Setup and Care
What do I need to do to prepare for my Tradmor Living cedar spa?
- Prepare a pad or flat surface for the spa to be set-up on once it arrives. Whether your spa is being delivered and set-up or shipped, your spa will need a prepared level surface. If you do not have a pad set up upon delivery for set-up additional charges may apply unless previously worked into your quote or given as a promotional. Recommended foundations: use a wood-deck that is designed to hold the weight of the spa you’ve ordered: a concrete pad: or patio stones placed over compacted crushed stone.
- If you have ordered a fully assembled spa that is to be shipped to you, please stay in contact with us for the date and delivery time, as you will need to have some method or means of unloading the fully assembled spa.
- If you are going to use electric components you must call in an electrician and have the appropriate electricity set-up before hand. Tradmor Living specializes in wood-fired cedar spas, we are not electricians and we will not be liable for any mistakes that are made with your electric set-up.
How do I maintain my Tradmor Living Cedar Spa?
- Provide care and love
- Apply 100% pure and natural tung oil every 6 months or more as required, some may like to use it more often, just like waxing your car
- How often should you drain and clean your spa? Pending bathing practices and usage, you can leave your water for up to 6 months and use a non-chlorine shock treatment after usage. We recommend non-chlorine oxidizer shock, which burns off immediately. The stove itself is a sanitizing system: it boils the water as it naturally thermosiphons through the chamber and it kills pathogens that cannot withstand heat. If you have a free and abundant water source you can change your water frequently and wash the tub like a dish with a low-suds soap, water and a scrub brush on a handle. We also have available our river rock skimmer filtration system, which uses river rock, limestone, and sphagnum moss to mimic the filtration system of a natural river. A 12-volt battery pump can be used with the river rock filtration system if you are off-grid. If you are changing the water every six months the spa must be cleaned at that time with water, a low-suds detergent, and a scrub-brush.
- Winter and cold weather usage: in the winter the water in the spa must be heated to bathing temperatures (100°-104°) every few days, in unison with an insulated cover. This means you will be lighting a fire every few days and maintaining the fire until the appropriate temperature has been met, this generally takes 2-3 hours with our eclipse and firekeg stove options – (but different fuel types will have different btu ratings causing water to heat faster or slower). The bottom of the spa must be wrapped with a foam gasket material, sealing the bottom of the spa to prevent heat from dissipating at the bottom of the spa. Cedar is a relatively good insulator with a 1.5R value and will retain much of the heat if the fireplace is brought to comfortable bathing temperatures every few days. You can also cover your stove with a custom insulated cover while the stove is not in use. In addition, keep your 12-volt battery pump running to keep your water circulating. If you will be away from your cedar spa for more than a week or you cannot keep the fire going to consistent temperatures every few days it is best practice to drain your spa so that you will not damage it. You may have to tighten the bands when you come back to your drained spa, but this is a simple task that can be done with a cordless drill. We cannot warranty negligence. All spas require proper maintenance for durability, but a cedar spa can last a lifetime when provided with love and care.