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Whirlpool baths - help needed please!

mylifemyrules
Posts: 104 Forumite

Hi,
So my eldest has autism, epilepsy and a chromosome condition he's also non verbal - we have just come back from our first ever hot tub holiday. My son had never been in one before and absolutely loved it. So I'm debating about whether to replace our bath in the future for a whirlpool bath.
Our bathroom is upstairs and my son's bedroom is downstairs and we are awaiting a accessable wetroom for him to be built downstairs for him (so only bath will be upstairs). Just wondered if they are a faff or worth it! Are they expensive to run?
So my eldest has autism, epilepsy and a chromosome condition he's also non verbal - we have just come back from our first ever hot tub holiday. My son had never been in one before and absolutely loved it. So I'm debating about whether to replace our bath in the future for a whirlpool bath.
Our bathroom is upstairs and my son's bedroom is downstairs and we are awaiting a accessable wetroom for him to be built downstairs for him (so only bath will be upstairs). Just wondered if they are a faff or worth it! Are they expensive to run?
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Comments
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I can tell you that they take longer to fill, as they are generally bigger. You need to use them regularly or the jets get clogged with mould and gunk and spew out black stuff!A relative fitted one, after a holiday where their bathroom had a whirlpool. It was great for a few weeks/ months, but then the novelty wore off and it became too much faff to wait for the bath to fill. Then the gunk started to appear and they had it removed.
I’ts going to be more expensive to run, because you will need to generate more hot water to fill the bath, plus the water level has to at least cover the jets. Worth checking that your hot water system can cope - if you have a conventional boiler with a hot water tank, the tank needs to be big enough to cope.I'm a Forum Ambassador on the housing, mortgages & student money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.1 -
mylifemyrules said:Hi,
So my eldest has autism, epilepsy and a chromosome condition he's also non verbal - we have just come back from our first ever hot tub holiday. My son had never been in one before and absolutely loved it. So I'm debating about whether to replace our bath in the future for a whirlpool bath.
Our bathroom is upstairs and my son's bedroom is downstairs and we are awaiting a accessable wetroom for him to be built downstairs for him (so only bath will be upstairs). Just wondered if they are a faff or worth it! Are they expensive to run?
A whirlpool bath is an expensive next step and takes up a significant amount of space for something that may turn out to be an enjoyable bit of fun but also a novelty that wears off relatively soon.
If you have any outdoor space, it might be worth considering a temporary solution such as a Lay-Z-Spa (other brands are available). That will be more like the hot tub on holiday but also easier and cheaper to install and can be put away if the interest wanes. They are not cheap to run (primarily because of the heating required).1 -
If it was the bubbling he liked - would recommend only a regular shaped bath with whirlpool/jet features. If you go for anything larger / differently shaped it would take a huge amount of water to fill to get the water level deep enough.2
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bobster2 said:If it was the bubbling he liked - would recommend only a regular shaped bath with whirlpool/jet features. If you go for anything larger / differently shaped it would take a huge amount of water to fill to get the water level deep enough.I'm a Forum Ambassador on the housing, mortgages & student money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.0
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There are temporary solutions for your existing bath - e.g. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DCBYNBB6 and https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DM1CHGG3 (not specific recommendations, just an idea of the kind of thing that's available)
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bobster2 said:If it was the bubbling he liked - would recommend only a regular shaped bath with whirlpool/jet features. If you go for anything larger / differently shaped it would take a huge amount of water to fill to get the water level deep enough.0
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Grumpy_chap said:mylifemyrules said:Hi,
So my eldest has autism, epilepsy and a chromosome condition he's also non verbal - we have just come back from our first ever hot tub holiday. My son had never been in one before and absolutely loved it. So I'm debating about whether to replace our bath in the future for a whirlpool bath.
Our bathroom is upstairs and my son's bedroom is downstairs and we are awaiting a accessable wetroom for him to be built downstairs for him (so only bath will be upstairs). Just wondered if they are a faff or worth it! Are they expensive to run?
A whirlpool bath is an expensive next step and takes up a significant amount of space for something that may turn out to be an enjoyable bit of fun but also a novelty that wears off relatively soon.
If you have any outdoor space, it might be worth considering a temporary solution such as a Lay-Z-Spa (other brands are available). That will be more like the hot tub on holiday but also easier and cheaper to install and can be put away if the interest wanes. They are not cheap to run (primarily because of the heating required).0 -
silvercar said:I can tell you that they take longer to fill, as they are generally bigger. You need to use them regularly or the jets get clogged with mould and gunk and spew out black stuff!A relative fitted one, after a holiday where their bathroom had a whirlpool. It was great for a few weeks/ months, but then the novelty wore off and it became too much faff to wait for the bath to fill. Then the gunk started to appear and they had it removed.
I’ts going to be more expensive to run, because you will need to generate more hot water to fill the bath, plus the water level has to at least cover the jets. Worth checking that your hot water system can cope - if you have a conventional boiler with a hot water tank, the tank needs to be big enough to cope.0 -
MeteredOut said:silvercar said:I can tell you that they take longer to fill, as they are generally bigger. You need to use them regularly or the jets get clogged with mould and gunk and spew out black stuff!A relative fitted one, after a holiday where their bathroom had a whirlpool. It was great for a few weeks/ months, but then the novelty wore off and it became too much faff to wait for the bath to fill. Then the gunk started to appear and they had it removed.
I’ts going to be more expensive to run, because you will need to generate more hot water to fill the bath, plus the water level has to at least cover the jets. Worth checking that your hot water system can cope - if you have a conventional boiler with a hot water tank, the tank needs to be big enough to cope.2 -
I have owned 1 bath with whirlpool jets, and one with air jets at the base.. the whirlpool ones weren't nearly as powerful as the jets on an outdoor hot tub and was a let down, and the pipes were hard to clean. the air jets at the base of the bath are easy to clean as it just blows warm air out, not air and water, so nothing to go mouldy inside. air jet baths are usually cheaper than whirlpool baths. The other thing they might like are chromotherapy lights for the bath.. im neurodivergent and i find the lights really helped.Many thanks to all who contribute on MSE1
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