I discuss how I built my chest freezer ice plunge in a previous article and one of the most frequent questions I get is, “How do I keep it clean?”
Properly maintaining a chest freezer is really important to not only extend the life of your freezer but also to keep the water sanitized, especially if you’re dipping your head under.
To maintain clean water you have to make sure to filter and sanitize the water on a continuous basis.
- Filtering removes debris. You can use an aquarium filter like the Marineland Magnum Filter and an Evob Skimmer net. I run the filter 24/7.
- Sanitization kills bacteria. Sanitization methods includes adding hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and Epsom salt to the water and using an ozone generator. UPDATE: I have now added an ozone generator. More on that here.
Taking care of those two methods and showering prior to getting in (especially if you’re sweaty) is important for extending the life of the water.
But it’s also important to do a through cleaning on a reoccurring basis. I empty and clean my tank every 3-4 months.
Here’s what you’ll need and how to do it.
Supplies needed:
Instructions:
- Unplug everything *IMPORTANT!*
- Remove filter, disassemble and clean filter with brush
- Place anything that was in the water in a basin with H2O2
- Clean around vent
- Drain
- Spray seal with H2O2 (wait 10 min)
- Wipe down exterior and lid
- Spray interior with H2O2 (wait 10 min)
- Spray down interior with water
- Squeegee interior
- Inspect seals
- Install drain plug and filter
- Fill back up 1/2 way with filtered water
- Pour in 32oz (or more) hydrogen peroxide
- Add Epsom salt and Magnesium flakes
- Add 100-200 lbs ice
- Continue filling with water until it’s about 3/4 of the way full
- Lock it up (if your freezer has a lock) and turn everything on
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