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Things To Consider When Ordering a Whirlpool

The staff at Northport Bath has sold and installed whirlpools since 1984.  We have sold quite a few different brands during these years and have narrowed down our whirlpools of choice to three: MTI, Aquatic and Vita.

Over the course of these years, we have helped a lot of people choose a whirlpool. It always involved our asking a lot of questions, and trying to find the correct whirlpool with the right options at the right price for our customers.

This section will try to explain many of the things you should consider when purchasing a whirlpool.

 
Size: Whirlpool length and width measurements are always taken at the widest points on the top. Depth is always from the floor where the whirlpool rests to its highest point.
Depth:  Depth is always important. The more of your body you can cover with water, the more satisfactory your whirlpool experience will be.  If you only have room for a five foot whirlpool, then a deeper whirlpool is even more important. However, deeper whirlpools require a larger source of hot water, so take this into consideration.
(TOP) Jets:  Jets come in all shapes, sizes and colors.  Very small "eyeball" type jets are not very satisfactory even if there is a lot of them. Larger jets are always a plus.  Spinning jets are even better since they create a massage-like effect.  See this Aquatic page for a good description of jets.

(TOP) Shower?  There are a few models available that are ready made for showering.  They are usually five feet long and are made to take the place of your present bath tub and have an integral tiling flange and even an integral front apron.  Some have a removable access panel for pump servicing. (See Aquatic's Santa Clara Model for a good example of this type of tub)   

However, almost any rectangular, flat topped whirlpool can be converted for showering.  Since most whirlpool edges are rolled down for platform installations, it is a good idea to have the factory install a tile flange.  A tile flange is made of plastic and is fastened by the factory to the appropriate edges of the tub and protrudes above the tub.  MTI offers a rolled up edge on most of their models, which is an even better tile flange. Either type of tile flange is cheap insurance against water rolling over the back and sides if a crack develops in the tile seal along the tub.  In this type of installation, the front of the whirlpool is open and you must come up with a way of enclosing it.  Over the years we have seen many clever ways of doing this, from tile to wood raised panels.  Also, an apron for the front may be purchased separately from the whirlpool manufacturer. 

 A regular tub/shower faucet can be used for both filling the tub and showering, but the tub will fill more slowly using this type of faucet (especially if the tub is large), and sometimes a longer spout may have to be purchased separately because the one that comes with the tub/shower faucet is normally about 5-3/4" long which may not be long enough to reach past the rim of the tub.
Aquatic's popular Santa Clara Shower/Whirlpool model. This is a perfect whirlpool for remodeling situations and it's deep, which is nice when you only have five feet of length.

This is a beautiful installation, but notice all the places water can go and not be able to get back into the tub. The shower curtain would have to be on a ring in this type of installation.
(TOP) Faucets and Faucet Placement:  It is always easier to install the faucet through the rim of the  whirlpool (use a 1-3/8" hole saw but drill a pilot hole first to prevent slippage). Many whirlpools have space on the corners to install a faucet and some center drain models have a ready made place in the middle.  Sometimes you can place the hot and cold valves on one corner of the tub and the spout on another.  Don't place the faucet against a back wall (it's almost impossible to hook up) or in such a position that you have to step into the tub to turn it on or to test the water. If there is not enough room to install the faucet on the tub, then the faucet must go on the deck and the spout must be long enough to throw the water over the rim. Plan Ahead!  Make sure there is not too much wood framing where you plan to put the faucet.  
Faucets on the deck of an Aquatic Century 24. Where is the spout? It's part of the tub (above the drain). Normally the drain and spout would be toward the entry side so you wouldn't have to reach so far to test the water or close the drain. But for display purposes, Aquatic has shown it this way.

Faucets in this picture are drilled through the tub.This is the easiest way to install the faucets and your plumber will love you. A 1-3/8" hole saw works great. Notice there is no spout on this tub either. This model has MTI's Fill Flush System which fills the tub through the jets. The odd looking gizmo between the hot and cold handles is actually a diverter valve which diverts the water over to the hand held shower wand. The hand held shower is a great option not only for showering but for washing down the tub. Unfortunately it almost doubles the price of the faucet.
Faucet mounted on the corner of an Aquatic Millennium Series Tub. Notice the diverter valve (third handle) and hand held shower.

(TOP) Hot Water:  A good sized whirlpool can use as much as 50 to 80 gallons of hot water.  How much do you have available?

  • 40 gallon electric hot water heater.  Not enough except for very small, shallow tubs. Some people hook two 40's together in series so that one heater is feeding the second.
  • 50 gal electric.  Almost passable for a really small whirlpool.
  • 40 gallon gas.  Faster recovery than electric, but really not very satisfactory unless you want to fill your whirlpool very slowly!
  • 50 gallon oil fired.  Fast recovery, but you still must fill slowly.
  • Instantaneous (tankless)  These systems heat the water as it passes through the heater and do not store it.  At a 60 degree temperature rise, they usually produce about 3 gallons of water a minute.  Not bad for a small whirlpool but a 20 or more minute wait for a large one!
  • Boiler Systems with an internal coil.  Again only 3 or 3.5 gallons per minute.  And remember, if one of your house heating zones kicks on when you are showering or filling your tub, the boiler's internal  temperature usually falls to the point where the internal coil produces luke warm water!
  • Boiler Systems with an external storage tank.  Wonderful systems and one of the most economical ways to heat hot water.  However the standard 40 gallon storage tank is still not large enough.  A 60 gallon is OK , but an 80 gallon is best.  

General:  Many people raise the temperature limit of their hot water heater so they can stretch the supply by tempering it (with cold water) back down to a usable temperature at the fixture.  This works quite well except that young children and older people may scald themselves at every hot water outlet in the house!  If you decide to do this, install a 3/4" adjustable tempering valve at the outlet of the tank to prevent scalding.
(TOP) Drains:  Whirlpools require a taller drain (because of their increased depth) than a standard tub.  We recommend a cable operated drain such as a Geberit.  Toe-tap drains, although less expensive, are not satisfactory since they protrude above the surface of the tub and the seals are almost impossible to find once they start to leak. If you have purchased a double ended tub with the drain in the middle, you must position the tub so the drain's operating control is on the entry side, not against a back wall.  You don't want to climb into the tub to operate the drain!  If you are contemplating polished brass, then definitely try to find one that is made with the new PVD (Positive Vapor Displacement) technology.  It will never tarnish.  The same goes for polished brass faucets.

(TOP) Test! Test! Test! MTI, Aquatic and Vita all test their whirlpools before they leave the factory. But shipping and job site handling may loosen connections (especially the big nuts around the pump and heater) or worse, break things. Don't let anyone carry the whirlpool by the piping (which is always tempting). This is a sure way to break things. You must re-test your whirlpool before the installation goes too far. Usually once the drain is hooked up, you can fill it with a hose and plug the pump in with an extension cord to see if everything is working correctly and there are no leaks. If it's not freezing outside, many people set the whirlpool outside on 2x4's, hook up the drain
and test it that way.

We know plenty of good plumbers and contractors, who hook everything up and never test anything until the job is complete. They must be very trusting or maybe just too busy. Usually there are no leaks and everything works out just fine. But if there are problems, ruined ceilings and floors may result and the whirlpool may have to be pulled to fix the problem. Does the whirlpool warrantee cover the cost of all this potential damage? Absolutely not! The manufacturer's warrantee states that you must re-test this tub before installing. Common sense.

(TOP)When do you need your whirlpool? Whirlpools take a while to build. MTI is very fast and you can probably receive your tub in about two to three weeks. Aquatic and Vita on the other hand take about a month. Aquatic, however, stocks quite a few models in their Next Day Ship Program. White and Biscuit (linen) are the only two colors and these units always have the optional heater. Heaters are always a good idea anyway. Check each Aquatic unit to see if it is available Next Day Ship. Also, each company offers an expedited manufacturing option, but they do charge for this.

It is always good to have the whirlpool on hand, even if it is in the garage so that you or your carpenters can measure it. Specifications are great, but there is nothing like the real thing.

If your whilpool is late, or you forgot to order it, don't panic. Whirlpools can be turned on their side to carry them through doors, up stairs and through hallways. Stand them on end to turn corners if you have to ( but do this carefully, especially with tubs that have rounded ends). There are very few places a whirlpool cannot go.

We have always waited until the sheetrocking was completed before delivering the tub to the job site. If the tub is installed before the sheetrock, or whatever the finished wall covering may be, the sheetrockers have to stand on (and in) your tub when they are doing the walls and ceiling around your tub. Same for the painters. Nothing like sheetrock screws (and other objects) being dropped in your tub and then ground in to that shiny surface. Having those little dings fixed is expensive. If the whirlpool must be set in place early, then have someone build a braced cover out of plywood so that workmen can stand on it.

If the whirlpool is going on the first floor and there is a cellar under it, it is very easy to hook up the whirlpool later. If the whirlpool is going on the second floor, there is still no reason the plumber can't get the pipes to the approximate location as long as you give him a spec. sheet. Same goes with the electrician. Once the tub is installed, the plumber can finish the rough in. Unfortunately, the plumber may have to make one extra trip to the job site to hook up the tub before any tiling or other finish work can be done.

If the plumber insists on having the tub set while he is there for the initial house rough in, you have some choices. Go ahead and set the tub, but protect it well, offer to pay the plumber for his extra trip, or find a more cooperative plumber.

(TOP)Electrical: Read the spec sheet for your tub. All but a few tubs require standard 110 volt, 15A circuits. All tubs require at least one GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter) or sometimes called a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) dedicated circuit for the pump motor. These circuits basically measure the power in and out of a device and if there is any leakage (difference) they shut off the current and need to be reset. These GFI's come in two forms. The simplest is a duplex receptacle with a test and reset buttons. These are very inexpensive and can be installed inside the access panel. MTI, Aquatic and Vita tubs all have plug in cords attached to pumps, heaters, etc. so this type of GFI works great. The other type of GFI is wired directly in your electrical panel. This type is more expensive.

Each pump motor or heater requires its own GFI circuit. The amperage of two pumps together, or a pump and a heater together, is more than one circuit can supply. One of our customers just bought an MTI tranquility with the ultra therapy package and the air system. This tub has two 2-Horse power pumps, a 1500 watt heater and an air turbine. Therefor he needed four separate circuits, one for each pump, one for the heater and one for the air turbine.

(TOP)Access Panels: Sometime in the future (maybe not for a very long time, maybe sooner) you will need to get at the pump and any controls. You need an access panel in the right place and large enough to work on everything. If the warrantee man shows up and the access panel is not large enough for him to fix your tub, he has every right to walk out and tell you to call him when the access is large enough for him to complete his task. Bigger is better.

On our own installations, we always unscrew any control boxes from the tub frame (or base) and move them to a position closer to the access panel. Don't screw them back down. They can't go anywhere. The same goes for the pump. Remove the mounting screws from the back side of the pump (the ones which would be most difficult to get at through the access panel later on)

(TOP)Pump Placement and Access Panels: Both Aquatic and MTI will move the pump to a different position on their tubs if you ask. Occasionally the new location you ask for may require the pump to stick out further than the edge of the tub which may cause installation problems.
Nice raised panels on this MTI Tranquility. One or two probably come off to access the pump, motor and heater. Notice the flat spout on the back side of the tub. To test the incoming water temperature, you would have to lean way over the tub. If you want to do this just be aware. (The flat spout in this picture may be a separate waterfall option MTI offers. The tub does not fill through this spout)
This MTI New Yorker is all tiled in. Where is the access panel? There could be a closet on one side or the other, or even in the next room directly behind the tub. If this is on the ground floor with a basement underneath, it is possible to install a panel in the basement ceiling. Remember, we can move the pump around when we order your tub so it's close to an access panel location.

(TOP)Whirlpool Heaters: This heater only maintains the temperature of the water in your whirlpool. It cannot heat up cold water in a whirlpool.

A whirlpool heater is usually about a 1500 WATT electrical device placed (in most cases) directly above the outlet of the whirlpool pump. Most are controlled by an internal flow switch. The pump must be on and water flowing through the heater for it to turn itself on. If the pump is on, the heater is on. You have no control over it. A few models (see Aquatic's Century Series) allow more control over the heater.

We recommend heaters on all but the smallest tubs. The water cools down fairly quickly in all whirlpools because of the air being mixed with the water at the jets. Once the water cools to the point it is no longer comfortable, it takes a lot of new hot water to raise the temperature to a more comfortable level. Most of the new hot water goes down the overflow of the tub! Heaters cannot be installed at a later date, so if you're going to get a heater, buy it with the whirlpool.
Here is a 1500 WATT heater in a typical installation just above the pump.

(TOP)Air Systems: This type of tub gives a wonderful all over massage. Sort of like sitting in bubbly champagne, if you can imagine that. We seem to be selling more and more of these tubs, both as a stand alone system and especially as an add-on to a conventional whirlpool.

A simple turbine preheats the air and forces it through the channels and out the holes drilled in the tub. Even though the air is heated, it feels slightly cool to your body. A control panel allows the bather to control the speed of the turbine from high to low, and has other settings such as a "wave" effect where the air slowly pulses from low to high over and over.

There are two types of air systems. The original was invented by a Canadian company and consisted of several air channels bonded to the lower sides and bottom of the tub with as many as 80 holes drilled through to the inside of the tub. They did a wonderful job marketing their system (especially to architects) and we still receive plenty of calls from contractors working on jobs where the architect has specified this brand tub. We used to sell this brand but it had always seemed way over priced to us for the materials that went into it, and still does. Since Aquatic, Vita and MTI have come up with their own versions of this system (see Aquatic's Serenity Series for models very similar to the Canadian tub, only heavier and much, much less expensive) I stopped selling the Canadian brand.

The second type of system has the same turbine and controls, but uses small tubes to carry the air to the bottom of the tub. Each tube has a check valve to prevent water from entering back into the air tube. Inside the tub, there is simply a small hole (MTI's Aria System II) or a small, flat button which sends the air out in several directions (see Aquatics Infinity Series).
A cut-a- way of one of Aquatics Serenity Series Air Tubs.

(TOP)Tub Bedding Material: Whirlpools almost always need to be set in a bedding material. In fact you will void your most warrantees unless you set your tub in mortar or sand mix concrete. Mortar is our choice of bedding materials for all whirlpools.

Read your installation manual. Whirlpools cannot hang from their rims nor are they made to be shimmed up on two by fours or shingles to get them level. A tub that holds 60 gallons of water and two people weighs 800 pounds or better. If this weight is hanging from its rim or the bottom of the tub is not supported correctly, its going to break. If the warrantee person comes to look at your cracked tub and finds that someone did not support it correctly, your simply out of luck.

Foam is not acceptable unless it is the high density, closed cell type and this foam is not available to the general public. Sheet rock joint compound is not acceptable either. Joint compound dries from the outside in, taking weeks to cure in some cases. Mortar mix or sand mix is chemically cured in a couple of hours and is very inexpensive.

Aquatic tubs and some MTI tubs have a pre-leveled base attached to their bottoms, and these tubs do not need a mortar base if the tub is sitting directly on the floor. However, if this tub is dropped in a platform, careful calculations have to made so that the tub really is resting on the floor and not partially supported by the rim. If the tub is slightly out of level, or the floor, or the platform, you may have serious problems down the road. Why take chances, put these tubs in mortar too.

Please see more on this subject in our installation section.
(TOP)Undermounting Whirlpools: Undermounting tubs in granite or solid surface materials like Corian has become very popular in the last few years. Just choose a tub that is perfectly flat across the top rim.
Here is an MTI New Yorker under mounted in solid surface material. Testing the water temperature with the spout mounted as shown would be more difficult than mounting the spout on the front. Of course then you might have to crawl over the spout to get into the tub. Faucet placement requires a little thought and sometimes a little compromise.
(TOP) Cleaning Your Whirlpool: The surface of your new whirlpool is made of acrylic and is very easy to clean with any type of home cleaner from Windex to Scrubbing Bubbles. Don't use abrasives, even Soft Scrub. They won't damage your tub, but they sure will take the shine off.