The Physical Environment:
The hot tub thermostat had been set at 102°F, although on the day prior
and subsequently during the early morning, the County inspector had
measured the actual tub temperature at 104°F. This event happened in
mid-late afternoon, allowing solar gain to heat the hot tub well beyond
104°F. A systems engineer using finite element analysis estimated the
tub temperature to be between 106°-109° F. on the day of the event.
Using the same methodology, the temperature of the surrounding concrete
was estimated at 139°F. As a consequence of the solar gain on both tub
and concrete, this was a particularly dangerous environment for the risk
of hyperthermia.