Dundalk LeisureCraft Cedar Hot Tub User manual

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Dundalk LeisureCraft
Cedar Hot Tub Assembly
Instructions
Introduction:
Thank you for selecting a Dundalk LeisureCraft Tub! Your
tub will rovide many years of soaking enjoyment.
Assembly will be easier if you follow the correct sequence
of ste s and use the ro er tools. Please take the time
to read the instructions completely and carefully before
starting the assembly process.
How wooden tubs hold water: The tub is assembled dry.
Because dry wood will swell a significant amount when
saturated with water, all of the joints compress tightly,
allowing the tub to hold water.
Special note: It is im ortant to kee the tub floor and side
staves stored in a dry lace until assembly time. If the tub
gets wet rior to assembly, the wood may swell to a larger
size making assembly much more difficult and slow the
sealing of the tub.
Section 1: Packing List
Locate the acking list from the outside of the shi ing
crate to identify and confirm that all items are included. A
co y of the acking list is inside the ackaging. See Figure
1.1 to hel identify the major arts.
Figure 1.1: Benches, Joists, Sta es, Floor panels
Section 2: Tools and Supplies eeded
A few basic tools and items are needed to com lete the
assembly of your new tub. Gather what you will need
before you start.
Figure 2.1 tools required
A large rubber mallet
Small ta e measure
Screw gun or cordless drill
#2 Phili s bit for screw gun or cordless drill
Car enters’ level (2’ or longer)
15/16” o en end, socket, or crescent wrench
Vise Gri liers
Caulking gun or squeeze tube of clear silicone
Medium sized i e wrench
Section 3: Site Preparation
Before assembling your tub, re are a suitable s ot for it.
Hot tubs will weigh from 1500 to 8000 lbs when full of
water - so a stable foundation is essential. You must
rovide for good drainage and a solid foundation.
Outdoor installation: Good drainage is vital so that water
from s lashing, overflow, cleaning and draining o erations
can be carried away from the site.

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There are four basic styles of foundation for your tub. You
may consider a concrete ad, a gravel ad, iers made of
concrete or treated wood, or a deck.
3.1 A concrete ad forms an excellent base for your tub. A
ro erly oured 4” reinforced ad will be stable and
resistant to frost heave. Size the ad so that the sides are
about as long as the diameter of the tub. Exam le: For a
tub 6’ in diameter, our a 6’ x 6’ ad.
3.2 A gravel ad can be a sim le foundation for a tub in
some cases. If the ground on the site is com act and
stable soil, sand, gravel or rock; a layer of ea gravel (or
course sand) on to can be used to establish a level
foundation for your tub. However if the soil is unstable,
soft, duffy or muskeg, a gravel ad will settle unevenly
under the weight of the tub and is not a good choice. If
you choose a gravel ad, make it larger than the diameter
of the tub by about 3 feet. Exam le: For a 6’ tub, make
the ad 9’ in diameter. The thickness can vary de ending
on how much gravel is needed to level the site. Ty ically,
2 to 4 inches is sufficient. Smooth with a rake and check
with a car enter’s level.
3.3 Another alternative is to use adjustable concrete pier
blocks as a foundation. This ty e of ier block is available
at most home im rovement stores and allows you to
adjust the level of the tub after it is in lace. Piers can be
set into the ground to make a solid foundation for the tub.
This method involves building a small but strong wooden
frame or cribbing to su ort your tub.
Ty ically four iers should be used, and the wood timbers
should be 4” x 6” or bigger. The bottom of the iers must
rest on stable material.
3.4 Another o tion is to install the tub on a deck.
Installation on a wooden deck can be a good choice. Be
sure that your deck has been designed to su ort the
weight of a full tub (1500 - 8000 lbs de ending on the size
of the tub). Have the deck ins ected by a qualified
architect or building engineer rior to roceeding.
If surrounded by a deck, the deck can hide the heating
system plumbing. If on top of deck, the beauty of the tub
can be better appreciated.
OTE: During assembly, you will need about 3 feet of
s ace all around the tub for the tightening rocess. If
necessary, assemble the tub a few feet away from its final
osition, then lift, slide or lower it into osition (with hel ).
Section 4: Tub Supports – 4x4 Joists
Time needed: A roximately 20 minutes
Im ortant! Choose a dry day to assemble your Tub.
The floor of your tub is su orted by ressure-treated 4x4
joists (included.)
Pre are the joists by laying them out as shown.
The tub floor will sit directly on these. This allows air
s ace under the tub and allows the drain enough
clearance to ass under the staves. The weight of the
tub which is su orted on the timbers. The staves do not
bear the weight of the tub! Once again: DO OT SUPPORT
THE WEIGHT OF THE TUB O THE BOTTOM OF THE
STAVES. The flat floor of the tub should be directly on the
joists.
Fig. 4.1
Use your level to get the joists level in all directions. Joists
must run er endicular (at right angle to) the floor seam.
See Figure 4.1 for the ro er osition. Take care that
they do not interfere with the referred osition of the
floor drain. If necessary move the joists slightly. It is not
necessary to glue or nail the joists in lace.
Fig. 4.2

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Section 5: Floor and Drain Assembly
Time needed: a roximately 20 minutes
Install the floor drain at this time in the recessed hole in
one half of the floor. The recess is in the to side of the
floor. Put a medium sized bead of silicone around the
corner of the recessed hole, and a small amount on the
threads of the drain (Figure 5.1.) Sli the drain in lace
with the rubber gasket on the to side (inside the tub) and
tighten the large nut underneath hand tight. Finish with
1/2 turn with a i e wrench - do not over tighten!
Fig. 5.1
Fli the floor section over and tighten with channel-lock
liers. Do not over-tighten.
Section 6: Floor Assembly
Time needed: a roximately 20 minutes
Attach the two halves of the floor to each other at this
time. Lay the two halves u side-down on the joist.
O tionally, a ¼” bead of silicone caulking can be laid across
the floor seam before the two halves are joined. Make the
two edges exactly flush and insert a 2½” Kreg Screw into
the edges on both sides of the floor seam as shown below
in Figure 6.1.
Fig. 6.1
Finish fastening the two floor halves with 2½” Kreg screws
into redrilled holes along both sides as shown in Fig 6.2.
Fig. 6.2
Section 7: Staves
Time needed: a roximately 45 minutes.
The staves are the vertical boards that make u the sides
of the tub. Set the s ecial stave with the holes for the
heater hose at the osition where the heater will be so it
can be inserted there during assembly.
Fig. 7.1
Start lacing the staves with the dado (groove) over the
edge of the floor, as shown in Fig. 7.1.
AS YOU PROCEED - Check the edges of each stave and
remove any dirt or wood particles that could interfere
with a good seal.
The first stave should straddle the floor seam. Use your
rubber mallet to ensure that all staves are tight together at
the seams, but do not make them tight against the edge of
the floor. Leave a s ace between the edge of the floor and
the bottom of the dado, as shown. Use the encil line
circle on the floor as a guide.
Continue inserting staves all around, each time making
sure the edges to be joined are clean and free of articles,
that each new stave is ta ed snug against the revious
stave all along the joint, and that you continue to follow
the scribe line on the floor.
Don’t forget to insert the s ecial stave with the holes for
the heater hoses in line with where the heater will be

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ositioned. The other lace that needs s ecial attention is
the o osite end of the floor seam. It must be straddled
by a stave. You must avoid having the floor seam line u
directly with a seam between staves. Make sure that the
floor seam is no closer than about one inch to the seam
between the stave that straddles it and its neighboring
stave.
Insert the final stave. It will be somewhat tight. You might
have to ta the surrounding few staves outward and a art
slightly to make enough room to slide the final stave down
into lace and get it’s dado over the edge of the floor (Fig
7.2 - 7.4).
Fig. 7.2
Fig. 7.3
Fig. 7.4
Section 8: Compression Straps
Time needed: a roximately 15 minutes
Once all the staves are in lace you are ready for the
bottom com ression stra . Locate the aluminum alloy
com ression stra s. They su ly the external force
needed to bind the staves and floor together into a rigid
water-tight tub.
Locate the three sets of 12”x ½” stainless steel threaded
rods and nuts for tightening the stra s. Assemble the
stra , threaded rod and nuts off the tub, and sli the
assembly over the to . Rotate it around the tub until the
tightening hardware is where you want it to be when
finished. Measure 2” from the bottom of the staves to the
bottom of the stra (it is im ortant to osition the centre
of the stra directly over the centre of the dado), and turn
the nuts with a ¾” wrench until the stra is just snug
enough so that it will stay in lace.
Assemble the other stra s, and sli them into lace with
their tightening hardware rotated so that it is offset from
the one below as shown in Fig. 8.1. Snug them u as
before just enough so that they won’t slide out of osition.
Fig. 8.1 Proper placements of straps and bolts. Note how
bolts straddle a seam between sta es and are staggered.
As with the bottom band, measure 2” from the edge of the
staves to the edge of the band. This is not as crucial as the
recise ositioning of the bottom band, but for symmetry,
make it the same distance from the ends of the staves.

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Fig 8.2
Section 9: Tightening
Time needed: approximately 30 minutes
This ste is best done with two eo le, however it can be
done with one. Look inside the tub and check that any
ga s between staves are evenly distributed around the
circumference of the tub. If necessary, use your mallet to
strike the staves from the inside using a glancing blow to
adjust the ga s around the erimeter of the tub to achieve
even distribution.
Now you can tighten each stra a little at a time - starting
with the bottom one. Tighten the staves in stages -
bottom first, then u er(s); this will be re eated several
times. One erson will be tightening the bolt clam as the
other erson uses the rubber mallet and starts on the side
o osite the bolts, ra ing each stave with moderate
force just above the lower stra where the staves and
floor join, driving them inward.
Always start o osite the bolts and do one half of the tub,
then the other. Take u the slack in the bands with the
bolts as you do this. The staves should be driven on
slowly. The object is to set the staves evenly around the
tub. Work from the o osite side toward the bolts in one
direction, then from the o osite side toward the bolts in
the other direction. In this way the tub is tightened
evenly.
Work around the tub, hitting each stave with a firm ra
right on the bottom stra . You will see each stave seat a
little tighter. After one round of tightening the bottom
stra , sto and take u slack in the u er stra (s). ote:
do not over tighten the upper straps; they do not require
as much tension as the bottom one.
Figure 9.1 Hitting sta es directly on the strap.
Check the lacement of the stra s now before things get
too tight. It is easier to move the stra s now. Use a ta e
measure to adjust the stra s so they are laced as shown
in Figure 9.2. Ste back and make sure that the stra s look
level. Adjust as needed.
Now do another round of ra ing with the mallet. This
time hitting each stave a little harder - a good full swing on
each one as your hel er tightens the bolts. Alternate
tightening each stra a little bit, so that you can kee the
tension on the u er stra s less than the bottom one.
Fig. 9.2 Hitting straps hard all around while tightening.
Figure 9.3 Using power dri er to tighten. Stop when you
see noticeable deflection of the aluminum blocks. This
indicates bottom strap is tight enough. Upper straps
should not be as tight.

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Turn your attention to the to s of the staves. They should
be lined u nicely giving a smooth interior. If any need
alignment, use the mallet to hit them inward or outward
to bring them into adjustment. Do another revolution of
hitting each stave a little harder now as the bottom stra is
tightened. Don’t be afraid to hit hard. Continue
tightening. The tub will come together and ga s will be
getting smaller.
Now do a final tightening - but don’t over-do it. The
bottom stra is ressing against the floor on the inside, so
it will reach a oint where you can tell it is tight - don’t
force it beyond that. Use vise gri liers to clam onto
the aluminum block that the bolt asses through to kee
it from twisting as you do the final tightening. Stop when
you see noticeable deflection of the aluminum blocks.
This indicates bottom strap is tight enough. The u er
stra s don’t need to be as tight as the bottom. If it feels
tight, it is. Do a final adjustment on the to of the staves
at this time. Remember - the wood will swell to tighten
all joints once water is introduced.
TIP: If you happen to ha e a torque wrench – the bottom
strap should be tightened to about 40 lbs of torque, the
upper ones to about 25 lbs of torque.
Next climb inside the tub and remove the tem orary floor
braces. With a tube of clear silicone caulk, lace a very
small ( ¼” ) neat bead all around the inside corner where
the floor and the staves meet. Use your finger or a
rounded iece of wood like a tongue de ressor to smooth
the bead. Also ut a very small bead on the to of the
floor seam. The ur ose of the silicone is to slow the
initial see age from the dry tub - allowing the wood to
absorb more water and swell more quickly. Your tub will
hold water as a result of the ex ansion of the wood,
causing the joints to com ress.
Your tub is now ready for installation of the heating
system and any other accessories.
Section 10: Accessories
1. Install any accessories in this order:
2. Heating system - see se arate instructions for your
ty e of heater
3. Benches - see below
4. Access Ste s - see below
5. Cover - see below
10.1: Benches
The bench system is sim le. They each sit on two end
brackets attached to the walls, and once su ort in the
middle attached to the floor.
Fig. 10.1.1 Rest the benches on to of the tub to attach the
bench-end su orts
Start the 2” screws into the brackets and attach the centre
su ort to the bottom of the bench (Fig. 10.1.3).
Fig. 10.1.2 Attach bench brackets with supplied 2” screws.
Make sure that the bench brackets are flush with the ends,
and about ¾” back from the front edge of the benches.
Fig. 10.1.3 Bench Brackets Flush with ends of benches, ¾”
from wall.

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By trial and error, osition the three assembled benches
into the tub, s acing them equally a art, until you’re sure
that the 2” screws will not be driven into any seams
between staves as this will cause a leak.
Fig. 10.1.4 Position the benches so that no screws will be
dri en into any seams between sta es.
10.2: Heater
Put a bead of silicone caulking under the flange of the
heater hose fitting, and fasten it with three su lied
mounting screws as shown.
Fig. 10.2.1 Fasten heater hose fitting.
Fig. 10.2.2 Attach heater hoses with gear clamps
Hook u the heater to the hoses and assemble the stack
i es on to . See manufacturer’s instructions for more
detail.
Fig. 10.2.3 Assembling the heater stack.
10.3 Steps:
If you urchased ste s from us, they are intended to be
laced next to the tub and are held in lace with two 2”
stainless screws through brackets under the to ste . Drive
the screws through the bracket under the to ste and into
the tub, avoiding cracks.
Fig. 10.3.1 Steps, Tub, Heater

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10.4 Cover:
The vinyl and foam cover is the main insulation for your
tub. It should rovide years of good service. Avoid
unctures or tears, which could allow water to get inside
the cover. If you live in a high wind area, you will need to
secure the cover so it doesn’t blow off. This can be done
by using the attached hold-down stra s or by other
means. To use the hold-down stra s, let each hang down
along the outside of the tub. Use a encil and mark the
bottom of each buckle on the side of the tub. Next
se arate the buckle (two arts) and screw the bottom art
to the side of the tub at your mark with small (1”) stainless
steel screws (included).
Fig. 10.4.1 Attaching the co er strap buckle.
Cover security: Included with the cover is a small lastic
“key” that can be used to lock the stra buckles for
security. Please note that this is not intended to revent
someone from getting in the tub. To revent children or
others from getting in the tub you will need to install the
tub in a secure area.
Fig. 10.4.2
Section 11: Finishing the Exterior of the Tub
and Steps.
You can choose to rotect the outside of your tub from the
long-term effects of sun, wind and weather, by a lying
teak oil or semi-trans arent exterior wood stain to the
outside (never the inside) and to rim of the tub. This will
reserve the beauty of cedar.
Section 12: Adding Water
If you used silicone, and it is dry (usually in about an hour),
you are ready to roceed with filling the tub. Review any
instructions included with the heating system that ertain
to filling the tub first.
Install the lug in the drain.
You are now ready to fill your tub with water for the first
time. A new tub is like a new wooden boat. It may leak
until the wood swells and the tub becomes tight. Be
re ared for a few leaks. These will slow and sto as the
wood swells. Be sure that the area around the tub drains
well.
Begin filling the tub from your water source, ty ically a
garden hose. Start by utting about 6” of water in the
tub. Sto there and let it soak for at least an hour.
Observe how the tub is holding water.
If the tub is holding water well, add additional water to
about the half full level. Once this is stable, fill to within 2
inches of the to .
If you have significant leaks, be very atient. Add water
occasionally to slowly bring the level u , a few inches at a
time. Don’t try to tighten the compression straps or hit
the staves with the mallet when the tub is full of water.
Leaking will slowly sto . As soon as the tub is holding
water well, turn the water off and check it every few
hours adding water as needed. The swelling rocess
continues for at least two weeks. It is normal for a wood
tub to dri a small amount of water.
If you have a limited water su ly - use a slightly different
a roach. Put 2 to 4 inches in the bottom of the tub to
well and seal the bottom joint. After about 24 hours,
slowly bring the level of water u . This way you can
minimize the amount of water used to seal the tub.
Warm water accelerates the swelling of wood. If the tub is
holding water well and your heater is set u , you can heat
the tub. It may take a several days to swell com letely.

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The swelling rocess continues for at least two weeks. It
is normal for a wood tub to dri a small amount of water.
Included with your tub is a bag of fine cedar sawdust. If
you have a ersisting leak after two weeks you can use this
sawdust to seal the tub.
Important: if you hooked up a filter, remove the cartridge
from the filter during this procedure, otherwise it will
clog.
Drain the tub and s read a cu or two of fine sawdust on
the floor of the tub, or alternatively, use a little water to
make a eanut butter-like aste of the sawdust and smear
some directly on the area that is leaking. Refill the tub.
As the water is added, the wood flour will be naturally
drawn to laces where the water is see ing out and
accelerate the swelling and sealing of the tub. The
sawdust is harmless and the excess will be flushed out the
first time you drain and rinse the tub. Note: It may take
more than one treatment to slow or fix the leak, but this
method works in almost every case.
The natural oils and tannins in cedar (es ecially red cedar)
will cause the water to turn tea-colored when the tub is
new. This is normal and harmless. The sweet aroma of
cedar is due to these oils. You may want to change the
water frequently at first to hel clarify the water. This
effect will diminish with time.
Section 13: Tub Safety
Your tub will give many years of enjoyment. Please note
the following general safety oints:
1. Tub safety is your res onsibility.
2. Never allow unsu ervised children to use your tub. Be
sure that a res onsible adult is in control at all times. IT IS
YOUR RESPO SIBILITY TO PREVE T ACCIDE TAL
DROW I G.
3. Hot tubs are for sitting only. Do not allow diving or
horse lay.
4. Children should use the tub at lower tem eratures
than adults. Consult your hysician for advice on hot
tubbing for children, regnant women, eo le with heart
conditions, or you have other s ecific questions
concerning health and safety.
5. Consult your hysician about recommendations
regarding your ability to soak and at what
tem erature. Never soak in water warmer than 104
degrees Fahrenheit.
Section 14: Tub Maintenance
Your tub should last for many years and require little
maintenance. Here are a few recommendations.
Kee the tub filled whenever ossible. Remember that a
wooden tub is a dynamic object and the wood will swell
and shrink with ex osure to water or lack of it. Like a
wooden boat, it will see water at first, then swell shut.
Leaving the tub unused for extended eriods of time. If
you need to leave the tub unused while on vacation or for
other reasons, drain most of the water out leaving about
3 inches in the tub. Drain the heating system including any
filters or um s in the system. Secure the cover on the
tub and wra the tub with a tar to rotect it and revent
excessive drying.
The worst thing for a wooden tub is to let it dry out. Kee
the tub filled whenever ossible. This kee s the wood
from drying out, shrinking and o ening u the seams. If
you need to drain the tub in cold weather or when you
are away for an extended eriod, leave about 3 inches of
water in the bottom so the floor seam will not dry out.
The tub will not be ermanently damaged by drying out,
but will have to swell again to hold water.
If the tub does dry out, you can check to see if the
com ression stra s can be tightened u a bit. Tighten the
bottom stra first, then the u er ones. Do not over
tighten the u er stra s - they do not get tightened as
much as the bottom one. EVER tighten the stra s when
the tub is full of water!
Freezing: Never let the tub freeze solid when full of
water!!! Since water ex ands when frozen, this will ut
enormous strain on the bottom, sides, hardware and
heating system. If you are going to be away during
freezing weather, or you want to shut your tub down
during a cold sna , follow these ste s:
1. Drain the tub down to about 3 inches in the
bottom. This amount of water will not cause freeze
damage and will kee the floor seam tight.
2. Drain all arts of the heating system. This includes
heater, i es, and anything you might have added
such as um , filter, etc.
3. If ractical, disconnect and store the heater in a
warm dry lace
If your tub develops a significant leak: Follow
these ste s in order. If the first on doesn’t work, go on to
the second, and so on.
1. If your tub develo s a leak (not just a dri ) that it
didn’t have before, something has changed. Do
some investigation to discover the cause. The most
common causes are the tub drying out after being
em ty for a eriod of time, or the su ort for the

10
tub has settled causing the tub to have an uneven
base. Check for bench block screws that may be in
seam between two staves.
2. If the tub has dried out from being left em ty, check
the com ression stra s for tightness. If the wood
has dried enough to show signs of shrinkage, it is a
good idea to take u the slack with the tightening
bolts. EVER tighten the stra s when the tub is full
of water! Tighten the bottom one rimarily. The
u er stra s should not be over tightened. Do not
force them. Do not attem t to hit the staves with
the mallet. This could cause additional roblems.
3. Check the floor of the tub with a level and ins ect
the foundation and chine joists under the tub. If the
foundation is uneven, the tub will need to be
drained and moved, and the foundation roblem
fixed.
4. Wood sawdust is one of the sim lest and most
effective ways to sto leaks. This is a technique
borrowed from wooden boat builders. The wood
dust will find its way into the leak because of the
water movement, and hel to sto the leak.
Included with your tub was a small bag of fine wood
sawdust. If you can’t find it or need more, you may
be able to find some locally at a woodsho or we
can send some to you.
Important: if you installed a filter, remove the filter
cartridge from the filter during this procedure,
otherwise it will clog.
Drain the tub and s read a cu or two of fine
wood dust on the floor of the tub, or alternatively,
use a little water to make a eanut butter-like
aste of the wood dust and smear some directly
on the area that is leaking. Refill the tub. As the
water is added, the wood sawdust will be naturally
drawn to laces where the water is kee ing out and
accelerate the swelling and sealing of the tub. The
dust is harmless and the excess will be flushed out
the first time you drain and rinse the tub. Note: It
may take more than one treatment to slow or fix
the leak, but this method works in almost every
case.
5. If the above solutions have not worked, a ly a
small amount of silicone to the leaking area on
the inside of the tub. The surface of the
wood must be com letely dry for the silicone to
adhere.
Section 15: Warranty Information
Your tub has a limited warranty for two years against
defects in material and workmanshi . This warranty
excludes damage caused by errors in assembly, normal
wear and tear, and modifications made to the tub.
The cover has a manufacturers’ limited warranty of four
years.
Heating and um equi ment has a limited warranty of
one year.
Manufactured by:
Dundalk LeisureCraft Inc Phone: [phone]
318448 8
th
Line E, www.dundalkleisurecraft.com
Dundalk, Ontario Canada www.leisurecraftusa.com
L9V 2K3