We had one several years ago, so maybe the situation has improved. I don't believe the issue is oils, etc, it's that water gets trapped in the jets and eventually gets moldy. I'll never forget getting in it one day and starting it up, to find the bathwater quickly filled with millions of flakes of black mold. Yuck.

Someone else posted here a while back that she didn't think jetted tubs were much trouble. All she had to do was fill it with clean water and bleach once a week and run it for a while. I guess this shows what a crappy housekeeper I am, but that sounds like too much work to maintain a bathtub to me.

We've had a jetted tub for at least 2 years now in the main hall bath, an AS, not a pricey one. The piping does have some type of anti-microbial agent integrated into it, I believe.
We don't use it regularly, we shower in that bathroom, the tub use is very sporadic- sometimes a few times a week, often not for a month or 2 (like in the summer).

I confess, I do not fill/clean it as recommended!

I have NEVER had anything ugly coming out of the jets when I turn it on. We NEVER use soap in the tub- just for soaking. My tub must have good pitch for draining the pipes as I do see the water draining out after draining the tub.

My guess is that the major issue is trapped water, so perhaps that has improved over the years and they are being made with better pitch to the pipes?

In our master bath, we are on the verge of installing the air bath-- I really wanted to use bubbles, oils, salts, etc...

I think I will run/clean mine today...

We had one in our old house and I think they have improved, but ours was very nasty, mainly because we did not use it often because we had to fill it to high to make the jets work. I did not want one in this house.

Thanks, everyone. We actually currently have a built-in whirlpool tub in place that is 23 years old that will be replaced in the remodel. We have never had a mold issue with it; however, it has only been used maybe a dozen times in our 14 years here because it is uncomfortable, hard to get into, and the control switch is located on a wall across the room, which causes the jets to spray the opposite wall when you get out to turn it off. I did use it a month ago for the first time in a year to soak. There has never been a hint of mold and I am super-sensitive to mold.

I only read about the concerns and bleach treatment in the last few weeks here. However, we did stay at a vacation cottage with a whirlpool that was 6 years old and mold flew out of the jets when we turned it on. We contacted the owner and took showers instead. We just assumed that was an isolated problem at the time. Maybe pitch is the key as suggested.

Hmmm . . . . I thought a free standing would be easier to reach across for cleaning than navigating across a tile platform as I do now.

I think for your personal use and with proper care - I would not skip the bleach treatment once a week - they can be perfectly sanitary.

It is however pretty "ick" to read the reports of the bacteria and fecal matter found in hotel jetted tubs. It is in yours too but at least you know you have cleaned yours properly.

We just got a new air tub. I think it was an upgrade I could have skipped - I really enjoy a nice traditional soak. DH really wanted it and he wanted very little ;-) so we got it.

I researched the whole icky jetted tub issue and I bought a Bain Ultra tub with hundreds of little air holes. When you finish your bath and let the water out, in ten minutes the bath does a flush of itself and air dries all the tubes so there is no water left. When you start your next bath it is with brand new water. It is sitting in the garage waiting to go in in about two months. I can hardly wait. But for me this sounded good. No bleach, no yucky sitting water. Check it out Bain Ultra.

keeping the jets clean is really no trouble at all. About once a week before I drain the water from my bath, I'd dump some bleach in the tub and run the jets. Then drain the tub. The jets are now clean and sanatized.

The American Standard "Lifetime" series of tubs has the tubing and jets arranged so everything drains out of the jet system when the tub is turned off. That means it actually dries out and no mold develops. They're so confident of their system that they give a lifetime in home warranty on them. I don't personally own one, but every customer that has bought one through me has been VERY happy with their performance and sanitation.

Live_wire: I'll have to check out the Lifetime series. Thx.

We just found a built-in Maax whirlpool (Cresendo) that we like much better than the free-standing Maax Souvenir, once we sat in both, it terms of back support & comfort.

Still on the trail. . . .

Besides bleach, a tub salesman told me to use 1/4 cup of dishwasher detergent, circulate the water in it for 5 minutes and drain. The system won't have any problems.

ooooooh, I wonder how long it will take to get rid of the soapy bubbles!

You are all encouraging me to be a more circumspect housekkeeper, it seems. If I can find the discipline to do that, then I may even carve out time to exercise.

Saw the Victoria & Albert, Ultra Bain, Kohler tubs today.
For ultimate H2o therapy, we are definitely leaning toward Maax's Cresendo 2 person hydromax with lots o jets on the back and neck & footmax, bleach or no bleach.

I put a Sanijet waterjet in my master bath. It has 6 jets and you can readily unscrew them and put them in the dishwasher. I do this about once a month and it is very easy.

Greg

annaleef, what soapy bubbles? Dishwasher soap doesn't produce bubbles. I, too, run bleach and dishwasher soap through on a roughly weekly basis, and no problems to report!

Greg,

I looked at the Sanijet website just now. Interesting - seems thy are a direct to consumer seller only. Very scary information on the subject of bacteria with piped tubs! It certainly makes cleaning look easy.

How effective do you think the jets are for your back? It seems they are placed to move the water up your back without applying direct pressure to it. Are you happy with its therapeutic or relaxing effect?

Kelpmermaid,

Your comment shows how little I must know, assuming all soap produces bubbles. So, not true!

I will certainly keep yours and cbreeze's suggestions and confirm them with the manufacturer for their product once we make a purchase.

Thanks,

Anna Lee F

I had a jetted tub in my MB before the remodel and I had the same issue with crud. I love to take baths but rarely turned the jets on. When I did use them, I would clean them first using bleach and hot water to run through the jets. GROSS. So then I wouldn't use them again for a while.

One night I was soaking in the tub and my dh came in the bathroom and asked why I never turned on the jets. I explained. He looked at me like I was crazy, then said, "So now you marinating in it?" Huh? I never thought about it that way, but whether the jets are on or not, I am exposed to the crud in the pipes that accumulates there, every time I use the tub, not just when I turn on the jets. End of bath time for me until the remodel. I have a freestanding clawfoot tub, no jets, and I love it.

Annaleaf-

I bought a Sanijet Elite model with 6 jets and chromotherapy. I believe it was model 660. If you have the room, it is a great tub. It is about 6 feet long, almost 44" wide, and 23" high. I like it so much I have almost stopped taking showers. I put in a hand shower connection so I can wash my hair and then rinse it off. Of course, since it is such a large tub you could just as easily dunk your head underwater to rinse your hair after washing it.
It is certainly far quieter than air jets (which I had before) and is also quieter then other water jets I have heard. It is probably not as powerful a jet as you get with other companies waterjet systems due to the fact that the jets intake and output are all in one piece, which allows you to unscrew and clean the waterjets either by hand or in your dishwasher. I do it once a month in the dishwasher.
Since this model is large I have noticed an increase in my water bills. Of course, I have a tendency to fill it quite high. I connected my Sanijet directly to a separate small gas heating water system that is on the outside of my house directly behind the wall of the master bath. The Rinnai gas unit gives immediate hot water all through the fill-up process.
I would recommend getting a 6 jet model. I bought mine when they had at least a 50% off sale--about a year ago. I would buy it again if I had another master bath to remodel:-)
Of course, if you don't need a tub that large you can buy a smaller model. Much depends on your bathroom size and your personal size. I'm 5'10" and could have bought a smaller tub, but I like a big tub. Personal preference.
I love my unit and would never go back to that old noisy air jet.
Good luck.
Greg

If/when you do sanitize your tub using bleach, be sure to use the regular stuff not the "no splash" or whatever it is called. I had a jetted tub in the house before last. When we moved in, I dutifully filled it with hot water and poured in the recommended amount of bleach (cupful?), turned on the jets and left the room to do other things while it ran. When I came back there were little clouds of bleach bubbles floating around and spilling over the sides of the tub. Apparently, the "no splash" bleach has a thickening agent in it which acts like soap!

Annaleef, don't ask me how I discovered this. I will admit to an episode in college where we mistakenly used liquid dishwashing soap in the dishwasher. I'll just say that the floor was never cleaner. ; ) Yup, DW detergent is low suds. BBSTX, that's something I had not heard -- OMG!

Thanks for the additional feedback. Greg, we have a commercial size water heater, so I think we'll be OK with producing enough hot water. Funny sudsy stories, Kelpermaid and BBSTX! We are forewarned!

Ladycfp, glad you are enjoying your claw foot tub. That might have been our first choice, but we are also looking for therapeutic action on muscles, as I have post-polio syndrome and my leg muscles are atrophying. Hot whirlpool therapy was used during my childhood bout with polio and I think it will again be helpful as I age and potentially experience some disability.

The whirlpool bath manufacturers, such as ourselves, have made great strides in reducing the amount of water left in the plumbing harnesses in conventional whirlpools. In the past, only flexible tubing was used in the plumbing harness. This flexible tubing would sag over time and hold substantial amounts of water in them. The results were the black mold build up discussed. Now, some manufactures use rigid PVC piping that is heat formed to allow the water to automatically drain out of the jets. MTI Whirlpools took it a step further and patented a cleaning system that back flushes the entire plumbing harness using your incoming potable water supply. You can clean the entire plumbing harness will less than 10 gallons of water. We have a very detailed illustration on our website.

Here is a link that might be useful: MTI Whirlpools

Thank you. I'll take a look - there is an MTI dealer in our town. Glad to learn there are innovations in the plumbing end of whirlpools.

We had one in our old house and used it as the main bathtub/shower since we only had 1 full bathroom. Hated it was impossible to keep clean. With a family of 5 taking baths and showers all the time the jets were impossible to keep white. I scrubbed with every product under the sun and ran bleach water through it all the time. I will never buy one again - but this is our experience. I would highly recommend not bathing in one with soap only use for just soaking only.

Re. Sanijet --- how is the quality of the acrylic?

Re. cleaning the plumbing harnesses.. I see MTI uses 10 gallons to clean out the lines. We live in an area where we need to conserve water. Which tub is most efficient in draining out the lines?

Have had a Bain Ultra for the past 4+ years and as stated, it blows the water out of the air vents after draining. The air holes are always empty and dry.

Have never experienced any black mold, etc.

I would imagine that other tub manufacturers have followed suit but who knows.

Hi All,
We have a Aquatics Infinity tub that we bought 3 years ago. It has both air & jets (& lights). DH has had numerous back operations and needed the jets which he loves (on a regular basis). I occasionally get in for the bubbles. The tub is so big & deep that I can barely reach the end of it laying down & I'm 5'6. But, like the Bain mentioned above - after shut down for 20 minutes it does a clean blow out of the tubes. (Big whoosh!) No problem with black mold. DID have that 17 yrs ago with a Jacuzzi - yuck!
Would HIGHLY recommend this one.