The Cabin Hot Tub Guide: Power, Access, Water and Winter
The best cabin hot tub is one that suits how you use the cabin. Decide three things first: whether there is power, how often you are there, and how the tub gets to the site. A wood fired tub suits weekend use and no power; an Electric or Hybrid suits frequent visits where you want the water ready when you arrive. Either way, choose one you can drain and leave empty without worry.
Cabins and cottages are where many AlumiTubs live, from fly-in lodges to island cottages reachable only by boat. This guide is for owners of a second property, not a rental. If you are hosting guests, see a host's guide.
Power, or not
No power, or unreliable power. A Wood Fired tub needs nothing but wood and water. Pam M.'s family cottage on an island in Minaki, Ontario has no electricity and is reachable only in summer; their Large Wood Fired is part of most days there. The off-grid guide goes deeper.
A standard outlet. A Wood Fired with the 120V filtration add-on stretches a fill to three to four months.
A 240V circuit. An Electric or Hybrid holds a set temperature and can be scheduled from the app, so the water is ready when you pull in. A Hybrid also keeps the fire as a fallback when the power goes out.
How often you are there
Weekends and holidays suit a fresh fill routine: fill on arrival, heat with wood, drain when you leave. There is nothing to freeze and nothing to maintain between visits. If you are at the cabin most weeks, or want it ready on arrival, filtration or an Electric or Hybrid makes more sense, and a fill lasts three to four months.
Getting it there
This is where many cabin tubs are won or lost. A conventional spa usually needs a crane and a road. An AlumiTub weighs 200 to 300 lbs (91 to 136 kg) empty, arrives pre-assembled, and rolls on its side through a 38 inch (97 cm) gap, so it can go by boat, barge, trailer or across a beach. Joanne McSporran's tub went to a remote island, and Spirit of the West run tubs at two coastal basecamps.
Water
Cabins rarely have mains water. A lake, a well, rainwater and the ocean all work with the right care, and each is covered in hot tub water sources. Lake and well water should be tested on the first fill. Ocean water is changed every five to seven days and rinsed. If water has to be hauled or pumped, water access at remote sites covers the practicalities.
Leaving it empty
This is the question cabin owners care about most, and it is where construction matters. A traditional all-wood tub needs to stay full or the wood dries and shrinks. Water in an AlumiTub sits in the aluminum structure, so it can be drained and left empty for weeks or months without harm. Leo Downey at his Rocky Mountain guest house put it simply:
I can also leave it empty in winter without damaging it like a wood hot tub.
Leo Downey, Rocky Mountain Buffalo Ranch
If an Electric or Hybrid will be without power over winter, drain it fully, including the equipment, because freeze protection only works while there is power. Opening and closing for the season covers the steps.
Winter at the cabin
Many owners soak most in winter. A wood fired AlumiTub has been tested to heat in minus 44C (minus 47F). Soaking in winter covers what to expect, and Mary Tapsell's cabin outside Yellowknife shows it in practice.
Siting at the cabin
Put it where the view is, where smoke will drift away from the cabin, and where the path is short enough to walk in a towel in January. A dock, a deck or a level pad by the water all work; see landscaping around a hot tub for the base.
Common questions
What is the best hot tub for a cabin?
It depends on power, access and how often you are there. For a weekend cabin with no power or unreliable power, a wood fired tub needs nothing but wood and water, and can be drained between visits with nothing to freeze. Where there is reliable power and you want the tub ready on arrival, an Electric or Hybrid can be scheduled from an app.
Can you leave a hot tub empty at a cabin over winter?
An AlumiTub, yes. Because the water sits in the aluminum structure rather than in timber that needs to stay swollen, it can be drained and left empty for months without harm. Drain it fully, including any filtration or equipment, if there will be no power to run freeze protection.
How do you get a hot tub to a remote cabin?
A lighter, pre-assembled tub makes it possible. An AlumiTub weighs 200 to 300 lbs (91 to 136 kg) empty by size, so two people can roll it on its side through a 38 inch (97 cm) gap, and owners have moved them by boat, barge and trailer. No crane is needed.
How long does water last in a cabin hot tub?
On a Wood Fired tub without filtration, a fresh fill lasts days to a couple of weeks with good care, which suits weekend use: fill on arrival, drain on departure. With filtration fitted, or on an Electric or Hybrid, a fill typically lasts three to four months.
Can I fill a cabin hot tub from a lake?
Often, yes, with a pump and a filter on the intake. Lake water should be tested on the first fill and balanced like any other source. Hot tub water sources covers lakes, wells, rainwater and the ocean, including how to treat each.