Maintaining a Water Rowing Machine: Chlorine Tablets, Water Changes, and Algae

Contents

• How do you maintain a water rower properly?
• How often does a chlorine tablet need to be added to the tank?
• Does the water in the tank need to be changed?
• What should I do if the water becomes cloudy or algae develop?
• What maintenance is needed when, and how much does it cost?
• How do you care for the wood, seat, and drive?
• Which location cuts your maintenance work in half?
• Frequently Asked Questions

How do you maintain a water rower properly?

Maintaining a water rower involves exactly two things: refreshing the chlorine level in the tank with a tablet every 4 to 6 months and keeping the outside of the machine clean and dust-free. Everything else you may read about online maintenance rituals is either unnecessary or may even cause damage.

This surprises many people considering a purchase. A tank holding eight to sixteen litres of water in the living room sounds like a hassle, with the risk of tipping over and algae growth. In practice, a water rower requires less maintenance than a magnetic rower with electronics because it has hardly any moving wear parts. The resistance comes from the water itself, which is why you adjust it on the oak water rower by changing the fill level rather than using a brake: seven levels, eight to sixteen litres.

Two figures to put the size into perspective. The tank is made of shatterproof, UV-resistant polycarbonate, not thin plastic. And a fully assembled machine weighs around 45 kilograms: 29.5 kilograms of its own weight plus up to 16 litres of water. That is why you should choose the location carefully once and then leave it there.

How often does a chlorine tablet need to be added to the tank?

Every 4 to 6 months, depending on how much sunlight the equipment gets. If the rowing machine is in a bright room by a window, use the shorter interval. If it is in the hallway or a corner without direct sunlight, six months is easily enough.

The tablet dissolves slowly and keeps the chlorine level high enough that nothing can take hold. No scrubbing, no rinsing, no descaling. You open the cap on top of the tank, drop in the tablet, and close it again. It takes less time than warming up before your workout.

One figure from our own sales data, because it describes real-world use better than any instructions: for every rowing machine we sell, customers buy around two and a half packs of chlorine care tablets for the water rowing machine. So people stock up instead of buying more later. With 12 tablets per pack and an interval of 4 to 6 months, a single pack already covers four to six years.

To be honest: after adding fresh water, you can smell the chlorine slightly for the first few days when you hold your nose over the tank. You do not notice it while rowing itself because the tank is closed.

Does the water in the tank need to be changed?

No. A water tank that is chlorinated regularly does not need its water changed. The water stays in the tank for years. If you add a tablet every few months, you will never need to empty the tank.

There are three exceptions in which you should still use the pump, and you should know what they are:

• You have forgotten to chlorinate it for over a year and the water is visibly cloudy, greenish or smells foul. In that case, one tablet is no longer enough, because it would have to fight an already established infestation.
• You are moving and do not want to carry 45 kilograms down the stairs. Empty, it weighs 29.5 kilograms, and the water flows into the bathtub instead of onto the staircase.
• The device is stored over winter in an unheated room, such as a basement, garage, conservatory or attic. Freezing water expands by around nine per cent, and a closed tank cannot withstand this pressure.

For all three cases, the water pump is already included in the box as part of the setup package. So you do not need to buy anything else, just a bucket and a little patience: sixteen litres through a thin hose take a few minutes.

What should I do if the water becomes cloudy or algae develop?

Cloudy water and algae are almost always caused by a combination of light and insufficient chlorine. Algae need light to grow, which is why a device by a south-facing window is much more susceptible than one in an interior hallway, even if both are maintained equally well.

The order for fixing it is always the same. First check whether it is cloudiness or actual green deposits on the tank wall. With slight cloudiness, one tablet and one to two weeks of patience are enough. If there are visible green deposits, the faster approach is to pump out the tank, rinse it through with clean water, refill it and chlorinate it immediately.

What you should not do: use household bleach, vinegar essence, dishwasher tablets, or pool chemicals from a DIY store. The tablets for rowing machines are formulated for the correct dosage and compatibility with polycarbonate. Aggressive products can cloud the tank, and this clouding cannot be reversed.

What maintenance is needed when, and how much does it cost?

Complete annual maintenance of a water rower takes less than twenty minutes and costs less than a lunch. Here is the calendar as it works in practice:

For a machine that remains in use for ten years, the maintenance costs come to around CHF 50. That is the real difference compared with machines containing electronics and wear parts: There is almost nothing here that can break, and if something does, replacement parts can be reordered down to the individual screw.

How do you care for the wood, seat, and drive?

You can clean solid oak with a wet cloth; nothing more is needed. No oil every six months, no furniture polish, and no microfiber cloth with cleaning product. Oak is hard and dense, and the surface is already treated when it arrives at your home.

More important than the wood are two areas that tend to be overlooked in everyday use:

• The slide rail of the seat. Dust and skin flakes collect here and gradually turn into an abrasive layer. Wiping it with a damp cloth once a month extends the rollers’ service life far more than any wood care.
• The drive and the coils. They should stay clean and dust-free. That is exactly why the detachable coil cover is included with the machine. Leaving it installed almost eliminates the need for dusting.

As for sweat: The handles have a sweat-resistant coating, and the seat has 8-centimetre-thick padding. Both can be wiped with a damp cloth, but neither should be left standing in water. If you give it a quick wipe after rowing, you will not find salt marks on the wood beneath the seat even after years.

If you are interested in why water as resistance requires so little maintenance, you will find the technical comparison in the article on water, magnetic and air resistance. And if you want to know what the workout does for your body, read about which muscles rowing really trains.

Which location cuts your maintenance work in half?

A location away from direct sunlight and in a heated room cuts your maintenance work in half because it eliminates the only two real risks: algae growth caused by light and frost damage in winter.

In Swiss homes, this is usually the more attractive solution anyway. At 210 by 57 centimetres, a rowing machine made of solid oak is not a piece of furniture you hide, and standing upright against the wall, it takes up hardly any floor space. That is exactly what our guide to wooden fitness equipment for the living room is about: equipment that can stay out is equipment that gets used.

The basement is the location that causes us the most problems. Not because of the cold alone, but because of the combination of being unheated in winter, humid in summer, and rarely visited, so cloudiness is only noticed once the water has already turned green.

A customer’s review describes what a machine that really runs every evening looks like better than any maintenance guide:

“The pull is nice and smooth, which I like. The machine has been at my place since February, and I haven’t skipped a single evening yet.”

Rolf N., 5 stars, review of the TWHEELS water rowing machine

A machine used at this pace sees more sweat than dust. That is exactly when a minute of maintenance each month is worthwhile—not for a machine that is used twice a year.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often do I need to change the water in the rowing machine?
None at all, as long as you add a chlorine tablet every 4 to 6 months. A water change is only necessary if the water has already become cloudy or green due to months of neglect, or if you move or store the machine where it is at risk of frost.

What water belongs in the tank?
Normal tap water is sufficient. Distilled water offers no advantage because the tablet prevents limescale and algae from settling anyway. More important than the water quality is not forgetting the tablet.

Can I use household remedies instead of chlorine tablets?
We advise against it. Vinegar essence, bleach, and pool chemicals are designed for different materials and quantities and can permanently cloud the polycarbonate tank. The tablets are dosed for this volume and are intentionally slow-dissolving.

How much water should go in the rower?
Between 8 and 16 liters; this is also the resistance setting. More water means more effort per stroke. For beginners, the lower half of the range is the better starting point; seven levels are marked.

What happens if the machine is kept in the basement during winter?
As long as the room remains frost-free, nothing. If the temperature drops below zero, the water freezes and expands by around nine percent. This can damage the tank. In that case, pump out the water before winter.

Does a water rower smell of chlorine?
For the first few days after adding the tablet, you can smell it slightly when standing directly next to the tank. Not during training—the tank is closed. The dosage is far below what you would find in a public swimming pool.

How do I clean the wood properly?
Wipe it down with a damp cloth and you’re done. Solid oak needs neither oil nor polish. More important is to briefly wipe the seat dry after training so that no sweat remains on the wood.

Our conclusion

Anyone who rejects a water rower because of the maintenance is rejecting a problem that does not exist. Two tablets a year, a damp cloth over the wood and rail, plus a location away from direct sunlight and frost. That’s it. Maintenance costs around five francs a year and takes less time than cleaning a coffee machine.

The only discipline you really need is adding a reminder for the tablet to your calendar. If you let chlorination slide for a year, you trade one minute of work for half an hour of pumping out the water. That is why the tablet pack is the most sensible addition to the machine: it costs CHF 25 as a one-time purchase and covers half the machine’s service life.