How to Prepare for the Arrival of Your AlumiTub Wood Fired Hot Tub

You have placed a deposit and your AlumiTub is in the build queue. The good news is that the wait is useful time. Prepare the site properly and you can be in the water the day it arrives.

Every tub is built by hand on the Sunshine Coast, which is why there is a queue at all. Here is how to use it.

1. Think about how you will use it

If you want the pared-back experience, wood fired heat and nothing else, all you need is a level spot and a way to fill it. Stack some dry wood and have matches ready. No site preparation beyond that.

If you want more, now is the time to plan it. A Wood Fired can take a 120V plug-and-play filtration system to extend water life from a week or two to three or four months. Electric and Hybrid models need their connection in place before arrival, a dedicated 30 amp, 4kW circuit with an 18 amp draw, and trenching is far easier before the tub is sitting there.

Worth settling now: how you will fill it, whether from a hose, a well, a lake or the ocean. Whether it stays in use through winter or gets drained. Whether you want steps, a nearby shower, the tub recessed into a deck, or a spot on a dock. Any structure needs to carry the filled weight, so that figure comes first.

Ocean fills are changed every five to seven days rather than left standing, and on an Electric or Hybrid intended for ocean water a titanium heating coil is specified at the time of order. Raise it with us before the build starts. More on that in saltwater against freshwater, and on sourcing water at a remote property in how to handle water access.

If you are still deciding between heating systems, the complete guide to heating options compares all three, and a Wood Fired built with the optional compatibility ports can take electric heat and filtration years later.

2. Choose the location

The chimney must sit at least ten feet clear of any structure or flammable object. You need a flat, level surface that carries the filled weight.

Size	Outside diameter	Water	Filled weight
Small	60" (5 ft)	315 gal	3,200 lbs
Standard	72" (6 ft)	420 gal	5,000 lbs
Large	84" (7 ft)	650 gal	7,000 lbs

All three are 38 inches deep as standard, with 44 inches available on Wood Fired and Hybrid, and 44 or 48 on Electric. Deeper builds add roughly 1,000 lbs to the filled weight. Leave enough space around the tub to load the firebox without brushing against it when hot, and think about where firewood and lids will live.

When choosing the spot, consider how you will drain it, what you will fill it from, whether you want power nearby for a pump or filtration, and where storage goes.

If placing the tub on pressure treated wood or concrete, put rigid insulation beneath it as a barrier. This prevents the aluminum reacting with dissimilar metals in those materials. Do the same on crushed gravel, both to level the surface and to avoid denting the base. Two layers, 1.5 inch and 2 inch for about 3.5 inches total, is the recommended base for any setup, and it noticeably improves heat retention. Trim excess insulation with a utility knife, and the bottom band accessory hides the edge.

For ideas, see where AlumiTubs live: owners across Canada and the US have shared how they set theirs up, several with steps, seating, filtration and alternative heating.

3. Plan drainage before the tub arrives

Drainage decides how much work emptying the tub is, and it is far easier to plan now than to solve later. There are two approaches.

Option 1: the Drain Kit

We recommend this. It takes a garden hose and lets you empty the tub using a valve on the outside, directing the water wherever suits: a garden bed, or back to the lake or ocean it came from. Use a 1 inch hose with a mechanical clamp.

Never leave standing water in the Drain Kit during freezing conditions. Use a 1 and 1/4 inch snap drain plug on the inside of the tub and leave the external valve open.

Three ways to fit it:

1. On the ground. Visualize the orientation and where the drain should sit. Dig a trench to size, and when the tub arrives, place the Drain Kit in the slot to confirm room and depth. Thread it into the drain hole at the base, rotating counter clockwise until snug. Do not over-tighten, which risks cracking the plastic pipe. Shimmy the tub until kit and trench align, then add rock or fill to support it.
2. On a new deck with access underneath. Use a hole saw so the Drain Kit can be threaded into the base from beneath the deck boards.
3. On an existing deck or pad with no access underneath. The tub needs propping up by four inches with rigid insulation to accommodate the kit, which sits under the base.

Option 2: a snap drain plug

Hold the water with a 1 and 1/4 inch snap drain plug instead, and empty using a sump pump or siphon.

Whichever you choose, never drain below the fill line until the firebox has fully cooled.

4. Plan how you will receive it

AlumiTubs arrive pre-assembled and are light enough to move: 200 lbs empty for the Small, 220 for the Standard, 300 for the Large. There is no crane and no contractor involved, which is what makes them workable for off-grid cabins, rentals and guest properties where a conventional spa cannot go.

Whether you are towing it to a boat-access cabin or moving it across a property, plan the last stretch. You will want a pickup or trailer, ratchet straps, and 2x6s with cleats if transporting by truck. The tub travels on its side at 38 inches, which passes through most gates.

Walk the route in advance. Clear overgrown branches, move large rocks that could dent the base, and check any roots or steps in the way. Going off grid covers what owners have managed at genuinely difficult sites.

5. Use the wait to build out the space

The tub is the centerpiece, but the space around it is what makes people stay out there.

• A privacy screen from decking, lattice or planting
• Steps from decking or cedar rounds for easier access
• Decking prepared if you are recessing the tub or adding a wrap-around
• An outdoor towel rack, which is a weekend project
• An outdoor shower or cold plunge alongside
• Lighting, seating and somewhere to put a drink down

It is also worth having dry wood seasoning by the time the tub lands. The best firewood to use covers the species and the seasoning.

6. Setting up when it lands

Roll the tub into position, then unpack the cedar slats, stainless bands and components. On a prepared site the whole thing takes about an hour.

1. Set it on the prepared surface
2. Wrap the insulation around the outside
3. Position the cedar beneath two ratchet straps, working around the tub
4. Fasten with the three metal bands, then remove the straps
5. Fit the chimney into its sleeve and onto the stove
6. Put the stove lid on the firebox and hang the thermometer from the cedar fence
7. Fill with water. Only then light the fire

That last point is the one that matters most. Fill to the line marked on the tub, or at least 4 inches above the chimney collar, and keep the water there the entire time the firebox is hot. Firing an empty or part-filled tub warps the firebox, takes the tub out of service, and voids firebox coverage.

The setup and use videos on the FAQ page walk through each stage, and your manual covers the detail. For the first fills, what to expect in your first year covers the cedar tannin period, and how wood fired hot tubs work walks through heating it.

Have dry wood and kindling ready, a hose to fill with, and matches to hand. The wait will be worth it, and the preparation is what makes the first evening feel effortless.