FAQ's

Our hybrid technology means you never have to compromise between the raw, off-grid romance of a traditional wood fire and the effortless convenience of a modern electric spa. Your tub features two independent heating engines built into a single unit. You can use firewood to rapidly boost the temperature from scratch on a Friday night, and let the smart electric thermostat maintain it at a perfect 38 degrees Celsius all weekend long while managing automatic filtration cycles.

Yes, the system is completely flexible. If you are entirely off-grid or don’t have a 15-Amp circuit close to your garden layout, you can use the integrated wood burner exclusively for your heating needs. Alternatively, if you don’t feel like lighting a fire during a busy weeknight, you can rely solely on the smart electric element to bring the tub to temperature.

Heating times depend on your starting water temperature and the density of your firewood. From a cold tap start of around 12 to 15 degrees, a well-stoked hardwood fire will bring the full volume up to a perfect 38 degrees in about two to three and a half hours. If you choose to heat the tub from scratch using the electric element alone, the temperature will rise more gradually at a rate of roughly 1.5 to 2 degrees per hour.

You should always use clean, dry, seasoned hardwoods like Ironbark, Blue Gum, or Jarrah. Hardwoods burn hotter, cleaner, and much longer than softwoods like pine, which tend to create excessive smoke and soot buildup in your flue. Typically, a single soak from scratch will require about one to two standard split logs to establish a coal bed, followed by a few smaller pieces to maintain the ambient temperature.

Our hybrid tech packs feature smart app integration and built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. As long as your hot tub can reach your home Wi-Fi network, you can monitor your current water temperature, adjust the target thermostat, trigger filtration cycles, and turn on the integrated LED lighting or hydrotherapy jets directly from your smartphone while sitting at the office or heading home from away.

The lower sections of the stainless steel chimney flue do become very hot to the touch when the wood burner is active. Because safety is paramount, every Andes Hot Tub package includes an integrated stainless steel heat guard that wraps around the lower section of the flue, alongside an insulated top cap to prevent accidental contact injuries while navigating the deck.

Traditional acrylic, plastic, or vinyl hot tub linings degrade over time under the harsh Australian sun, leading to micro-cracking, fading, and chemical staining. We build our interior cores from premium 316 marine-grade stainless steel because it offers unparalleled resistance to chlorides, pitting, and structural wear. It provides a striking, architectural aesthetic that won't warp, crack, or dry out, allowing us to back the core with an industry-leading 50-year structural warranty.

Because stainless steel is completely smooth and non-porous, bacteria, body oils, and organic grime have nowhere to stick or hide. Cleaning is exceptionally straightforward compared to standard textured plastic tubs. When you drain the water for a routine change, a quick wipe down with a soft microfibre cloth and a mild, non-abrasive detergent is all it takes to bring the shell back to a pristine, mirror-polished finish.

We strongly advise against converting your tub into a saltwater system. While 316 marine-grade stainless steel is highly resilient, constant exposure to extreme salt levels combined with high temperatures can cause microscopic pitting over a long timeline. For standard water treatment, traditional chemical sanitizers should be used sparingly. Our built-in automated filtration and ozone purification suites do the heavy lifting, allowing you to maintain safe water with a fraction of the chemicals used in a standard spa.

Don't panic; this is rarely actual structural rust. In the pool and spa industry, this is known as tea staining or surface contamination. It typically occurs when tiny airborne iron particles from garden tools, nearby construction, or even impurities in your local tap water land on the steel and oxidize. It can be easily wiped away using a specialized, non-abrasive stainless steel cleaner or a light paste of baking soda and water.

The stainless steel shell takes on the exact temperature of the water it holds. When the tub is filled and heated to 38 degrees, the metal simply feels like a warm, supportive extensions of the water itself. Because the entire outer core is wrapped in thick, high-density structural insulation and sealed within timber cladding, external weather extremes won't affect how the interior surfaces feel against your skin.

Our tubs are equipped with an advanced Water Clarity Suite that runs automatically in the background. A dedicated, low-velocity circulation pump continuously pulls water through a heavy-duty physical cartridge filter to trap fine debris. As the water returns to the tub, it passes through an inline venturi injection system connected to a high-output Ozone Generator, which naturally destroys organic contaminants, bacteria, and viruses on contact.

In an old-school wood-fired tub without a pump or filter, the water must be dumped every two to three days to prevent it from becoming stagnant and unsafe. Because our hybrid models feature full commercial-grade filtration and automated ozone treatment, your water stays crystal clear for months. Under standard family use conditions, you will only need to refresh the water every three to four months.

To keep your water comfortable and protect your components, you should spend a couple of minutes once a week checking your water with standard testing strips. The most critical level to monitor is your pH, which must be kept between 7.2 and 7.6. Keeping your pH balanced ensures your sanitizers work efficiently, prevents skin or eye irritation, and keeps the water completely neutral for the stainless steel core.

While our automated ozone generator significantly reduces your reliance on harsh chemicals by sanitizing organic material, you still require a small baseline level of a registered residual sanitizer (like low-dose chlorine or an approved silver-ion conditioning system) to protect against bacteria introduced by bathers. This dual approach gives you the cleanest possible water with minimal chemical odor or skin dryness.

The external envelope of your hot tub is wrapped in premium, certified spliced cedar cladding, selected for its natural thermal insulation properties and resistance to rot and insect damage. Left entirely untreated, cedar will slowly and gracefully weather over the years into a beautiful, silver-grey architectural patina that blends into natural landscaping. If you prefer to maintain the rich, warm red timber tones, we recommend applying a high-quality, UV-stabilized outdoor timber oil once or twice a year.

Natural variation, minor surface checking, and hairline texture changes are entirely normal characteristics of premium outdoor timbers exposed to changing weather conditions. Cedar naturally expands and contracts slightly as humidity and temperatures shift throughout the seasons. These cosmetic movements do not affect the internal structural integrity of the heavy-duty framing or the waterproof stainless steel core.

Every Andes Hot Tub comes standard with a custom-fit, marine-grade insulated thermal cover. Heat naturally rises, meaning an uninsulated or poorly fitted cover is the number one cause of energy loss in any outdoor spa. Our lockable covers seal tightly around the perimeter rim, locking the heat inside between uses so that the electric element only needs to draw a minimal amount of power to keep the water warm and ready for your next session.

No, you must never place a hot tub directly onto grass, soil, or soft sand. Over time, the immense weight of the water will cause the ground to shift, tilt, or settle unevenly, which places uneven structural stress on the components. Additionally, constant direct contact with moist earth can restrict essential airflow beneath the timber cladding, leading to premature moisture trapping and timber rot.

The gold standard foundation is a flat, perfectly level reinforced concrete slab with a minimum thickness of 100mm, poured over a stable base. Alternatively, you can use a professionally engineered timber deck or an incredibly well-compacted, level crushed rock pad framed by solid timber sleepers. The key requirement is that the surface must be completely level and incapable of shifting under full load.

This is the most critical calculation for your site planning. Our 1.8m Puma has a total filled weight of roughly 1.6 to 1.8 tonnes, while our flagship 2.1m Condor has a total filled weight of approximately 2.2 to 2.4 tonnes when loaded with water and up to 7 adults. If you plan to install your hot tub on a deck, balcony, or elevated platform, you must have a structural engineer confirm that the framework is reinforced to support these loads safely.

Because our hybrid tech pack includes a high-output circulation pump, a dedicated hydrotherapy massage pump, and a 3kW smart electric heating element, it cannot be plugged into a standard residential 10-Amp outdoor power point. Your installation requires a dedicated 15-Amp, single-phase outdoor circuit protected by a residual current device (RCD), hard-wired into an external isolation switch by a licensed electrician.

No, there is no permanent plumbing connection required for water supply. You simply fill the hot tub using a standard garden hose dropped over the rim, which takes around 45 to 90 minutes depending on your household water pressure. When it comes time to change the water, you can connect a standard hose to the internal drain valve located behind the timber access panel to direct the drainage toward an appropriate council-approved waste point.

Your hot tub will arrive at your property fully pre-assembled, factory-plumbed, and pre-wired on a single structural pallet. Standard delivery is kerbside or driveway via a tailgate truck. Because these units weigh between 250kg and 430kg dry, moving them around tight side gates or down steep pathways onto a rear deck usually requires local specialized equipment. If your site has restricted access or steps, we will work with you during the quoting phase to coordinate a local hiab truck or crane operator to lift the tub directly into its final position.

In almost all Australian states and territories, any outdoor structure capable of holding water to a depth greater than 300mm is legally classified as a swimming pool or spa. This means your installation may be subject to local council building approvals and mandatory pool fencing and barrier laws. Because regulations vary significantly between local government areas, you must independently verify your local council’s specific safety barrier and boundary setback rules before finalizing your site layout.

We back our craftsmanship with an ironclad warranty suite: a 50-year structural warranty on the stainless steel core, a 2-year warranty on the cedar cladding, and a 2-year warranty on all pumps, digital controllers, and electronic components. If you experience a technical issue, simply submit a claim through our support portal with photos or videos. If a component requires physical attention, our local Australian support team will coordinate an authorized technician to attend your site and resolve the issue under our warranty terms.

Unlike traditional all-wood hot tubs that will shrink, dry out, and develop massive leaks if left empty, our premium stainless steel core means you can leave an Andes Hot Tub completely empty for as long as you like without causing any structural damage to the shell. If you plan to leave the tub empty for an extended period, simply ensure the internal pipes are fully drained to prevent stagnant water or freeze expansion during cold winters, and keep the insulated cover locked in place.

Because we prioritize small-batch manufacturing excellence and premium material sourcing over mass production, our popular container allocations often sell out in advance. To secure your priority position in our upcoming production run, you can fill out the consultation form on our product page. Our team will review your site logistics, provide an all-inclusive freight and delivery quote, and lock in your deposit to reserve your unit on the next incoming shipment.