Choosing a Clawfoot Whirlpool Bathtub

There are a few options that are available to you whenever you are looking at clawfoot whirlpool bathtubs.  Knowing these options in advance will help you to make an informed decision.

Almost all of us are familiar with exactly how comfortable having a claw foot bathtub in your home can be.  For many of us, it provides a place to relax and get away from the world for a little while and we could not imagine being apart from our bathtub for any length of time.  You might be surprised to learn, however, that it is possible for you to add some modern day conveniences to this age old bathroom item.  A good example of this is including a whirlpool option and converting it from a regular bathtub, into a clawfoot whirlpool bathtub.

There are some kits that are available which can be added to your bathtub that will convert it into a whirlpool tub.  Most of these kits feature an external motor and lines which would wrap around the outside of your tub.  By dropping in the jets into the tub itself, you can easily move the water around and create a whirlpool effect.  Of course, this is only one way of adding the clawfoot whirlpool feature into your home.  It is a much better, and seamless option if you were to install the clawfoot whirlpool tub from the start.

Clawfoot whirlpool bathtubs are manufactured differently than a regular clawfoot bathtub.  They are typically made out of acrylic, so the weight of the tub is not going to be an option as it would if you were choosing a cast iron tub.  Typically, they are made from two separate shells, an internal shell made of a single sheet of acrylic material and a reinforced with fiberglass and perhaps including additional steel and wood reinforcement in order to make it stronger.  The outside shell, since it will not be as weight-bearing as the inside shell is typically made from a single sheet of acrylic material and is not necessarily reinforced as much as the interior shell.

The magic of the clawfoot Whirlpool is contained between these two different shells.  The motor, along with all the lines are hidden away from view and the only way that you would be able to know that this is a clawfoot whirlpool is by the jets that are viewable on the inside of the tub.  There are also some common safety features were are included in this type of the tub, including an overflow drain, just in case water should happen to get between the two shells.

If you have an existing clawfoot whirlpool tub and would like to upgrade it, there are some kits that are available from the manufacturer in many cases which will allow you to change the jets themselves.  It is also possible for you to upgrade the motor and pump in order to make it stronger, but this is something that is better left to the professionals in many cases.  The jets can be changed out easily, and you would be surprised with how much of a difference it will make in the overall look of the tub.

Article Tags: Clawfoot Whirlpool

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