| Q. |
When can I use my Hot Tub? |
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Every day of the year ! Each season is suitable for a relaxing
soak in your Hot Tub. The soothing effect will be enhanced at
colder outside temparatures because the muscles are more tense.
After a half hour in your Hot Tub, you'll feel as new. And of
course, the summer evenings are perfect for stargazing in our
cedar hot tubs. |
| Q. |
How much does a Hot Tub cost ? |
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Prices depend on several factors such as dimension required
and optional accessories, installed or not, etc. Contact
us for further information. |
| Q. |
What sort of maintenance is required? |
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You need to monitor your chemical level each week. If the
tub has been stained, this should be repeated annually to keep
the rich color from fading caused by the elements. You might
wish to let cedar age naturally to a "gray" color.
You can do this by allowing the cedar to be exposed to the elements
without any protection. |
| Q. |
What is the cost to operate my tub? |
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The circular construction along with the high insulating
value of cedar and our Northern Elements Covers will provide
excellent insulation value. Outside temperature and your local
electric energy costs (cents/kwhr) are the main variables
in cost. Some of our customers run their tubs year round in
extreme northern climates (Alaska, USA -30° C) and in
those conditions they are reporting a monthly cost of 35€/month.
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| Q. |
What is a safe temperature for my hot tub? |
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Typically most people feel that 37° C - 39° C or
is a comfortable temperature, however, we recommend you contact
your doctor to determine if a hot tub is safe for your given
health condition. |
| Q. |
What are the differences between plastic tubs and
your cedar tubs? |
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Experience is the difference! Our tubs are 43" deep,
providing a unique soaking effect that is not available in shallow
plastic spas. The aromatic smell of cedar coupled with the relaxing
soak, and therapeutic massage provides a unique experience that
can’t be imitated. |
| Q. |
Is a wood tub hard to keep clean? |
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Cedar is, in fact, naturally resilient to decay. It's rich
oils give cedar the life span it is famous for. Cleaning is
the same as with most plastic tubs. Typically, a light scrub
brush with a diluted solution of liquid bleach works well. |
| Q. |
Is a wood tub less healthy then a plastic tub? |
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In 1993 the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin
conducted tests to compare wood surfaces of cutting boards with
the plastic equivalents. The assumption was wood would absorb
the juices and become a hot-bed of disease. In other words,
plastic would be safer. This wasn't the case. Seven species
of wood and four types of plastic were tested. All were intentionally
contaminated with E-Coli, Listeria and Salmonella. To everyone's
surprise, the bacteria were killed within 3 minutes of touching
the wood surface. This was not the case with the plastic surfaces. |
| Q. |
How powerful are your jets? Some companies advertise
80+ jets? How important is Horsepower when selecting a pump? |
| |
It is not so much horse power you are looking for. Our
base 4 jet system comes standard with 2" discharge holes,
and 1 1/2 HP power, with a true 1 1/2 HP impeller. On our
6 jet system the size is a true 2 HP with 2" discharge.
What is more important is the flow per minute the pump produces
which has nothing to do with horse power, rather impeller
size.
Flow is the most important factor for jet operations. We
use high flow jets made for wood hot tubs. A pump must be
able to deliver the total flow that all the jets need and
produce the necessary pressure to create that flow. We need
more flow and more pressure as we go from 4 to 6 to 8 jets,
and we do this by switching to different pumps with different
(larger) impellers and different horsepower motors (1-1/2
, 2 and 3HP respectively). Once we get up to our maximum for
10 jets we still stay with a 3 HP pump but also slightly reduce
the orifice size in the jets and increase piping size and
fittings to 2" from 1-1/2" in order to ensure sufficient
pressure remains for the jets and is not all lost in the piping.
We also decrease the orifice size for 8 jet systems and switch
to 2" piping if there is more than aft between the hot
tub and the pump unit.
In today's spa market, companies are competing on the number
of jets. A 2 HP pump powering 60 jets will not be anywhere
near as powerful of a massage as the same pump powering 6
jets . The total flow rate of the 60 jets is the same as that
of the 6 jets, meaning each jet has a much smaller orifice
( hole ) size . HP can also be a marketing gimmick . For example
a 2 HP pump can be fitted with a 5 HP motor, but still not
produce more than 2 HP. A properly matched pump that produces
the flow required by the jet is what you are looking for.
Jet companies rate their jets in gallons per minute of flow
@ a specific psi of pressure. For example 13 GPM @12psi. If
you have 4 jets each requiring 13 gallons per minute then
your pump must be capable of delivering 52 gallons per minute
and also produce sufficient pressure so that there is still
12 psi left for the jets after the pressure drop losses in
the piping and components are factored in.
We design our tubs to be simple yet effective. The most jets
we have is a 10 jet system with all high flow components including
3 suctions and a 3 HP motor. HP is not the same as flow therefore
if you double your jets to say 8, and double the HP to 3,
the pressure on the jets will not be the same . You need to
do more such as widen the piping to 2" and include more
suctions to have a similar effect.
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