Going to purchase a cedar round wood hot tub - any advice?

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RichTJ99

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Sep 16, 2016
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Katonah NY
Hi,

So my 'new to me' older house used to have a hot tub in a cedar room - sort of an all season room. When i moved in i removed it (about 5 years ago). So I suddenly can see the previous owners genius idea and am looking to put one back in.

The room is 9'x11' & already has a sauna (working) in that room. I am looking at a Canadian hot tub (Cedar Hot Tub Gallery | Canadian Hot Tubs Inc. ). I like that it has a liner & will help minimize any leakage.

My plumber friend said we can use a heat exchanger off my boiler in the house (just add another zone) for extra fast heating.

Any tips or thoughts? The local hot tub guy has a Bolt (Bolt | Hot Spring Spas) which is 6'8"x6'8" but is much more shallow than the cedar tub (6'x4' deep).

Thanks,
Rich
 
Well i purchased the Canadian hot tub (link above) with the 6 foot size. I am in the middle of the install. I am really surpised how well the unit kept the heat. The room its in is indoors but not heated (beyond a small electric heater). The heat was off last night & the water was very warm this morning (no cover, only heated with tub water & a sump pump).

Attached are a few photos.

http://i.imgur.com/rticqKo.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sKn5Gfi.jpg

The kit was pretty complete. I have to rework the floor to move the tub further to the left to have enough room on the right for the roll up cover. My buddy helped me with the plumbing but we ran out of the 1.5" flex hose so we couldnt do the upper jets (yet). We will work on that this Friday.

I can add other photos, info if anyone is interested - understanding that Cedar tubs arent particularly popular these days.
 
Alright a few more photos:

Original Tub - the previous owner of the house had a cedar tub also (6' x 3' deep).
http://i.imgur.com/Wg9WLIU.jpg

So mine is pretty close in terms of size & location (6' x 4' deep). I am shifting it towards the left so that the roll up cover has a place to go (on right) when using the tub.

(Cover from manufacturer): Instagram
It rolls up so I want a place to permanently keep it.

Original pit area:
http://i.imgur.com/560phqa.jpg

The last owner had a foundation & then made a gravel circle & it dropped around 6".


I had some guys in to drop it even more. The tub is a total of 48" tall so I had them finish the 6" concrete floor at 49" from the floor to allow the tub to be flush (I think it will look better):
http://i.imgur.com/duknn44.jpg

Here is the tub kit as shipped:
http://i.imgur.com/ghWnRU1.jpg

The room is about 9'x11' & has a sauna in it as well (thanks to the last owner). I removed the old tub, finished the floor & the room became a 'Junk' collector. So all that stuff isnt in it anymore.
http://i.imgur.com/0dSwDvL.jpg

My plan is to get it going on Friday (without the heat exchanger - just the electric heater, no hot/cold water plumbed into the room for refilling yet either. I ordered a bathroom fan with a humidistat so it can kick on on & off based on humidity. When i had water in it the other night (no cover & heat in the room off) the water was still very warm in the morning and the windows were all covered with moisture.

More later this week.

Thanks,
Rich
 
I will take a closer look at the sauna but it is a self contained unit in the corner. Looks like it would seat 2-3 comfortably. I will take a few photos of it when the rest of the room is back together. Its a little hard to get into now.

You can see it a little here: http://i.imgur.com/Wg9WLIU.jpg (on the left).

Two photos from 2012 when I was inspecting the house (before purchase);
http://i.imgur.com/MLVwTuE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/rKup5uF.jpg

Its old but seems to work fine - granted i dont really use it often.

Back to the hot tub - Seats are in. 24 hours with no leaks. Next up is to finish the electric & tie in the plumbing. I am going to hold off on putting the floor back until the setup is working & tested for a week or two.

Seats - http://i.imgur.com/nYBz17j.jpg
 
Somehow i missed some photos:

Assembled (no liner):
http://i.imgur.com/N40iz88.jpg

Filled in with the liner & lower jets;
http://i.imgur.com/pl25slY.jpg

I realized i needed some sort of ventilation so I got a 70 cfm fan with a humidity sensor. That is going to get swapped out to a 110 CFM Panasonic unit.

Upper jets installed / plumbing started:
http://i.imgur.com/4OCqSbf.jpg

And then it should have been:

Seats installed, water filling up for water testing:
http://i.imgur.com/nYBz17j.jpg


Before i fill it for good I am going to remove all water, with a sump pump & wet vac. Then clean as best I can all the junk out, then start it all over again.
 
What a gorgeous little room you have there. You are going to have a super sweet winter ;)

I love my outdoor hot tub even in the snow, and like looking at the stars, but if I had room to add a sauna and cedar tub to my house, I think I'd go that route ;)
 
Further progress - the unit was plumbed - heat exchanger is plumbed into the spa but not the boiler yet so I am using electric heat for now.

Room view:
Sauna on left, spa on floor:
http://i.imgur.com/LOknAV7.jpg

Spa Running:
http://i.imgur.com/giAoYIN.jpg

Above Plumbing 1:
http://i.imgur.com/Gs4MJFR.jpg

Above Plumbing 2:
http://i.imgur.com/gbQ5AzM.jpg

Below deck - I originally planned the back left corner to be the main access point for under the tub but we have to many pipes & I would rather add a third access door to keep people off the pipes (as needed).

Under plumbing:
http://i.imgur.com/pqluBWI.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Dk5Wuhl.jpg

Spa pack:
http://i.imgur.com/t7NWy4H.jpg

I am in the process of waiting for the heat to get to temperature (using electric heat for the moment) & then in i go.

Next week we are going to get the pex run for the heat exchanger & also a water fill so I can stop using the sump pump to move water around.
 

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I have been using the spa regularly - i find that 104f is top temp but too hot for more than a few minute soak. At 102f I can sit in the tub for at least 30 minutes which is nice at the end of the day. I got a chance to relax in the tub while it was snowing with the doors open. Then a quick jump into the sauna to dry off, then back into the cold air to not faint!

Seriously - it is great - the chemicals are still causing me headaches (in terms of getting the chlorine to not totally disappear). Chems at a constant 102F vs a normal 80f pool are much more labor intensive.


So for anyone still interested in the final product:

Cover on:
http://i.imgur.com/DfpevQ7.jpg

Cover on / Room
http://i.imgur.com/wfTMNAj.jpg

Sauna / tub
http://i.imgur.com/2vYevQl.jpg

Water on low, cover off:
http://i.imgur.com/meniNs7.jpg

Water on full blast:
http://i.imgur.com/IPKyXof.jpg
 
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