9
The swelling process continues
for at least two weeks
. It
is normal for a wood tub to drip a small amount of water.
Included with your tub is a bag of fine cedar sawdust. If
you have a persisting leak after two weeks you can use this
sawdust to seal the tub.
Important: if you hooked up a filter, remove the cartridge
from the filter during this procedure, otherwise it will
clog.
Drain the tub and spread a cup or two of fine sawdust on
the floor of the tub, or alternatively, use a little water to
make a peanut butter-like paste of the sawdust and smear
some directly on the area that is leaking. Refill the tub.
As the water is added, the wood flour will be naturally
drawn to places where the water is seeping out and
accelerate the swelling and sealing of the tub. The
sawdust is harmless and the excess will be flushed out the
first time you drain and rinse the tub. Note: It may take
more than one treatment to slow or fix the leak, but this
method works in almost every case.
The natural oils and tannins in cedar (especially red cedar)
will cause the water to turn tea-colored when the tub is
new. This is normal and harmless. The sweet aroma of
cedar is due to these oils. You may want to change the
water frequently at first to help clarify the water. This
effect will diminish with time.
Section 13: Tub Safety
Your tub will give many years of enjoyment. Please note
the following general safety points:
1. Tub safety is your responsibility.
2. Never allow unsupervised children to use your tub. Be
sure that a responsible adult is in control at all times
. IT IS
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PREVENT ACCIDENTAL
DROWNING.
3. Hot tubs are for sitting only. Do not allow diving or
horseplay.
4. Children should use the tub at lower temperatures
than adults. Consult your physician for advice on hot
tubbing for children, pregnant women, people with heart
conditions, or you have other specific questions
concerning health and safety.
5. Consult your physician about recommendations
regarding your ability to soak and at what
temperature. Never soak in water warmer than 104
degrees Fahrenheit.
Section 14: Tub Maintenance
Your tub should last for many years and require little
maintenance. Here are a few recommendations.
Keep the tub filled whenever possible. Remember that a
wooden tub is a dynamic object and the wood will swell
and shrink with exposure to water or lack of it. Like a
wooden boat, it will seep water at first, then swell shut.
Leaving the tub unused for extended periods of time. If
you need to leave the tub unused while on vacation or for
other reasons, drain most of the water out leaving about
3 inches in the tub. Drain the heating system including any
filters or pumps in the system. Secure the cover on the
tub and wrap the tub with a tarp to protect it and prevent
excessive drying.
The worst thing for a wooden tub is to let it dry out. Keep
the tub filled whenever possible. This keeps the wood
from drying out, shrinking and opening up the seams. If
you need to drain the tub in cold weather or when you
are away for an extended period, leave about 3 inches of
water in the bottom so the floor seam will not dry out.
The tub will not be permanently damaged by drying out,
but will have to swell again to hold water.
If the tub does dry out, you can check to see if the
compression straps can be tightened up a bit. Tighten the
bottom strap first, then the upper ones. Do not over
tighten the upper straps - they do not get tightened as
much as the bottom one.
NEVER
tighten the straps when
the tub is full of water!
Freezing:
Never let the tub freeze solid when full of
water!!! Since water expands when frozen, this will put
enormous strain on the bottom, sides, hardware and
heating system. If you are going to be away during
freezing weather, or you want to shut your tub down
during a cold snap, follow these steps:
1.
Drain the tub down to about 3 inches in the
bottom. This amount of water will not cause freeze
damage and will keep the floor seam tight.
2.
Drain all parts of the heating system. This includes
heater, pipes, and anything you might have added
such as pump, filter, etc.
3.
If practical, disconnect and store the heater in a
warm dry place
If your tub develops a significant leak:
Follow
these steps in order. If the first on doesn’t work, go on to
the second, and so on.
1.
If your tub develops a leak (not just a drip) that it
didn’t have before, something has changed. Do
some investigation to discover the cause. The most
common causes are the tub drying out after being
empty for a period of time, or the support for the
Summary of Contents for Cedar Hot Tub
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