What is a Hot Tub?
The traditional hot tub is built of wood. Back in the old palaces and castles there were also such baths in use. However, those hot tubs were without the stove and the water was heated separately. Modern hot tubs are equipped with wood burning heaters to heat up the water into bath temperature. Hot tubs are made in various sizes for 2 to 30 people, most popular are the wooden hot tubs made for up to 6 people.
How do I use a wooden Hot Tub?
The wooden hot tub is meant for outdoor usage for all year round. It can be used with warm or cold water. Many people heat the hot tub and sauna at the same time and use both alternately.
It´s great to own both. A lot of people heat both their sauna and their Hot Tub in order to use one after the other.
A sauna is not needed, of course, but helps to reach the highest relaxation stage and to enjoy pure wellness. Especially children have a lot of fun – through all seasons.
A wooden hot tub can be used as a small pool in summer to chill in a cool water or as a hot bath in winter. You can heat up the water up to 38 degrees and enjoy bathing in your garden during winter time. It´s great.
How long is the operating life expectancy of a Hot Tub?
The Hot Tub should be treated with linseed oil or wood supplement oil / wood glace on the outside every year. Wood cleaning agents should not be used on the inside. It is recommended to clean the inner part with soap, soda supplements or similar supplements and a brush. This prolongs the life expectancy substantially from up to 10 – 15 years.
The Hot Tub will absorb less water after a while.
We know Hot Tubs which are between 40-50 years old and which are still in use.
Ground?
A stable, even and sustainable space is needed to set up a Hot Tub on it. The water level of the ground has to be even. Gravel, loose chippings, quarry tiles (flagstones) are recommended. A ground with humus or patches of grass is not suitable. A drainage could be of advantage depending on the local conditions. A concrete foundation is not really necessary. It is important that air can circulate underneath of the Hot Tub so that damp can vaporise.
Treatment of Hot Tub´s outside
A Hot Tub has to be treated 1-2 times a year from its outside with wood maintenance products (oil, wood glaze, wax). Paint or varnish is inappropriate. The Hot Tub can be cleaned by means of a brush or a high-pressure cleaner. The inner of the Hot Tub should not be treated because the wood must be able to absorb water so that the wood is able to swell up and therefore keep the Hot Tub dense.
Do I have to treat the Hot Tub bottom?
The Hot Tub has to be set up in a way so that water is able to flow away and so that there is no water or damp underneath of the Hot Tub. Therefore, the Hot Tub does not need to be cleaned or treated underneath.
Is larch timber more suitable?
Larch timber is the hardest wood among the conifer trees. It is elastic and hardy but easy to work out, warps less and is of long lasting in dry as well as wet areas. It is the most long-lasting timber among the European conifer trees.
It also has a wonderful wood grain and colour.
Is it complicated to set up a Hot Tub when purchasing an assembly set?
All Hot Tubs are fully assembled when we ship them but we also offer assembly sets. The individual wood building components have to be matched together what in turn is not complicated – based on the tongue and groove principle. However, some tools and time is needed to do so. Several building components are already pre-assembled.
The floor consists of two parts only, for example. It is important that the individual parts are assembled within 1 week, because wood is a natural product and it may happen that the wood warps and the Hot Tub does not reach the consistency level as it should.
https://sauna-badetonne.de/en/hot-tub-as-components
Which Hot Tub is the right one for me?
https://sauna-badetonne.de/en/which-hot-tub
How does a Hot Tub function?
The best way is to use a garden hosepipe in order to fill the tub with water up to 4/5 scale. Over the stove surface has to be at least 3 cm water when the heater is installed in the inner of the tub.
Never heat the Hot Tub when empty! The Hot Tub could get on fire and unrepairable damages may occur!
Water out of your hosepipe, out of a lake or river or even out of the ocean can be used for your Hot Tub.
The water is heated up to +35 bis +38 degree Celsius.
It is only allowed to empty a Hot Tub until the stove has cooled down completely. The Hot Tub does not need to be emptied every day, only if necessary.
Which bathing supplements can I use?
Bathing supplements bring along more wellness effects. You may add common marine salt, herb extracts as well as a few drops of essential oils (grapefruit, juniper or fennel that boost your metabolism and lymph circulation) to the water for more delight. Herbal therapy is beneficial for your body, senses as well as emotions.
How long does it take to heat the water?
A lot of factors play a role when heating up the water:
* Tub size.
* Prevailing temparature outside.
* Wind conditions and place.
* Is a cover or sheet over the Hot Tub yes or no?
* Quality of timber.
* Season etc.
The heating time ranges from 1.5 to 4 hours.
How can I remove the ash from the oven?
We suggest to remove the ash out of the oven once a week or every 4 weeks. It depends on how often the hot tub is used. Sometimes it is not even necessary when burned down completely. The ash can be removed by means of a shovel. Please use a shovel which has an angle of 90° and which has a long stick. The special shovel can be purchased from our website, under accessories.
How can I empty the wooden bath barrel?
The Hot Tub has a drain or a plug. A hosepipe can be installed and an outlet valve. This enables to direct the water to a specific place (for example, for watering your garden).
It is unnecessary to change the water every time after having used the Hot Tub. The change of water should only be made if necessary.
Bathing supplements which are biodegradeable should be used. This avoids fungal infestation or the growth of algaes.
It is important that the water in the Hot Tub does not freeze in the winter season because the ice may damage the Hot Tub wood.
The water stays in the Hot Tub for a long time during the summer season. What do I have to observe?
Algaes or a greasy film may occur. Please see „water cultivation“. The water can be cleared by means of a filtering pump equipped with an UV-light and through the application of oxygen granulat. However, chlorinated water supplements are not recommended.
The Complete Pond Filter System which we offer takes the guesswork out of complicated pump and filter selection. Compact, submersible pond filtration system provides mechanical and biological filtration plus the built-in 9-watt UV clarifier helps keep pond water crystal clear.
The water stays in the Hot Tub during the winter time. What do I have to observe?
The water can overstay in the Hot Tub during the winter but it should not freeze up completely. When it happens it may damage your wood fired Hot Tub.
There are several possibilities to avoid the complete freezing through:
• Heat up the furnace from time to time
• Use a heating cable and temperature sensor to prevent the freezing
• Empty your woodburning Hot Tub
• Styropor in the water – water presses styropor together in this case what in turn avoids that the Hot Tub is damaged. However the volume has to be calculated precisely.
• Use a filter pump in the hot tub to circulate the water
May the external furnace also freeze as it is surrounded with water?
Yes it does. It is very imortant to empty the stove from the water as well in case there are minus degrees outside. Otherwise it may cause irreparable damages to the furnace. Our external heaters are designed as a double walled water conducting heaters. The water circulates between the wooden hot tub and the stove using principle of gravity. As there is not much water inside the external stove, please note following:
• It is important that the stove does not freeze up completely
• The stove has to be emptied completely when not in use for a longer time period. To do so, please unplug the Hot Tub and open the drain screw of the stove and empty both the Hot Tub and the stove together.
• In case that the stove has frozen up – never start to heat it!!
• Unrepairable damages may occur!
Dismantle the stove completely and defrost it. After this fill it with water. After this the stove can be heated again.
My new Hot Tub leaks. Is it defect?
Before filling the Hot Tub it is important to know that wood is not dense or consistent from the beginning on. Timber is a natural product with different features depending on the usage and weather conditions. It is absolutely normal that water leaks out of the floor- or walls.
This is absolutely normal and no a reason for claims. This may take a while until the dry wood absorbs the water and the wood starts to swell what in turn makes the Hot Tub consistent.
Attention:
Do not re-stress the Hot Tub during this time.
The wood needs the chance to absorb water in order to become consistent or dense.
Instruction how to handle a pure wooden Hot Tub for the first time:
• First of all, please fill water in until you reach the 10 cm scale and leave the Hot Tub like that over night. Now the wood swells and makes the walls and floor consistent or dense.
• Fill again about 10 cm more water into the Hot Tub and work like that step by step. The wood absorbs the water and through this process makes the wood dense.
For how long can a wooden hot tub stay empty?
The Hot Tub dries out when standing empty for a longer time period. This has the consequence that it is not dense or consistent anymore. Please try to avoid this situation. If it happend then please follow the instructions described in “My Hot Tub leaks”.
The pure wood Hot Tub stood empty for a long time and now it is dried out. The tension straps fall dow. Is my Hot Tub unusable now?
No, the Hot Tub is not unusable. Please follow the following instruction:
• Turn 3-4 screws underneath the tension straps into the wood
• Please use short screws which do not go through the stave or wall.
• In case that the tension straps are extremely loose please tight the straps carefully until the staves are evenly and fix to the floor part.
• Fill about 5-10 cm water into the Hot Tub so that the floor can become consistent again.
• Please observe that the tension straps have to be loosened slowly and time after time.
• The tension straps have to be loosened slowly depending on how fast the wood absorbs water.
• The Hot Tub does not become dense or consistent when the wood does not absorb the water because the tension straps are too tight.
My wooden Hot Tub stood empty for a long time and leaks now. Do I have to tight the tension straps?
Normally not. The tension straps are manufactured so that they do not have to be tightened. The dry wood absorbs the water and swells and as soon as this process is completed, then the Hot Tub is consistent or dense again.
The Hot Tub tension straps should not be tightened during this phase.
The wood needs the possibility to absorb water and then the Hot Tub is dense or consistent again.
My Hot Tub is empty. Should I put a cover or sheet on it?
No, please do not put anything on top when it is empty otherwise it may happen that not enough air can circulate and that in turn could lead to the formation of mould.
How do I have to maintain my pure wooden Hot Tub?
After having emptied the Hot Tub please clean the Hot Tub with clear water.
The inner part can be cleaned by means of a brush or a high-pressure cleaner.
Please do not put a cover or sheet on the Hot Tub when it is empty because the air must have the chance to circulate in order to avoid the formation of mould.
Once a year, the Hot Tub should be treated with wood protection agents on the outside.
I would like to design my garden anew
The measurement of the wooden Hot Tub is between 130 cm and 250 diameters and has a height of about 1 meter in the inside. This enables, depending on the circumstances, to integrate the Hot Tub optimally into your garden.
Wooden Hot Tubs are not fix and if you like to design your garden anew then the Hot Tub can be carried, rolled or lifted to another place, depending on its weight.
Caution! Fire and hot water may lead to bad injuries! Never leave your children unattended!
Attention! For more information and details concerning filtering pumps and water cultivation can be taken from the manufacturer’s manual!
Caution! Please do not use the Hot Tub when using medicine- or if you are under the influence of drugs!
Caution! Do not leave the Hot Tub unattended as long as the fire is burning in the stove!
Attention! All information is based on experiences made and is the best of our beliefs. The local circumstances and other conditions have to be taken into consideration from each individual wooden Hot Tub user.