Internal, external, or integrated wood burner
Still not sure which type to go for? We understand, it can be one of the most difficult decisions when choosing your wood fired hot tub.
Internal wood fired burners, where the burner sits directly in the tub with it's occupants, are typically the most efficient way to heat your hot tub water. As the furnace has maximum contact and surface area with the water, this typically causes the water temperature to increase quickest out of the three major setups. The internal burner is typically separated from the occupants by a wooden fence, although it is still in close proximity and would not be best suited to those who intend to use the tub with children. Another consideration with the internal burner types are that the furnace takes up considerable room in the tub, meaning less room for occupants. These tubs are ideal though as they represent the best value for money for a majority of users.
Next are the external wood burner hot tubs. The heater is separated from the tub via pipes and leaves the fibreglass shell of the tub looking most similar to that of a traditional jacuzzi, as there is no sacrifice of space in the tub for an internal or integrated burner. These external burners can be located away from the tub for safety, or due to lack of space. One consideration with external heaters are that depending on the distance away from the hot tub, the heat loss can be greater than internal or integrated designs, which means more firewood and longer heating times. External circulation pumps can help with this, and external burners are very popular due to their versatility.
Finally, integrated burner designs represent the most popular choice, due to their compromise of internal tub space and minimal footprint in the garden. They are usually considered the most sleek and visually impressive in terms of the design, and offer lower levels of heat loss than external heaters, whilst saving room for extra people in the tub.