bump i am also considering the above and Jasons.

Air tub only. Also cast iron or acrylic? is toto good for tubs?

bump i am also considering the above and Jasons.

Air tub only. Also cast iron or acrylic? is toto good for tubs?

My wife LOVES her Bain Ultra! We have the TMU 72" x 36" and she cannot live without it. A Bain tub is the first thing my wife has picked out for the home we will be building. We will go with the AMMA 72" x 42" this time...2 heated backrests. I admit that airtubs can be loud and the Bain is no exception, but you can remote install the pump out of the main bath which is what we have planned. I also feel the water does get cooler faster in an airtub vs jetted, which we will address with tankless water heaters for an endless supply of hot water. We have not bathed in the other brands mentioned, but can attest to the Bain.

This is "Mrs Laz" & in my experience in selling air baths, BAIN ULTRA is my choice. They offer best in style & size and air baths/soakers are all that they do. Many models offer grab bars which are stylish & durable. Important in these deep tub! The heated backrest is a real plus. Also the blower may be mounted remotely to reduce motor noise. Made in Canada and were the first, I believe, to offer them in retail. AQUATIC is a copy of the BAIN ULTRA system made in USA. Not as many choices in style or size, however, they do offer a whirlpool/air combo. Whirlpools are their best sellers. TOTO came later in the market. Unlike the air channel system offered by BAIN ULTRA & AQUATIC, TOTO's air tubs have air flow buttons on the bottom of the bathing well. Each with a check valve attached under the tub - does not look comfortable to me with those buttons underneath. All air tubs have heated air, but for those who love really hot water, the air may feel a bit cooler. I feel the heated backrest helps in this regard. I am not familiar with OCEANIC air baths.

Hope this helps.

My plumber recommended that I purchase an in-line heater if I go with an air tub bc the water tends to cool fast.

I am building and have the Bain Ultra Elegancia installed. Almost ready for drywall so I have not used it short of sitting in it.
I will say that it was important and I had not done this, to check/ purchase the faucet you will be using. My Waterhill showcase did not fit on the unit and had to be deck mounted. I will not be able to comfortable bend over and rinse my hair so I got the seperate hand shower to use.
I am considering the in line heater since several posters have mentioned cold water. I do have a jetted tub now and find that just as it gets cold I am ready to get out anyway... go figure...

I have the Bain Ultra Thermal Oval 55 with the remote and chromotherapy and I love it. I love looking at it, showing it off and relaxing in it. It is room, heated backrest, arm rests and grab bar. I don't know what could possibly be better for me!!!!!!

I have Bain Ultra's Thalassa model with chromatherapy and all the other features listed above. What I don't have and have been told by 3 BU tech support reps is you can NOT use an in line heater with my tub. I don't know if it's just single person tubs or what. I've read where others suggest getting one but I don't think my Thalassa can take one. But, it's not really an issue anyway. I'll add some hot water if I need to or get it really hot in the beginning and then I'm glad when it starts to cool down.
Monica

fyi - i don't think you can use in-line heaters for *air* blowers, only for *water* blowers, since the in-line heater is used for heating the water that is going around the tub & getting blown out of the holes. i believe air blowers have the air heated by the heat the pump puts out, so the farther away you put the pump, the less hot the air will be. i think backrests are generally heated like this as well... air from the pump goes behind the backrest & then out the holes... though i'm sure there are some fancy models that have actual heating systems in the backrest.

Can anyone tell me about the texture of the floors on these things? I need to use it as a shower also and I'm a bit concerned that they look pretty slick on the bottom.

there is no kind of "traction" on the bottom of my BU tub. It is more stable than my old porcelain over steel tub tho because the new tub is set in a bed of mortar. It's like standing (and sitting) on a concrete slab. My poor sweet grandson took a nasty tumble last week. As he stood in the tub, I had him by one arm while using the sprayer to hose him off. He slipped, hitting his head on the side of the tub :(( Bless his heart. His tub at home is textured on the bottom.
Monica

I was wondering where you plumber was going to install the inline heater since air tubs don't circulate the water in the tub. Inline heaters are suppose to be installed on the pressure side of the pump line and go on and off with the pump.

They can't be installed on the fill line because there is no way to turn them on and off. In addition the hot water from your water tank is going to be hotter than water the inline heater provides.

I use cast iron whirlpool tubs with copper plumbing. I wrap insulation around them and that keeps the water warm longer.

I'm putting in my first air tub and I'll insulate it also, but I would like to know where to put an inline heater. The air pump heats the air, which helps a little, but the inline heater has me baffled.

Okay, I found some installation instructions for adding inline heaters to air tubs. Not only does it take a heater but you have to add a pump also and modify the tub with a recirculation line. (Sanitizing that will be fun!)

Figuring the cost of the heater, the pump, the tub modifications and the installation, all that shouldn't cost more than $1000.

I'll need to figure out how much hot water that saves me a year and then decide if it's worth the money. It sounds like a long payback.

RE: Teddas's post - I had the same problem with my Elegancia, except wanted my Altman's Treviso Faucet set deck mounted & the only place it would fit and spray not hit the 'handle bars' was in the corner. I had wanted it in the exact side middle, but that didn't work.

I'm getting worried reading about cold water - we have 2 tankless water heaters being installed for a 5400 sq ft house - will I still have this problem?

Bain Ultra is wonderful. I have had installed dozens for clients and with no complaints. There is also MTI Whirlpool. They have some terrific products and they have features Bain Ultra does not. I noticed in the previous posts no one mentioned MTI. You may want to research them.

I need instructions on installation of a Bainultra tub

I realize that this thread is several years old at this point, but I too need some guidance concerning the Bain Ultra Thermal 55 oval tub we purchased.

We bought it used and though I have downloaded the instruction manual from the Bain Ultra website, it details the installation for every tub in the line EXCEPT the Thermal 55.

I tried contacting "tedebear" with the provided email, but it seems that email is no longer in use. Any insight that anyone out there may have concerning the installation of this unit would be very much appreciated. We can't move forward with our bathroom remodel until we figure out if this is something we can use or not! Thank you in advance...