Air injection tubs - good or bad?

[tobysinger]

I am considering buying an Advanta Aerosens “air injection†tub by Maax, as a more hygienic alternative to a whirlpool tub. But I can’t find any discussion/reviews of this type of tub here or elsewhere on the internet, good or bad, except for one at ripoffreport.com (http://ripoffreport.com/reports/0/247/RipOff0247876.htm) which said the air cools the water too much and the heating element is not effective.

Does anyone on this site have any experience with this tub, or air-injector type tubs in general? Do they keep the water warm enough?

There is a sale on it this week at my local store, and I am trying to decide whether to buy it. Thanks for your help!

 

[Jadnashua]

I have one and like it (made by Jason International). The specs call for the air coming in to be at least 70-degrees - it moves a lot of air, so you need a vent or something to let it in. They don't have a heater, per se, they rely on the fact that the air is being compressed, and therefore is concentrating the heat (like a bicycle pump's outlet gets hot when pumping up a tire). It does feel cooler than the water, but is intended to only slow the cooling of the water, not heat it. I like a hot bath, and it's still comfortable after the normal, 20-minute cycle ends. I just start with the water hotter than some people.

Much easier to keep clean than a whirlpool, but not as vigorous a massage.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[hans_idle]

I just purchased one from BainUltra. I, too, did some research on these tubes, but mainly from an installation viewpoint. BainUltra apparently is the leader in the market, or they invented it, or something like that (the wife did all the product research, I just install it).

The one that we have has 2 heaters, one for each end of the tub. It works fairly well. I don't think I'd be able to site in it for an hour without it cooling down, but it didn't seem to cool down too much in the 30 minute cycle that it runs. Plus, it will depend somewhat on how much air is being pushed through the system.

I found a number of hits by googling "BainUltra" when I was installing the tub, and they also referenced these types of questions. Give it a try and I'm sure you'll come up with more info.

 

[Don Gwinn]

Necroposting!

I've been told that the air-injection tubs (at least the Maax Aerosens) allows use as a standard tub--soapy water and all--whereas the standard water-jetted tubs would be ruined by soap. True?

 

[Jadnashua]

Bath oils and bubble bath soaps are generally not recommended for whirlpools...since on an air tub, they don't circulate inside and could coat the passages, it normally isn't a problem.

 

[GregO]

bain ultra

+1 for the BainUltra - we installed their Thalassa55 5 years ago and are very happy with it - a contractor friend of mine introduced me to them and I'll use them again. They have some models that can get quite expensive; ours ran $1500 for only the tub. Greg

I just purchased one from BainUltra. I, too, did some research on these tubes, but mainly from an installation viewpoint. BainUltra apparently is the leader in the market, or they invented it, or something like that (the wife did all the product research, I just install it).

The one that we have has 2 heaters, one for each end of the tub. It works fairly well. I don't think I'd be able to site in it for an hour without it cooling down, but it didn't seem to cool down too much in the 30 minute cycle that it runs. Plus, it will depend somewhat on how much air is being pushed through the system.

I found a number of hits by googling "BainUltra" when I was installing the tub, and they also referenced these types of questions. Give it a try and I'm sure you'll come up with more info.

 

[fisherlb]

what about venting?

The insallation guide says youhave to have a minimum 2X4 inch vent for fresh air to be able to come in and be circulated. How/where have you done this? Mine's being installed in the next 2 weeks, and my contractor and I are puzzled by how to accomplish this. So any quick feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks-Laura

 

[hj]

air

If you have a ceiling fan there is going be be enough leakage through it and under any bathroom door to keep you from suffocating.

 

[Jadnashua]

There must be a path for air to get to the air turbine. If your tub is skirted all the way around, you won't get the performance of the thing you want unless you provide a path for air to get to it AND that source of air is supposed to be nominal room temperature (at least 70-degrees, at least with the one I have), or it may not be able to raise it sufficently to feel good. Most of the air tubs do not have a dedicated heater...they rely on the fact that compressing and speeding the air through the channels warms it up so it must not start out freezing.

If you don't have a grill or some louvers to let air move freely to the air turbine, it will pull air from inside the walls or between the floors and likely be cold air in the winter, giving you a much less comfortable bath than by design.

Keep in mind the area required will be larger than specified if you put a louver on it. You can draw the air from an adjacent room if it isn't convenient to go through your tiled areas. Also, if you make the opening too small, you may get whistles as it sucks the air in.

 

[Southern Man]

I've never had a problem with my standard whirlpool, and the wife takes lots of baths during the winter with every kind of soap, oil, cream, exfoliant, emollient, moisturizer, conditioner, shampoo, lotion, that you can think of. Every so often I fill it with warm water, about a 1/2 gallon of bleach, and squirt in some automatic dishwasher soap. Then I turn the jets on for about a half hour, drain it and rinse.

 

[rtwill]

BainUltra Review

I have had nothing but problems with my BainUltra jet tub. My tub would turn on randomly throughout the night, so I would be in bed and hear air rushing from the tub in the middle of the night. Within a year of installation the lights on the keypad stopped functioning. Called their customer service department and they will not honor their warranty. Apparently their electronics and keypads are poorly constructed. The BainUltra employee I spoke to suggested I replace the tub altogether.

 

[rtwill]

Not only are the expensive, but they are also unreliable. I have had nothing but problems with my BainUltra jet tub. My tub would turn on randomly throughout the night, so I would be in bed and hear air rushing from the tub in the middle of the night. Within a year of installation the lights on the keypad stopped functioning. Called their customer service department and they will not honor their warranty. Apparently their electronics and keypads are poorly constructed. The BainUltra employee I spoke to suggested I replace the tub altogether.