Whirlpool tub advice needed

[belle&beast]

We are planning an addition to begin in August and DH wants me to decide on the bathtub for our new master bathroom. I want a large whirlpool tub and many people have told me they are not worth the hassle of cleaning and many times they clog. I still want one and have been looking at different types of tubs. I have found the Sanijet and Bain Ultra which are both "pipeless" which would eliminate clogging. Does anyone have any experience with either of these tubs?

 

[golfgal]

I don't have any experience with either of those, we have a Jacuzzi brand. I have never had it clog. Cleaning it is somewhat of a pain (it is a 2 person size tub). My suggestion is to get a sprayer for cleaning. They now have pull out sprayers like you see in kitchen sinks-get one of those. I love our tub. It gets used quite often, usually at least once/week or so by someone. I am looking forward to soaking in it shortly to soak my tired, tired feet from our vacation.

 

[denisem]

I'm not familiar with your brands, nor did I have a problem with "clogging" with my former whirlpool tub. If building, I'd probably get another one for resale purposes. Let me explain:

Used mine on a daily basis after moving in. Even IF cleaning the tub & jets are the LAST thing you feel like doing when you climb out of a relaxing soak.

But after awhile, the novelty wears off. Used occasionally...even with best efforts, there'd invariably be stinky, standing water residue in the pipes. So we had to run a cycle BEFORE soaking. And still clean the tub afterwards.

Pleasure has it's price.

 

[RUDisney]

We use our whirlpool tub about once a year.

We use our hot tub that is outside at least once a week.

If you're doing this for resale value on your house, get a whirlpool. If you're doing it to actually use it, get a spa for outside. The most fun time to use it is when it's snowing. I used to put the kids' snowsuits on and my bathing suit on. They'd stack snowballs on the side of the tub and I'd throw them.

 

[belle&beast]

I'm not familiar with your brands, nor did I have a problem with "clogging" with my former whirlpool tub. If building, I'd probably get another one for resale purposes. Let me explain:

Used mine on a daily basis after moving in. Even IF cleaning the tub & jets are the LAST thing you feel like doing when you climb out of a relaxing soak.

But after awhile, the novelty wears off. Used occasionally...even with best efforts, there'd invariably be stinky, standing water residue in the pipes. So we had to run a cycle BEFORE soaking. And still clean the tub afterwards.

Pleasure has it's price.

I guess when I said clogging I meant the old water residue. I worry about our high mineral content well water- we have a softener, but we still have some problems at times.

We use our whirlpool tub about once a year.

We use our hot tub that is outside at least once a week.

If you're doing this for resale value on your house, get a whirlpool. If you're doing it to actually use it, get a spa for outside. The most fun time to use it is when it's snowing. I used to put the kids' snowsuits on and my bathing suit on. They'd stack snowballs on the side of the tub and I'd throw them.

I would LOVE a hot tub, but my DH does not like them at all and we have decided together that the bathtub of my choosing is our compromise.

 

[belle&beast]

I don't have any experience with either of those, we have a Jacuzzi brand. I have never had it clog. Cleaning it is somewhat of a pain (it is a 2 person size tub). My suggestion is to get a sprayer for cleaning. They now have pull out sprayers like you see in kitchen sinks-get one of those. I love our tub. It gets used quite often, usually at least once/week or so by someone. I am looking forward to soaking in it shortly to soak my tired, tired feet from our vacation.

The sprayer is a great idea- I'll look into it!

 

[XYSRUS]

We have well water and I don't know what all the fuss is about. You clean it like anything else you use. Never had a problem with clogging. We use our at least 3x/week. I love ours. Don't know the brand though. It's about 7 years old.

 

[Buckalew11]

I'm putting one in my new house. I chose a Pearl brand. There is something about air with this one but I don't know enough about it to say what it is, lol. Everyone oohs and ahhs about that when they see it so it must be nice enough.

My mom has a whirlpool tub that she uses several times a week. She's very active, playing tennis and hiking so she enjoys relaxing in her tub. My MIL has one and I think she's used it once, maybe.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I have had a jetted tub before and had no issues.

The only thing I would say about a jetted tub is that make sure the faucett andf overflow drain is on the side and NOT on one of the ends!

That way if two people are in it, one does not have the overflow drain sticking in your back.

Also if you can get a handheld shower deal in there that would be so awesome! For cleaning and cleaning yourself up.

 

[L107ANGEL]

We have well water and I don't know what all the fuss is about. You clean it like anything else you use. Never had a problem with clogging. We use our at least 3x/week. I love ours. Don't know the brand though. It's about 7 years old.

Same here. On a well, our is 13 years old, never a problem.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

My parents just sold their house with at 25 year old jetted tub in the master bath. Mom used it a couple of times a week and never had a clogging problem or any issues with stagnant water in the pipes. Works just like new.

 

[Tuffcookie]

I have had my Jacuzzi brand tub for about 10 years now. I have never had any problems with it. It is not a huge, soaking size tub, just a regular size tub. I like it that size because if I wanted to, I could use it every day. I absolutely love my Jacuzzi and am so glad I had it installed!

About once a month I clean the jets by adding bleach to the water and letting it circulate about 10 minutes.

One thing to consider when installing a whirlpool tub is whether or not you have a hot water tank large enough to heat the water it takes to fill these kind of tubs.

TC

 

[MoniqueU]

I have never had trouble cleaning it or it clogging but the jets are so darn loud it is annoying. I don't like loud things, I feel the same way about pergo floor just too loud for me. I use it maybe 5 times a year for 5 minutes then shut it off due to how loud it is.

 

[RUDisney]

I have never had trouble cleaning it or it clogging but the jets are so darn loud it is annoying. I don't like loud things, I feel the same way about pergo floor just too loud for me. I use it maybe 5 times a year for 5 minutes then shut it off due to how loud it is.

Have you considered using earplugs when you use the tub? Maybe that would make it more enjoyable for you... if the noise was suppressed.

 

[wall*e2008]

We have one and it has never clogged. It is more work to clean and can be harder to get in and out for smaller people. Ours is a Kohler tub.

 

[mtdevine615]

When we put our tub in last year our builder recommended we put the faucet in the corner so neither person would have it in their way but would still be able to be serviced if needed. He also told us about the hand held spray to rinse off or clean the tub. It's not that bad to clean. I think the thing is to use it more then once in a while. We also put in a Rennai water heater just for the bathroom that has worked out great. Small it fit right in the closet and we never run out of hot water. I have even taken a shower while DW was in the tub.

 

[belle&beast]

Thanks to everyone for all the input. We have had so many people tell us that they have had standing water in the pipes and that they are too much of a pain to clean that I was beginning to think that maybe they aren't the way to go. I am going to get more information on Jacuzzi and Kohler tubs, too. The Sanijet is probably still my first choice, but it seems really expensive. Thanks for the input on the faucets and water heaters, too. I think we will be installing an "on demand" water heater- not sure of the correct terminology- so it should not be a problem.

Does anyone have a tub with a heating device to keep the water warm as you soak?

 

[Disney Doll]

We did the master bath redo about 7 years ago, put in a bain Ultra. I like it. I don't use it tons, but it's nice to have when you want a soak. It does have some kind of air thing that blows out the jets. Usually within about 5 minutes after turning it off, you hear this loud whirring noise for about 1-2 minutes, some water comes flying out of the holes, life is good. The one thing I will say about ours is that it doesn't have jets that direct at certain body parts, it has a bunch of holes that cause an overall bubbling action. I like it, but some folks might not. Make sure you actually see one operate so you know the difference between jets and the Bain style jets.

And I agree wholeheartedly with the PP who said get a sprayer nozzle to clean it. They are deep tubs and the sprayer makes it a piece of cake.

 

[MoniqueU]

We just have a regular size water heater and have never had trouble with lack of hot water....
Like I said ours is perfect and easy, I just don't like the noise.

 

[serendipity]

While I can't speak directly for either tub, I can say when we moved into our house our realtor told us our jacuzzi tub would get old in about a month. Since then (three years ago) a couple of days haven't gone by without one of us taking a jacuzzi.