Wood Fired Hot Tubs

by 1 person | Log in to rate

Ranked #2,071 in Sports, #52,782 overall

An introduction to wood fired hot tubs

This lens provides information about what to look for when selecting a wood fired hot tub and how to maintain it once you have one.

Wood fired hot tubs are generally constructed from a hard wearing wood, usually Red Cedar, with steel or aluminium bands and burner.

By lighting a wood fire in the submerged burner, the water in the tub heats up and when at the correct temperature, the fire is then controlled using an air inlet regulator.

A wood fired hot tub is a real experience, closer to nature and somehow more relaxing than more modern jacuzzi style spas.

Try one - you won't be disappointed.

Created by Forestflame Wood-Fired Hot Tubs

What to look for when buying a wood-fired hot tub.

Here is checklist of the most important things to consider when buying a wood fired hot tub:

Make sure the tub is made of wood from sustainable and responsibly managed forests.

Red cedar is best for longevity and durability

Stainless steel bands and a stainless steel burner will give much longer life and more efficient heat than aluminium.

Make sure the company supplying your tub will assemble it for you and provide after sales care.

Make sure it's a Forestflame wood fired hot tub ;-)

Maintaining a wood-fired hot tub

Maintaining a wood-fired hot tub is surprisingly easy, principally because of the materials used.

Red Cedar, Thuja plicata, has a built in fungicide called Thujaplicans which helps to protect the wood and delay rotting. You should expect your hot tub to last for a good 20 years.

The stainless steel bands and boiler are also long lived, requiring little more than a wipe with a light oil from time to time.

We're often asked how long it takes to get the tub water up to temperature. This varies from Summer to Winter:
In summer, heating the water from 14C to 34C takes around 1 1/2 hours
In winter, heating the water from 6C to 40C takes around 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

We also recommend that you stir the water occasionally to maintain even heating.

Please note, the burner must only be fuelled with dry wood - not fresh sawn, or wet wood. As the boiler is underwater, its surface temperature isn't high enough to burn off excess tar in the burner.

To clean the tub, simply scrub the inside with a plastic or bristle brush while it's still wet after emptying and swill it down.

To empty the tub, there's a tap and hose tail for you to water the garden or allow to soak away.

There are a number of chemicals which can be added to the water in the tub if you wish to keep it filled for long periods.

These are increasingly eco-friendly, however, we still prefer to change the water often - it also helps if bathers shower before taking a dip!

Externally, the tub requires precious little attention - you can apply a cedar oil if you want to retain the original colour, however, the wood will bleach out to a lovely silver colour if you let it.

Emptying the burner is a cinch using a long-handled brush and ash pan but do remember that wood tends to burn best on a bed of its own ash, so don't clean it too often!

Gallery