Cold Plunge Update (2.5 yrs later)

Approximately 2.5 yrs ago I installed a cold plunge pool at my house. Since then I have used the plunge for approximately four minutes per day, every day I've been home. The plunge is set to 46 degrees F. While traveling I am often in a location with either a cold plunge at the resort/hotel, or a cold (~55 degree F) body of water nearby, which I use for a cold plunge. So, all in all, I would say over the past 2.5 yrs, I have been in cold water nearly everyday, for ~4 minutes.

My Health

I haven't been tracking various health indicators against my cold plunge use, so, unfortunately there isn't anything really quantitative to report here.

Anecdotally

I would say that I fight off colds better than I used to. I feel like my immune system is stronger/faster than it used to be. I don't feel invincible by any means, just more resilient.

I have not noticed any impact on my weight. I haven't tried to analyze brown fat vs. regular fat ratios, so I have nothing to say there.

On the rare occasion that I am hung-over from alcohol use, I will say a cold plunge moves me right through much of that awfulness. No better cure for the hangover than the plunge.

The greatest benefit I can point to is a big one; plunging lifts my spirits and energy level for at least an hour after the plunge. It's a wonderful jolt, and I might argue better than a shot of espresso. If I need to reorient myself, or an energy boost, I plunge. You can take on the world after a few minutes in cold water. I love that about it.

I also sometimes plunge before a big workout/run/bike ride. This does a couple of things: one, minimizes sweating, and two, warms me back up faster.

The Pool, Maintenance, and Logistics

I've been impressed w/ the Plunge pool. I bought the XL gen 1 from https://plunge.com/ . I have diligently adhered to their maintenance program, which means I spend about 5 minutes each week tuning the water ph, alkalinity, and sanitization levels, and another 5 minutes per month changing the filter. Twice a year I drain and clean it which takes hours of work. And one of those two major cleanings I go through a deep clean, which takes hours more. The weekly maintenance falls into the easy category at this point, whereas the drains are long annoying process.

I've had three maintenance issues along the way.

• Failing water pump: This occurred around the one-year mark while the unit was under warranty, and a professional came out and did the replacement.
• Failed heat pump: This occurred out of warranty, but close enough that the customer service rep generously sent me the part for free anyway. At that point I had my head around the mechanics of the system and I was able to do the work myself.
• Failed AC/DC water pump converter: This was an odd one that I was luckily able to diagnose myself, order a replacement part from Amazon, and swap out on my own.

At this point I understand the system well enough to understand if something's going wrong, and I can probably do most of the work myself if I want. Whether or not I'd have a pro come out to do the work would largely be a function of my schedule.

The Expense

I estimate that running the plunge eats about 10-15kWh/day depending on whether or not the heat pump is heating the water (winter months), vs. the chiller cooling the water in warmer months. That's a non-trivial impact on my electricity use.