Guide

Cold plunge: chiller or ice?

A chiller costs about £187 a year to run at our assumptions. Ice costs per session. Compare both.

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If you plunge more than a couple of times a week, a usually works out cheaper and far easier than buying ice. A tub on its own, filled from the cold tap, costs almost nothing but only gets as cold as your water supply.

A chiller

A is a small fridge unit that sits next to the tub. It cools the water, usually filters it, and keeps it at the temperature you set. The chillers we list that publish their lowest temperature reach 2 or 3°C, and the cheapest tub-and-chiller sets start under £600. Once the water is cold, we assume it runs about 3 hours a day (our estimate). At 650 watts that is about £187 a year.

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Ice

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Ice or chiller: your numbers

Plunges a week Bags of ice each plunge Price of a bag (£) Chiller price (£) Chiller running a year (£)

Ice figures are examples: put in what your local shop charges.

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Power and placement

Most use a few hundred watts, such as the 650 W LUMI Cube Chiller, so they run from a normal socket (up to about 3,000 watts). Check the seller's page. Outdoors, use a weatherproof socket with an , the safety switch that cuts the power if something goes wrong. A full 400-litre tub weighs about 400 kg, so stand it on a firm, level surface.

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Safety

Cold water is a shock to the body. If you have a heart or blood-pressure condition, or are pregnant, ask your GP first. Never plunge alone, and keep children away from an uncovered tub.

See every cold plunge tub and chiller.

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Common worries

"What does it cost to keep cold?"

About £187 a year for a 650 W running 3 hours a day, by our sums. Plunging three times a week with four bags of ice at £2 would cost about £1,250. Compare with your numbers →

"Isn't it just a cold bath?"

It can be, and that is the cheapest way to start: tubs from £89, filled from the tap, with ice if you want it colder. A turns it into something you use every day: cold on demand, filtered, from £758. Chiller or ice? →

"Won't the water go green?"

Not with a lid, a filter and a little care. Several bundles we list include a filter, and Monk uses . Our water care guide covers the routine. Keeping the water clean →

More cold plunge worries

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