What is a hot tub in general?

The traditional hot tub is made of wood. This is how people bathed in the old castles. However, the hot tubs of that time were without a stove, the water was heated externally and then poured in. A wood stove is integrated into the modern hot tubs to heat the water to bathing temperature. Hot tubs are made in various sizes for 2 to 16 people, the most popular are the tubs for 4 to 6 people.

How is the hot tub used?

The hot tub is used outside all year round, both heated and with cold water. Many people heat the hot tub and sauna at the same time and use both alternately.

What is the lifespan of a wooden hot tub?

The outside of the wood-fired hot tub should be treated with linseed oil or wood care oil/care product/glaze every year. The wood materials are not used for indoor use. The inside is best cleaned with curd soap, soda solution, or the like and a brush. This increases the service life to 10-15 years.

The base for a hot tub?

A wood powered hot tub needs a stable, level, and load-bearing surface.  Gravel, crushed stone, stones (pavement or similar) are well suited for this. Humus and grass areas are not suitable for this. Depending on the local conditions, drainage can be advantageous. A foundation or platform is not absolutely necessary. It must be ensured that the air can circulate under the hot tub and the moisture can escape.

How does the wood-burning hot tub work?

The best way to fill it is to use a garden hose and fill the barrel 4/5 with water. There must be at least 3 cm of water above the surface of the oven. Under no circumstances should the hot tub be empty!

Fire hazards and irreparable damage can occur!

The hot tub must always be filled with water when heating.

You can use the water from the aqueduct, from the lake, from the river or from the sea.

The water is heated up to +35 to +38 degrees Celsius.

The water is only released from the hot tub when the stove has cooled down completely. You don’t need to empty the hot tub every day.

How long do you have to heat?

The heating time of the bathing water depends on many factors:

* Hot tub size;

* Outside temperature;

* Wind conditions, location;

* the hot tub has a cover yes / no;

* Wood quality;

* Time of year, etc. It takes about 1.5 – 4 hours to heat up.

In summer, the water stays in the hot tub for a very long time. Do I have to pay attention to this?

If the water stays in the hot tub for a very long time in summer, algae can appear. Seek various water care options. You can clean the water with a sand filter and UV light. Mixing in active oxygen tablets helps a lot.

In winter, the water stays in the hot tub for a very long time. Do I have to pay attention to this?

The water in the hot tub must not freeze completely, this can damage the hot tub. To avoid freezing through, you can:

• Heat the hot tub;
• Prevent freezing with a heating cable and temperature sensor;
• Empty the hot tub;
• Put large pieces of styrofoam into the water so that the ice compresses the styrofoam pieces and the hot tub is not damaged;
• Switch on a filter pump in the hot tub.

How can we handle the outside stove in winter?

The outdoor wood stoves are designed as double-walled water-bearing water heaters. The water circulates between the hot tub and the stove using gravity. There is very little water in the oven.

• Make sure that the oven cannot freeze completely;
• Empty the furnace completely if it is not likely to be heated for a long time. To do this, close the connections to the hot tub, open the drain plug of the heater or empty the tub together with the heater;
• If the oven is accidentally frozen through – do not start the heating!

My new hot tub is leaking. Is it broken?

Before you fill it up for the first time, you should know that a wooden hot tub is not immediately leakproof. When you use a new wooden hot tub for the first time, it is normal for the hot tub to leak at the beginning. Water can leak through the floor, wall joints, or between the staves. The wood must first be able to absorb water, then it expands and seals.

Danger:

During this time you must not re-tighten the tub straps.

The wood must be able to absorb sufficient water and the hot tub seals itself.

When using a pure wooden hot tub for the first time:

• First, fill in approx. 10 cm of water and leave the hot tub to stand overnight. So the floorboards expand and the floor seals.
• Then fill the hot tub – slowly in 10 cm steps. The staves absorb water and seal themselves just as slowly.

My wooden hot tub was empty for a long time and is now leaking. What to do?

In the event of a leaky hot tub, the floor must first be sealed. Do not fill the hot tub completely right away, the water would flow out unnecessarily. During this time, the hot tub straps must not be tightened.

The wood must be able to absorb sufficient water and the hot tub seals itself.

You must do the exact same process again as described above. The use of a wooden hot tub for the first time. 

The wooden hot tub was empty for a long time and is now completely dry. The tapes fall off. Is my hot tub unusable now?

No, the hot tub has not become unusable as a result. Pay attention to the following:

• Turn 3-4 screws into the wood under the straps;
• Use short screws that do not go through the staves;
• If the straps are extremely loose, carefully tighten the straps until the staves are evenly and firmly against the ground;
• Fill approx. 5-10 cm of water into the barrel, the bottom must be able to seal itself slowly;
• Remember to keep releasing the straps slowly;
• If the wood cannot absorb water because the straps are too tight, the hot tub will not seal and the water will leak.