My space is under three windows and a spot that is 84" x 37" so everything has to fit into that space. I am 5'3" tall so I thought if tub is longer than 60" or 66" I will slide under down the tub and could touch end. I want to stretch out my legs but not slid. Anyone my height? My current tub is 60" long but interior length is 40" and that seems okay as about 35" from my hip joint to flat foot. The specs always show the width across the top of tub or widest part but I am concerned about the interior bottom of tub. I just can't fit comfortably in a narrow bottom like 16" like my old tub as can't move much, that's maybe 30" or so in interior width, an oval might work best. With bad knees sometimes I turn sideways to get out of tub and the wider width is helpful. I don't want water whirlpool massage jets but either no jets or the quiet air jets. I really need help with this as pressed for a decision and no showrooms close. I thought I wanted a freestanding tub as an historical house but now think a deck around the tub for candles, towels, etc might be nice.

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

For a jetted tub used as a shower, it has to have an integral tile flange. That allows the wall cladding to overhang and any water that hits the wall to not go behind your walls. There aren't that many in that size that are inexpensive. It will need a specialized drain, and, if you want to spend any time in the tub, a supplemental heater so the water doesn't cool off so fast. Since it's a tub/shower, the wall cladding will need to be redone to be waterproof into the tub. It's possible, if the build is recent, and it was done with the proper vapor barrier behind it, that only one row of the tile would need to be pulled in order to replace the tub. But, I wouldn't count on that. I'd count on having to replace all of the wall cladding in the alcove. That can be as cheap as a plastic surround for around $100 or cheap tile with the proper vapor barrier for probably $150 or so. The first is the easiest and the least chance of leaking. The second will read as more upscale, but you have to be sure your contractor understands about the vapor barrier and correct materials to use to tile this (NOT mastic.) And since you have that torn out, it would be foolish to try to keep your current control valves for the bath unless they are also very new. New safety standards are in place for anti scald mechanisms. So, you will need a new shower/bath faucet and valve. Then you will need the electrical line run from the panel to the location for the whirlpool pump and supplemental heater. That location is usually opposite the drain side of the tub. You will need to be able to site an access panel that is removable to be able to get to the electrical innards here. That can be from an adjacent room, or from a hidden panel on the tub itself. All in all, you might be able to get all of the needed materials for 2-3K if you shop the box stores carefully and find some bargains. The danger to that is that if you are inexperienced, you don't know if you're buying quality or crap. They sell both. And that's one reason that it would be simpler to let the pro pick the products after you tell him the features that you want. Then you've got to pay the contractor labor to install all of that. The electrician's price will depend on how difficult it will be to access the panel and run the wire to the location. For that, it's a really good thing you are on a crawlspace! That makes it cheaper for both the electrician and the plumber. On the whole, I'd expect your project to cost between 5-7K, depending on location, and if you have no DIY skills to bring to the table and have to hire professionals for the whole job. And be sure that you hire someone that is licensed and insured to be in your home, and will pull the proper permits to get the job inspected with your code office. Some handyman guy isn't licensed to do electrical of that nature, and while he might be able to do the demo and get the tub in place and glue on the plastic surround, it's unlikely that he'll have the right insurance to deal with a large job like that, and thus probably wont' want to pull permits and be inspected. They are usually limited to smaller jobs like simple fixture replacements like a faucet or light. Which this isn't. Just remember, you are doing a project that combines electricity and water. You really have to know what you're doing here! A small General Contractor should be able to do the complete job, and also carry the needed papers. And he should have no problem with the code guys coming in to inspect his work either. If he does, then he's not the right person for the job.

Not necessarily. It's simply a motor that gets very little use. There really should be no breakdown of any of the major components that would take the jetted action out of service. My in-laws have a jetted tub that has to be about 30 years old. Still running. I don't know the brand. My own is 15 years old, a Jacuzzi jetted tub. There has been a big shift in tub technology over the past 5 years or so. True jetted tubs (like my Jacuzzi) have adjusted their plumbing setups (pitch to drain, smooth pipe surface) so all plumbing completely drains after each use. Air tubs take water plumbing out of the equation completely. They push air through tubes to create a bubble bath of sorts. Then there are the sort of hybrids, like sani-jet. It's somewhat of a jetted tub, somewhat not. More water action than an air tub, but less than a traditional jetted tub. For air tubs, Bain is the one I install most often. Then Kohler, Toto, Aquatic. All good. Jetted tubs? Jacuzzi and Kohler, both good. Hybrid? SaniJet. The water action is still good enough for hydro-massage. I'd say of all three versions, if I could install any single one, I'd recommend Sanijet. If not Sanijet, and you didn't need therapeutic hydro-massage, then I'd recommend an air tub over a jetted. If you need the hydro-massage, then flip the two, jetted over air. If getting an air tub I recommend a heated one. If getting a jetted tub and it doesn't have a built-in heater, you can purchase an after-market heater for about $250. My opinion.