Power Requirements and Running CostsUpdated 2 hours ago
Every Vital+ chiller and sauna plugs into a standard household outlet, but each one needs that outlet to itself. Here’s what each product draws, what it typically costs to run, and how to keep that cost down.
The power rules (all products)
- Use a dedicated, earthed outlet. Don’t share the circuit with other high-power appliances such as heaters, dryers or pool pumps.
- No power boards or double adaptors.
- Avoid extension leads. If you must use one, it needs to be heavy-duty, outdoor-rated and rated for the product’s load, and as short as possible.
- Keep the outlet higher than the chiller, so water can’t run down the cord into the socket.
- Buy for your region. Products are wired for the country they’re sold in.
Most power faults we see, such as tripped breakers, blown fuses and a C1 code, come back to a shared circuit, a power board or a long extension lead.
Power by product
| Product | Typical running cost |
|---|---|
| Ultra X2 | ~$0.50–$1.00 a day |
| Acrylic Chiller | ~$0.50 a day |
| Ultra Max | ~$1.00–$1.50 a day |
| Ultra Ice | ~$1.00–$1.50 a day |
| XEN Sauna | ~$0.30 per 60-minute session |
| XEN Duo Sauna | ~$0.45 per 60-minute session |
| SaunaPod Infrared | — |
| SaunaPod Steam | — |
Running costs are estimates and depend on your electricity rate, climate, water volume, set temperature and how often the lid is off. Your own bill may be higher or lower.
Why chillers cost more on some days
A chiller uses the most power while it’s pulling the water down to temperature. Once it gets there, it switches to standby and only restarts when the water warms by a set amount. So the biggest drivers of cost are anything that adds heat: a hot day, direct sun, an open lid, a fresh fill of warm water, and frequent sessions.
How to keep running costs down
- Keep the lid on whenever you’re not in the tub. This makes the single biggest difference.
- Shade the tub and chiller. Direct sun on either one makes the chiller work harder.
- Give the chiller its 100 cm of clearance on all sides, so it can get rid of heat efficiently.
- Don’t chase the coldest setting. Each degree lower adds running time. 10–15°C delivers most of the benefits.
- Ultra X2 owners: leave the temperature band (P1) at its 2°C default. Setting it tighter, such as 0.1°C, makes the compressor start and stop far more often and uses more power.
- Rest it, don’t switch it off at the wall. Switching off completely means the chiller has to pull the water back down from scratch, and still water also turns murky within a few days. On chillers that heat (Ultra X4 and up), rest at a neutral temperature close to room temperature rather than a high one.
- Schedule it. Let the chiller cool when you need it and rest when you don’t. See Scheduling and Advanced Chiller Settings.
- Keep filters clean. A blocked filter reduces flow, so the chiller runs longer for the same result. See Filter Maintenance Full Guide.
Breaker tripping or the chiller cutting out? Stop and check the power setup before anything else. See Chiller Power Alarm (C1) and Replacing a Blown Fuse. If your RCD/GFCI keeps tripping, don’t keep resetting it. Contact us with a video of the unit's behaviour.