Whirlpool Tub questions

I'm having the bathroom gutted. It isn't very large, the current tub is five feet by 30". I'm getting a bit older and fairly physically active (tennis, swimming, biking) with assorted aches and pains and figured that a whirlpool tub might be a good idea. I just read the previous few years messages on the subject but I'm not clear on a few things.

The new tub will be 5 feet by 32", not much of a difference. It will double as a shower. Will that contribute to cleaning woes? Is it a bad idea to use a whirlpool tub as a shower? I understand that dishwashing powder is the recommended cleaner. Someone I know of who has a tub says that keeping the jets clean is a royal pain. They may not know about dishwashing powder though. I'll inform them of my finding.

As for electric, there is a line added to the house (I can see it going up the back wall) that feeds an air conditioner in the adjacent bedroom and I've read that the tub would need a GFCI line. Could it share the A/C line? Is that a code issue? I'm in New York City.

I have fuses and all the slots are taken. The house has 200 amps, according to the two big fuses so there is plenty of power. But an estimate of running another line is around $700 and I can do without that.

I've read a few comments about folks not using these after they've been installed, but nothing from folks who do use them. Is anyone actually using them? They seem to sell a lot.

Reply to
dgk
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I have two of them in my house. I use both of them on the average of once every two years. They are great for washing sheer curtains. As a bathtub, they suck. They lose heat fast, use a lot of hot water, and are a pain to keep clean. The water that stays in the jets gets skungy quickly, shooting into your next bath water. Both are Jacuzzi, both were a lot of money, and both were a total waste of money. I bought an actual hot tub for as much as one of them cost, and I like it MUCH better. Save your money, and if you want a hot tub, get a real one.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

Amen

Reply to
Charlie Morgan

Ah, so you really like it! Down in the basement I have a whirlpool attachment; my father once won it in a raffle. He's been dead for around 20 years so I'm not sure what shape it's in. It fits over the side of the tub and has one big jet that pushes the water. I used it once years ago. I'd use it more often but my tub has the cat litter tray in it. I have a separate shower.

My plan was to build a shower into the tub and move the cat litter into the old shower (which will all be redone anyway). I figure that the shower will keep the litter dust contained and I can just run the shower to wash it away.

Ok, so the whirlpool tub seems like a bad idea. Maybe when I look here later today 150 people will have written in about how they use it all the time. In the meantime I think I'll look around to see if there are any good whirlpool attachments for when I have a bad muscle pain. It seems that they have gone out of style though.

Reply to
dgk

I'm not convinced that washing clay into your drains is really a good idea.

Reply to
Goedjn

I agree with Steve B. If you want something that works well and you will actually use, get a real spa and put it outside or in a finished basement area. I think they are far superior to the bathtub type and would go that route unless you can't for some reason.

Reply to
trader4

I use my spa a lot. I don't use either of my Jacuzzi tubs at all. I like the convenience of the spa, and when you soak in it, the heat goes down in the muscles. In the tub, you have to make the water hot, and it cools off faster, and just doesn't seem to be as relaxing for the same amount of time spent.

Like the man said, unless you have some reason NOT to have a spa, they're better than a tub.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

I'm not sure about that either. We're talking a small amount of dust from the walls and such with a lot of water. Currently I've been using the tub with a litterbox in it for over ten years. I clean it every other month or so, sweep out all the various solid grains that have fallen into the tub, and then run the water and wash away what can't be swept away. I really can't see that small amount of clay dust causing a problem.

I didn't mean to imply that I clean the litterbox every other month. I clean that twice a day.

Folks claim that some clumping litters are flush safe but I prefer to just throw it out. Supposedly flushing litter can also affect marine life negatively because of toxoplasmosis.

Reply to
dgk

...

I just finished researching how to clean a whirlpool tub and I think that put a stake through the whirlpool idea. I'm not a neatnick to begin with, and having to spend an hour cleaning the pipes a few times a month is just not going to get done.

I tracked down this thing:

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Apparently you can get them for around $50, and it's supposed to be very good for aches and pains. And, if it ever starts getting skungy, I can get another one. It doesn't seem to be as much fun as a whirlpool bath, but somehow it seems more practical. Damn but I enjoyed looking at those tubs though.

There is one company that makes pipeless tubs:

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but they start at over $2000. You get what you pay for I think.

Maybe sometime in the future I'll get a real spa thing, but it looks dead for now. Or at least it has a skin infection.

Reply to
dgk

On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 11:04:09 -0700, "Steve B" wrote: ...

I have to redo the bathroom so I figured a tub is easy as long as I'm already having the old one replaced. A real spa would be nice but the bathroom isn't big enough for one. It would have to be in the basement or outside and I don't think it's really practical. The tub idea appears dead simply because of the cleaning issue. I just keep hearing that over and over. And there are so many conflicting stories of what is safe and what isn't.

I think the Conair Thermal Spa Bath Mat looks like a nice compromise.

Reply to
dgk

I installed a Maax Picadilly Aerosens about 1 year ago I love it but it's alittle strong (no gentle air bubbles caressing you skin) for my Hubby but the shape of the tub is very comfy he almost falls asleep. I didn't know you can get a switch to adjust the strength .. .too late now. There is no water in the holes because it gets blown out about 20 minutes after you get out with no extensive plumbing.

No problem with cleaning but I am noticing alittle rust on the acrylic I cannot get off with everyday cleaners.

I do have a shower installed with mine and that was a concern of leaking for my carpenter as I was putting it in a alcove. No one told us we needed a special tiling flange ? to go around the tub....just found that out on the website after we finished tiling. :)

I did buy the skirt but it didn't fit right and had to be filed down ...very flimsy and pricey

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CathyLee

Reply to
CathyLee

I was looking at jet type baths a few months ago and it seems to me that there have been design changes which permit the water from the pipes to completely drain. We have an old Jacuzzi in our bathroom. When I used to mow my own lawn I would then take a shower and follow that with a few minutes in the Jacuzzi. Amazing how much dirt/dust it can remove from your clean skin. Now I hire someone to mow my lawn.

Reply to
Art

Have you thought about a bubble tub or air bath with a water heater? as an example don't let the price freak you out...you can do MUCH better.

Reply to
DAC

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