Can anyone recommend whirlpool bathtubs to consider? (1 Viewer)

Hey everyone!


I am about to remodel my bathroom and was considering replacing my tub with a whirlpool tub. Does anyone have any experience with certain brands?

My tub is small: 5' X 32". And I need to also be able to take showers in it. (Basically it can't be so goofy shaped that I have to become a contortionist to shower in it.)

I'd appreciate any help you can give me.

George

We have a 5' air tub. It's made by Bain Ultra and we really enjoy it. It also doubles as a shower for us. They make different shapes and sizes. Check out air tubs as opposed to whirpools as they are more sanitary. It cleans itself out after each use. Only downside is they are more expensive.

I've never had one myself, but a friend of mine had one that he ended up taking out in favor of a regular tub. It seems that if they did not use the jets often enough, the water that sat in the jet tubes grew some nasty green algae that would cause quite a grewsome sight when the tub was full of water and they turned the jets on. Green algae everywhere, ewww. I would imagine a self cleaning model that Ken recommended would take care of that issue.

Ken,

How different is the feel of an airtub as opposed to a whirlpool?

Thank you,
George

Phillip,

That's gross! Some of the models I was considering had pipes that are supposed to fight that kind of thing. I wonder how well that works in practice though. Definitely something to consider.

Geo

The air tub is quite different but we like it. To be honest I've only used it a few times. My wife loves it though. It's air that goes through instead of water, another reason why it's more sanitary. There are many smaller holes that the air goes through so it's a neat feeling. You can also control the intensity from 5% to 100% and ours has heat in the backrest (which is nice too). The only thing I noticed was that the air coming out of the small holes seems to be cool. Not sure if they are all like this ? It's not too bad if you have the water really hot before getting in though. You're best bet is to find a place that has them and check them out in person if you can.

We don't hardly ever use ours, its a time thing, most of the time its showers as were always on the run.:frowning: Also, it take a lot of water to fill it to the point that the jets will work, consider this! We have even considered taking it out too in favor of those old looking (new) claw foot tubes.

I've recently looked into replacing my whirlpool tub due to the nasty water issue. Unfortunately there is only one company that makes a whirlpool tub that doesn't suffer the nasty water issue Sanijet. Even the air tubs can be susceptible to the problem due to the fact that when you drain the tub some water is left in the orifices that the air comes out of, and the orifices are too small to get in and clean. Also many of the bigger name brands claim that their tubs completely drain when they really don't. It all comes down to water left standing in areas of the tub that you can't clean out due to inaccessibility. Here's an enlightening article from the Dallas Observer. If you do a google search on the subject the brand Sanijet is referenced over and over.

John,

our Air tub has a feature that causes air to be blown out of the orifices (by default 10 mins after bath but can be changed). I would figure that this would clean out any water that may have gotten in there. I can't really say if it works 100% becuase we've only had it for a few months but it seems to be doing well. So far so good.

Check this link out that talks about the hygiene of the Bain Ultra air tubs. They also have a 20 year warranty which is nice.

http://www.bainultra.com/better_way_...enefits_03.htm

Ken,

Can I ask which model you have? Is it the Thalassa? I must admit, that article has pushed me more towards the air tub than a normal whirlpool. But, I will also check out the Sanijet site.

George

Yes we have the Thalassa 50 (5ft). Good luck in your remodel. And don't forget the in-ceiling speakers

We went with the Neptune 2 from MTI. One of the my wife picked out when designing the house. We special ordered it with every bell and whistle you could add. Including upgrading to dual 3hp motors and a heater. That required extra wiring from the breaker box (other side of the house).

-Robert

That's good to hear about the Bain Ultra. I've got one sitting in my garage waiting for my 2nd floor addition to be finished. We have the Thassala 55. Ordered it from Homeclick.com best price, free shipping and great customer service from homeclick.

I also can highly recommend the Bain Ultra I have the Primo Duo Model and the family loves it.

Wow, the evidence is piling up towards a Bain Ultra tub. But, I'm still going to investigate more options.

Thanks for the continuing suggestions!
George

We put in a jaczzi when we started our remodel about 9 years ago. I did most of the work myself but had help from a plumber putting the tub in and moving the water lines.
The motor had been slowing down lately so I pulled it this last Sunday so I can have it looked at and serviced. Much cheaper then calling a plumber to do that ( and will drop it off at the same motor place}

Make sure you put in an access panel so you can service the thing.
Never had a problem with dirty water in 9 years.
They are pretty expensive tubs but we found a good deal on it and I would say they are well worth it.
Good Luck
Grant

Grant,


What brand a model do you have? How often do you use it? Maybe I won't have to worry too much about the standing water if we use it often enough.


Or......

If I go with a Bain Ultra, Ken, how cold does that air feel? This is the biggest thing holding me up right now. I see that the Neptune's have heated air, but they might be just out of my price range.

Thanks everyone,
George

The air is not that cold, I'd say more "cool". It's just not as hot as the water in the tub I guess... It's too bad you couldn't demo one before buying, that would be the best but probably not an option.

One recommendation I would make:

Build a backsplash on the back side of the tub (unless it's against a wall). We didn't and even with the tub on a low setting sometimes the water will deflect off your back side and splash out of the tub.

We have been told that the feeling of the coolness of the air is similar to the effect of getting out of the tub and turning the hairdryer on yourself. Even though the air is heated, your skin still feels a little cool until your skin is dry, which of course in the tub you won't be dry.

MarMel is right... I found this in the FAQ on the BainUltra website:

The air coming from the air channels seems to be cold. Is this normal?
The air coming from the air channel is warm, but it is possible that you might perceive it as cold. This sensation is perfectly normal. In fact, it is equivalent to the cooling effect felt when a fan is turned on in a room where the temperature is relatively high. This phenomenon can also be experienced during a fast bicycle ride on a hot summer day.

To check that your ThermoMasseur turbine is functioning correctly, simply start the system and place your hand on the headrest. If you feel heat spreading across the headrest, your turbine is running normally.

There is another way to check your system. Adjust the temperature of the headrest to maximum and place your finger directly on one of the
air jets. If the system is running normally, you should feel the heat from the air jet.