How Long Do Wooden Hot Tubs Last? 

In Such A Disposable World, The Beauty Of Hot Tubs Is That They Are Designed To Last – Here’s The Lowdown On How Long For…

One of the most regularly asked questions our customers ask is “How long does a hot tub last?” Which is understandable isn’t it? From cars to jacuzzis, when we buy our favourite toys, we want to know that we can enjoy them for quite a while. You might be surprised to learn just how long a hot tub could be your outdoor companion for, especially when you give it some additional TLC.

Most of us work hard and play hard to keep up with the crazy pace of life we find ourselves in, and there’s nothing better than coming home to a soothing soak in your hot tub. Pop a few logs into the burner while you prep your dinner and before you know it, the water is lapping away the stresses of your day.

Improved Health Through Water

Having the therapeutic benefits of a wood-fired hot tub to soak away your cares is not a new concept. It is said that King Phraortes was the first person to have their own hot tub in 600 BC – his being chiselled out of solid granite. Later, the Greeks revered the therapeutic qualities of hot water so much that many spas started appearing around water springs – no doubt the birthplace of many of the philosophies the Ancient Greeks are so famous for.

The Romans then took this a step further building spas on elaborate scales for their precious legionnaires to recover from their battle wounds and ailments. Many of these are still standing today revealing that they were very sociable places even including restaurants.

The name ‘Spa’ is an acronym for their intended purpose which is to provide better health through water ‘Sanus Per Aquam’.

We wanted to share this with you because hot tubs soon become part of your way of life – a way of creating a boundary between your busy day and your solace and relaxation. Not only can the liner that you choose make a difference to how many years you enjoy your tub for, but it also helps to minimise maintenance of your tub, meaning you get to enjoy it just like the Romans and Greeks did – as part of their everyday life.

Wooden Hot Tubs Explained

As you can imagine, a wooden vat full of water isn’t going to be very sanitary for long, and the wood isn’t going to stand the test of time without some protection from constant water exposure. At Royal Tubs we also know that the last thing you need after a busy day or week is needing to TLC your tub instead of jumping into it.

The type of wood your hot tub is crafted from makes a huge difference to your tub’s lifespan and how you use it. It is worth looking at how you intend to use your tub before you choose your liner because despite the life-extending qualities of the wood we select such as being rot-resistant, an unlined hot tub does have a few limitations worth considering. 

For example, if you have limited time available during your week, using chlorine to extend how long the water can stay in your tub without being changed may be the difference between you being able to use it regularly during a working week or not.

We only use the highest quality, FSC timber for our hot tubs and the quality of construction is why we have some of the happiest customers you’ll find.

This simplicity creates a perfect connection with nature, but even with this calibre of craftsmanship, you cannot use chemicals like chlorine in an unlined wooden hot tub. For this reason alone, we’re going to share the benefits of adding a liner to your hot tub and the difference it can make to its lifespan.

Types of Hot Tub Liners

Every cloud has a silver lining and your hot tub is the same – except the cloud in this scenario is cloud nine. Many of our customers say they get very attached to their hot tubs, so we wanted to give you some tips on keeping your bubbly buddy in the garden in tip-top condition. 

First and foremost is to install a liner in your hot tub. It isn’t necessary but as we’ve explained, exposing a wooden hot tub to water repeatedly over the years needs a special type of love and maintenance to preserve it. If you prefer a more convenient anti-ageing approach for your hot tub, this is where liners are your new best friends.

The main benefits of lining your wooden hot tub are to prevent water from leaking due to the expansion and shrinkage of the wood through temperature changes and to prolong the life of the wood. The most common types of hot tub liners are:

• Polypropylene
• Fibreglass
• Acrylic

The question we’re asked is ‘How long does a hot tub last for?’ but we think a better (and more honest) question is ‘How long will a hot tub look great for?’ as a discoloured, chipped hot tub will still work but it’s not going to be very appealing is it?

Hot tub liners each have their own array of strengths which we’ll break down here for you.

Polypropylene Hot Tub Liners

A great feature of installing a liner in your hot tub is how much more comfortable it makes the interior of your hot tub to sit in. Polypropylene isn’t as strong as acrylic, but moulding the Polypropylene liners over the frame and benches of the hot tub means that the timber underneath provides additional support to the liner.

Having a polypropylene liner in your wooden hot tub reduces the interior cleaning process from a scrub to a convenient wipe-down whilst retaining the exterior beauty of the wood and the wood-fired simplicity of heating the water. You can expect a good quality polypropylene hot tub liner to last 7 to 10 years.

Polypropylene liners are available on the Royal Tubs Ofuro Hot Tub models in 1.5m and 1.6m which can be fitted with internal or external stoves depending on your preference. While we’re on the subject of easier maintenance, it’s worth noting that the external stoves also make cleaning the interior of the hot tubs much easier as there is more room inside the tub.

Fibreglass Hot Tub Liners

Fibreglass liners are also moulded ergonomically within the hot tub frame to make sitting in your relaxing home spa more comfortable. Not only does a fibreglass liner bring this additional comfort but it turns the interior surface of your hot tub into a much glossier one, more like a bathtub which makes cleaning super easy with no awkward-to-reach corners.

Because these liners are stronger and easier to mould, fibreglass liners can be shaped to allow internal integrated stoves with these models so you can opt for external or internal stoves according to your preference. Besides being neat which provides much easier access for cleaning, these stoves are attractive and really complement the quality of your stunning hot tub – you can see what your options would look like here on the Ofuro 1.9m hot tub.

Good quality fibreglass hot tub liners will last an average of 10 to 15 years so not only will this keep your hot tub looking great, but that’s a LOT of time saved over that many years by significantly reducing time spent on hot tub maintenance. 

Acrylic Hot Tub Liners

Last but most definitely not least are acrylic liners. These have been the most popular choice with Royal Tub customers for some time now and it’s not difficult to see why. Acrylic liners offer the same features and benefits as fibreglass, such as an attractively glossy finish to make cleaning much easier and an ergonomic shape to make them really comfortable when relaxing in the tub’s warm water. 

Where acrylic really shines is how robust they are which makes them less prone to scratching and chipping. This makes acrylic liners the perfect choice for your hot tub at home, but even more so if you have hot tubs for guests in your Airbnb, guest house or commercial premises. The additional strength of acrylic comes into play when many more people are using the hot tub as an acrylic liner can easily accommodate up to 10 people with no flex.

Acrylic hot tub liners are also much more resistant to ultraviolet degradation and can cope with the use of chemicals in the water to prolong how long the water remains clean.

This particularly benefits hot tubs which are being purchased for commercial use as the last thing you need on your luxury hot tub is rapid discolouration. You want your beautiful hot tub to stand the test of time don’t you? Especially as we offer acrylic liners available in multiple colours such as white, blue or grey on the Deluxe Hot Tub Model which you can view here. Acrylic is much easier to customise than polypropylene and fibreglass too so please do ask if you can’t see what you’re looking for as let’s be honest – if your hot tub is going to last a decade, you want to love how it looks don’t you! Well, we say a decade but you can expect your acrylic hot tub liner to last 15 to 20 years.

One last bonus we’d like to mention about choosing acrylic for your hot tub liners is that they are often backed with an additional supporting layer. Not only does this add further strength but it helps to retain heat for longer – so even more relaxation time in the comfort of your own hot tub – with hot being the operative word!

It’s obvious to see why acrylic liners are stealing the show, but whichever option you choose, you can rest assured that adding a liner to your hot tub will extend its use and looks by years. 

We hope this whistle-stop tour of hot tub liners has helped you see which would be the perfect hot tub liner for you, but if you have any questions at all, please feel free to get in touch here or call us on 01536 606040 as our team are always happy to help with any questions you may have.