Should I Install A Wood Burning Hot Tub In My Holiday Let? If you’re considering installing a wood-fired hot tub in your holiday property – don’t decide until you’ve read our guide.
For example, the Sykes Staycation Index 2019 reported the following finding:
One suggestion that we frequently hear, from Holiday Let agencies is that a wood-fired hot tub is the way to go. With their aesthetic appeal, they certainly look more in keeping with a period property and might attract the eco-conscious holiday-maker. For example, this hot tub from Skagards fits into it’s surroundings perfectly.
The first thing to be aware of is that the use of any type of hot tub within a commercial setting is subject to certain rules. If you own a holiday home that you let out to paying guests and supply a hot tub (that only one group of people at a time are able to use) then you will need to be compliant with the “Domestic hot tubs in a business setting” guidelines. These guidelines are known as HSG282 and are designed to ensure that the hot tub water used by your guests is safe and clean and as the owner you are held legally responsible for compliance. This isn’t the interfering nanny state – an improperly maintained hot tub can harbour serious infectious diseases, including the potentially fatal legionella bacteria.
As a guideline, in order for your hot tub to be compliant with HSG282 you should at least:
This is where the type of hot tub you install becomes critical.
With a wood fired hot tub, there is no filtration system. The water is heated by a simple stove. There are no pumps, no pipework, no water circulation or filtration system. What this means when it comes to maintaining clean water is that you can’t install an inline dosing system for sanitiser as required by HSG282. This doesn’t immediately rule out a wood-fired hot tub from a holiday let setting, but it does mean you have to adapt your approach. Whereas for an electrically heated hot tub, you can leave the water in the tub for up to a week, with a wood-fired tub you need to drain down the water after every use.
You cannot leave it filled for the duration of the rental. Of course if your guests want to use the hot tub more than once during their stay, what is emptied must be refilled, and reheated.
Ah! Heating. The joy of a wood-burning stove is the satisfaction of making and lighting your own fire. The same joy isn’t always felt trying to get the fire to take, when it’s sub-zero temperatures and the fire keeps going out. Fire making might be a relatively simple activity that humankind have mastered for millenia, but not all of your guests will be adept at building and making a fire. Not forgetting the chores of clearing and resetting the stove after each use. Depending on the volume and temperature of the water and air around it, a wood-burning hot tub might typically take 3 hours or longer for the water to reach temperature. No quick spur of the moment dips then!
Ah! Temperature. Most people enjoy a water temperature of between 36-39 degrees C. Electrically heated hot tubs have a thermostat which stops the water temperature getting dangerously high (Above 40 degrees C). This is important – if water is above this temperature, the excessive heating can cause heart attack. It could also cause heat stroke, brain damage and even death. This might sound a little extreme if you are one for a hot bath, but unlike in a hot tub, bath water gradually cools while you are in it.
Also in most baths you are not fully immersed in the way you are in a hot tub, so your core temperature can stay cooler even in hotter water. With a wood-fired hot tub there is no thermostat and no circulation of the water, so in order to manage the temperature, you will need to provide a floating thermometer. Not a big deal you might think, but you are relying on the guests to effectively manage this. Would you be confident that your party of guests would keep a close eye on the water temperature? An added complication is that the water may continue to increase in temperature even after the stove is shut down – it can get extremely hot! First-time users may not understand how to safely manage a wood-fired spa.
How about the experience? There is no denying that wood-fired hot tubs look good and have an olde worlde charm and appeal. However, the user experience isn’t quite the same as with an electric hot tub. They do just offer heated water. No Jets or Pumps. No hydrotherapy. A relaxing soak is nice, a soak and a massage is nicer, in our opinion!
So should you Install A Wood Burning Hot Tub In your Holiday Let? For most holiday let owners, the maintenance, coupled with safety concerns makes them unfeasible. The reality is that they provide a much less enjoyable experience for guests over an electrically heated tub.
Our recommendation is that if the styling of an electrically heated hot tub is not to your taste, the best way to manage this is by concealing the cabinet with a gazebo or planters. Making a real feature of the hot tub in your outdoor living space is the way to go!
The photo above is our BISHTA award winning swim spa installed at a holiday let in Pembrokeshire. BISHTA (the British & Irish Spa & Hot Tub Association) exists to promote high standards of safety, enjoyment and value within the hot tub industry. They have also provided advice regarding installing Scandinavian type hot tubs in Business Settings. Click on their logo to read the article.
