We recently finished up the mold for the hot tub that will sit on one of the side spars of the floating TriPod base if you decide to add it. It is designed to have cushions around the edge to sit and then the hot tub itself will be in the middle. We won’t cover it with a roof so it will provide a great view of the stars or a perfect spot to catch some sun.
You can see the guys working on the plug in the video below. The plug is basically a copy of what the final product will be, and then we use it to make the molds. These plugs require a lot of finishing work to make them smooth enough to release from the mold.
Since the whole surface is white, it can be hard to tell which areas have been sanded and which ones haven’t, so we draw lines on the surface with a pencil, and then when the marks are sanded off, we know it didn’t get missed. After sanding, we buff the surface because the smoother the surface, the easier it is to release it from the mold.
Once the mold is cured and ready, we have to remove the plug which is a very difficult process. The two pieces stick together very snuggly and take quite a bit of work to release. We use wedges to make a gap and then force water into that gap to help create the separation that we need. We keep working it like this until we get it to release.
The hot tub will integrate with other parts of the home as well. We are capturing heat from the incinerator toilet and using it to heat water through the heat exchanger, this can help save energy that we will need to heat water.
Once we put the hot tub into production, we will be able to produce one or two hot tubs per day, so it will be a high-volume product. We are very excited to get the first hot tubs mounted and we can’t wait for everyone to enjoy this perfect hangout spot on the water!