Guide To Selecting a Wood Fired Hot Tub

Choosing a wood-fired hot tub for the first time: where to begin?

Taking the firsts steps toward owning a hot tub may seem very frustrating, but it is easier when you have all the important information in one place. As with any big purchase, choosing the right tub for your needs means sorting through many options and upgrades. There are so many questions you should ask yourself while discovering which hot tub features matter the most. Therefore, we have prepared you a guide for making the perfect selection.

Decide where to place your wood-burning / electric hot tub

Many factors can make a difference – access to changing rooms, privacy, landscaping, and the view from the tub. The scene of the hot tub brings an aesthetic enhancement to your garden and should be placed on a well-prepared base. Put your tub on a firm foundation, whether a deck or patio with a cement pad, concrete pavers or brick. The tub can also be mounted on your deck or terrace, custom-built terrace model provides the largest variety of options for concealment, even when they’re above ground. Avoid leaving all sides of your hot tub exposed. Instead, use existing walls and railings to hide multiple sides, then mask what remains with an enclosure from matching material. Find out more examples of how to prepare a base for your hot tub.

Wooden hot tub vs.acrylic

Wooden hot tubs models are all-natural. Wood is a natural material and it requires maintenance. It tends to expand or shrink due to the amount of moisture. Leakage may be expected during the first days of utilization. Polypropylene and fiberglass models have inner liners that prevent leakage and also require less maintenance. These models are highly customizable therefore many additional parts such as SPA can be installed upon the request. Moreover,  some of the fiberglass liners have conical walls and benches for more comfort, whereas polypropylene and wooden hot tubs have straight walls. You can choose the wooden decoration from all 5 wood types that we are offering or a terrace model without any wooden frame.

Which wood type?

There are five types of timber that are most common among our customers. Siberian spruce, larch, thermo wood, oak, and red cedar. Each of them has different characteristics and differ in color as well. Anyway, the color shouldn’t be the main criteria, because all these types of timber can be painted in your desired color. Normally the lifespan of a hot tub is more than 10 years if it is well maintained. However, some types are more resistant to rot or shrinkage as well as more expensive than the others. Siberian Spruce is the cheapest option whereas red cedar is the most luxurious. Completely wooden hot tubs require more maintenance in general, but it gives you 100% natural feeling.

Choose the size of hot tub that fits your lifestyle, as well as your budget

Choosing a small or large capacity tub is a big consideration. It may be easier and more affordable to run a smaller hot tub but think about your needs and future plans carefully. In this case – size really matters. In general, a larger tub will cost more to run. However, a tub that can hold 50 percent more water won’t cost 50 percent more to operate. It will usually be between about 15 and 20 percent more. The operating costs are affected by the heater type and efficiency, size of the tub, and the tub’s insulation. Moreover, if you are thinking about a hot tub with inner lining, you can choose open or closed benches, it has an influence on water capacity as well as space for legs. A reasonable size for personal purposes should fit your family in it, and perhaps a couple of guests.

Wooden hot tubs for sale – many different models.

How to keep water warm longer?

One should consider the insulation of walls, bottom, and cover to keep the water warm for a longer time. The Wooden hot tub can only have an insulated wooden cover. Therefore, if a hot tub does not have bottom insulation, yet is in a colder climate, a thicker base is something to consider. Keeping the hot tub raised higher from the ground will act as insulation. But if you are choosing fiberglass or polypropylene hot tub, all possible insulation can be applied. Those who are thinking about interior oven should consider having the bottom and wall insulation, as some heat is lost because of the open area for the chimney.

Interior, exterior or integrated stove

The main difference is that exterior or integrated oven enables to have more space inside the tub, whereas interior not only takes the space inside but requires stirring water from time to time. On the other hand, the exterior oven needs to heat up more water, but it is possible to cover the whole tub and keep the heat inside. With a fully insulated cover you can leave the tub in the evening and in the morning the water temperature will still be warm enough to use it without starting a fire or only to start the fire for a short time as this depends on weather conditions and other characteristics of the tub. The integrated stove can be installed only in wellness model as the inner liner has a specific shape made of fiberglass and the stove is under it with a chimney aside. It creates more space to sit in the tub but does not require a lot of space around the tub as well. Interior stove needs heater protection and more maintenance while cleaning wooden parts and trying to reach some places and loading wood directly over the hot tub water causes wood and ashes to land in the water. Therefore we suggest choosing a stainless steel cover around the interior oven. It will not only hold the heat but protect water from dirt.

Electric heater

The electric heater requires less care while heating the tub because there is no need to add wood to the oven, control the fire and to clean it after using the tub. Due to the differences among countries’ laws, one should consider consulting a local electrician. We offer electric 6kW power heater, it can be adjusted to single-phase power or three-phase power. An electric heater is a perfect option if there is a lack of wood in your area. The heater itself takes a little space and comes equipped with a wooden cover. In general, the heating process is shorter compared to the wood-fired oven, however, these tubs completely depend on the electricity and must be close to connections. Depending on the size of your pool, you may consider a combination of wood-fired and electric heaters. This is the fastest way to warm up the water and there is always a possibility to use only one of them.

Accessories for the hot tub

There are many accessorizing options like air and hydro massage which give you a more luxurious and pleasant feeling, filtration systems to keep the water clean and interior lighting for a cozy atmosphere in the dark. The most important thing is that it is your decision whether you want to upgrade your tub with one accessory or another or just keep it simple. All of them can be installed according to your wish, except for the hydro massage in the wooden basic model.

Water maintenance

Not only the whole tub must be maintained in order to expand its lifetime, but the condition of the water plays a huge role as well. We recommend changing the water once in a couple of days if the water is not treated with chemicals or no filtration system is used. But if you decide on chlorine to keep the water clean for a longer time, just have in mind that it is forbidden to use chlorine or other chemicals with ovens from 430-grade stainless steel, therefore, only 316-grade stainless steel can be used for this purpose. We do recommend water care sets and filters. They keep the tub water clean for extended periods of time because they purify the tub water by getting rid of slime, organic particles, and bacteria. Please find more information about water care on our blog.

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