Prepare the Cedar hot tub for use

You’re almost ready to start enjoying your brand-new tub. Unless it has been professionally installed, there are a few things still to do:

• Turn off the electricity before you do any work on it.
• Vacuum the inside of the tub thoroughly before filling it with water.

Filling and sealing your hot tub for the first time

• Protect the floor against spillage.
• Close the skimmer valve so the water does not run out of the tub when it is filled up.
• Fill your hot tub only with fresh water.
  • Do not use water from a swimming pool or other source of water containing chemicals.
  • Pool chemicals are very different from those used in a hot tub and can upset the chemical balance of the water and even damage your hot tub.
  • If you fill the hot tub from a well or other source with “ hard water,” it will be necessary to add water softeners.
• If you have assembled the hot tub correctly, the hot tub seals itself as the wood expands.
  • Moisten the inside of the tub first with a sprinkler so that it begins to swell evenly.
  • Fill the tub in stages of about 15cm at a time to prevent pressure from building up too quickly inside the tub.
  • At each stage, check for serious leaks before proceeding. Wait until the leaks have stopped before filling to the next stage. In cold weather this may take longer.
  • As the wood absorbs water, the level will drop below the mark of each stage. Fill to the next stage and wait.
  • Keep the inside moist with a fine spray while filling the tub.
  • You can expect minor leaks until the wood has absorbed water and expanded to seal itself.
  • Check for large gaps between the staves. If all is well, proceed.
• It may take from three days to a week for the sealing process to complete itself. Keep filling the tub as the water level drops.
• Do not turn on the heater or pump before the tub is full.
• Once the tub has stopped leaking, heat the water and leave for another 24 hours.
• Drain the tub and refill with clean water.
• Once the tub is full, adjust the temperature setting on the digital control panel unit, to obtain the desired temperature.

Enjoy your hot tub!

Tannin Leaching

Tannins are naturally found in all wood and are part of the character of cedarwood hot tubs, and are healthy and therapeutic.

• Tea also contains tannins and the tannin in oak barrels is used to mature wine and other alcoholic drinks to give them a distinctive taste.
• The tannin in red cedarwood is a natural antibiotic and adds to the health and therapeutic value of the hot tub.

The hot tub water will turn brownish as the tannin from the wood leaches out.

• This is both normal and desirable and it is safe to bathe in that water.
• Care should be taken though that the tannin does not stain bathing clothes.

Leaching usually improves within 3 to 7 days, but in some instances, minimal leaching may last up to 3-6 months.

• If this is a bother to you, heating the water and occasionally replacing the water will speed up the leaching process.
• You may also dissolve soda ash in a jug of water and pour the solution into the tub to accelerate the process, but do not expect it to go away after one fill and drain.

Water purity and sanitisation before you start using your cedar hot tub

The Deluxe Cedar Wood Hot Tub is equipped with a sophisticated five-stage water purification and sanitisation system (a four-stage system in the classic model) which minimises the need for chemicals.

• Ensure that you keep the filters clean and follow the correct water maintenance programme described elsewhere in this guide.
• The purity and clarity of the water will be restored once you start running the filtering system and following a sanitization routine.
• Turn the electricity back on and begin heating the tub.
• Mix in the proper chemicals to ensure sanitation and to balance the pH, calcium hardness, and total alkalinity.
• Do not use chlorine. It attacks the wood and you may have difficulty maintaining the proper amount of free chlorine during the leaching process, as the tannin absorbs a lot of the chlorine. Bromine is recommended to maintain the correct chemical balance.

Expert top tips

• Try to shower before and after using your Hot Tub
• Try to avoid creams, makeup and oils. This will help with your water quality!
• Treat yourself to ‘hot tub only’ bathing suits and rinse them in cold water only, don’t wash them in a washing machine!
• Clean your filters regularly. They truly are the foundation of your filtration!
• The cleaner your Hot Tub is, the better it will work for you

Draining your cedar hot tub

When you need to drain the tub, follow these steps:

• Ensure you can safely dispose of the water.
• Turn off the power, and attach a garden hose to the drain bib that is part of the skid-pad containing the pump and spa pack.
• To completely drain the tub, you need to additionally remove the residual 25mm (1 inch) of water from the bottom, using a portable submersible pump or a wet and dry vacuum cleaner. Be careful to empty the drum of the vacuum cleaner regularly before the water level reaches the motor.

Our aftercare team will provide you with professional advice on the maintenance of your hot tub to help you obtain maximum enjoyment from your hot tub.