Tag Archives: Hot tubs

By Gareth Jones CEO UK Leisure Living Group

Hot Tubs have become a popular addition to homes and holiday lets in the UK. Wood Fired hot tubs have become an interesting option to those looking to save some cash. However what are the pros and cons of each one?

Pros to a Wood Fired Hot Tub

• Cheaper to run potentially if you have free wood to burn
• To some they look very natural
• You can get some with liner options now that function like an electric hot tub but are extra costs
• Some now have lights and jets on more expensive models but these also need electric to run them
•  They can heat up quickly beneficial for holiday lets

Cons to a Wood Fired Hot Tub

• If you don’t have free wood it can be costly and you need somewhere close to the tub to store dry wood. So you may need to invest in a wood store
• Without a liner you need to drain the tub after every use!
• Without a liner you can’t use chemicals so they are like an outdoor bath
• You need to stir the water with a giant paddle to circulate or you will get hot spots in the body of the water. Some have small pumps on the more expensive models but then these then need a power supply.
• If you have fresh washed clothes on the washing line, expect smoke smelling clothes
• if you are a holiday let, wood fired tubs can ruin the holiday experience as not everyone knows how to build and manage a fire. Plus this is also a fire risk and you need to manage the risk through a Risk Assessment and provide adequate fire extinguishers.
• In a Holiday let, BISHTA do not recommend such products to be used.
• Many come with a wooden lid as standard which aren’t very energy efficient
• No real moulded seats just a bench style basic setup
• Health and safety issue to hot items to touch needs factoring into risk assessments

Cons to a Hard Shell Electric Hot Tub

• Can be costly to run
• In some situations can look out of place but this depends on your colour options.

Pros to a Hard Shell Electric Hot Tub

• Provide Hydrotherapy Massage to soothe aches and pains using specifically designed jets
• They can befitted with various measures to reduce the running costs of the hot tub to almost nothing in some cases.
• Many models have high levels of mood lighting providing a chromotherapy experience
• They will maintain temperature as required
• They have a proper filtration systems
• You can add chemicals so it manages the bacteria in your water.
• Some hot tubs even have auto dosing systems to avoid you having to add chemicals.
• All hot tubs come with a thermal cover as standard
• Heat Pumps allow hot tubs to heat up very quickly and also offer savings of up to 70% in running costs
• Huge choice in colours and styles with unique seating positions

In conclusion they both function but you need to really look at what you want from the product. We have heard many negative stories around wood fired tubs in holiday settings. Including that it ruined their holiday! So they may seem like a perfect product for you but what about your customer.  Electric hot tubs are deemed safer due to their chemicals and filtering abilities but we appreciate electricity costs have soared too. The good news is that you can generate electricity and we can reduce those costs massively.

Over the years we have sold both types and we are happy to provide honest advice applicable to your specific needs. In some situations it maybe best but we want our customers to have all the facts so they can make an informed decision on ownership.

Happy Hot Tubbing !