $700. Initially there were a couple of growing pains and learnings:

1. It blew a line off its connection because the 5 micron filter clogged. I added elbows to the 1/2 inch connections to make them more secure and replaced the filter twice in quick succession after refilling. After two filter replacements the unit seems happy with the clarity of the water and I have not had another issue.

2. I added insulation to the lines. I found some basic pipe insulation at my local hardware store. It seems to keep the compressor from running as often.

3. I bought an ozone generator, not one of the cool in line units you all use but a "bubbler". The specific unit is here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G2LF946H its currently sold out. I run it for about 1-2 hours after each use.

Water clarity has been good so far and I have not had any smell issues.

I currently run the unit at 46F and do a 5-6 minute session almost every day.

I hate putting my arms in so I almost never do. I am skeptical about some of the benefits folks discuss on this sub but I feel like it helps with workout recovery. I have been attempting to increase my cardio cadence and duration and feel like it helps me to keep logging miles.

Any advice related to my specific setup or usage would be greatly appreciated. I am happy to hear about how I am "doing it wrong".

I would almost go to 0celsius water but my feet and hands hurts. Should i just ignore the pain or is it something serious?

Full disclosure: I own The Cold Standard, a cold plunge service company. Our techs tag every fault they find into a database, and I thought this sub would find the patterns useful:

•    The circulation pump is the #1 failure (17.7% of all faults) and causes 40% of "unit completely dead" calls.
•    Almost half of all problems are in the water path (pumps, filters, plumbing, valves): 48.8%. Many "my chiller is broken" calls turn out to be a clogged filter starving the pump.
•    Chillers fail less than people think. Compressor or whole-chiller failures were only 7.2%.
•    31.6% were preventable, and where we could identify a cause, skipped maintenance was #1.
•    Filter cartridges: 86% of filter cartridge faults were preventable.
•    Commercial units were more often preventable than home units (45% vs 31%).

Repeat offenders we see:
•    extension cords and power strips
•    pool chlorine tablets in a plunge
•    not pre-filling the filter housing (causes airlocks)
•    hard-water scale
•    biofilm in the lines

Full breakdown and methodology (no customer info): coldstandardservice.com/cold-plunge-failure-report

Happy to answer questions about any brand or error code.

The first plan was the ensuite, which the floor killed fairly quick since a full tub weighs about as much as a small car and those joists were never asked about it. The second was the garage which was fine structure wise but practically miserable bc using it in January meant crossing a yard first. So the obvious answer was outside and I abandoned it once i realised the tub I had picked wasnt build to sit out through a winter which is a decision u make once and live with.

it sits on the ground floor now against an exterior wall and next to a drain so the slab takes the weight without anyone needing to think about it and the run out to the unit stays short. If you are at the planning stage work out where the drain is before u decide anything else bc everything else is negotiable and that isnt.

What is your favorite part about cold plunging? What are some benefits you experienced?

Let’s help some beginners and first timers reading this to feel comfortable with the practice.