Yes, you can buy a channel (health masseur) or injection (aqua masseur) system seperately.
The channel system provides an all over body tissue massage ranging from a intermediate level to a highly vigourous level. The injection system provides an all over body tactile massage of the central nervous system ranging from an exceptionally light tactile level to a forceful tactile level. The injection system generates a light all over body tissue massage but no where near the forceful tissue massage of the channel system.
The combined or ultimate system is both systems in a single bath. You can run each system separately and enjoy the massage ranges described above for each individual system, or run both systems at the same time which magnifies the range of massage exponentially.
The Ultimate II system takes Ultimate bathing to the next level. Ultimate II adds two chromatherapy lights as standard equipment and offers nine light therapy programs, combines the two system controls and the one light control into a single removable control, manages the air heat automatically within a pre-defined comfort range, has three massage programs that operate the two different systems together and seperately throughout an 8, 10 or 12 minute massage cycle or, just like the Ultimate system, allows you to control your massage as you bathe. All you need to do is fill your bath, choose a massage program then compliment it with a mood altering light therapy program then just lay back and be massaged!
We believe in each of our systems. They meet different needs and satisfy different desires. To decide which will work best for you depends upon what form of massage you desire. When there are many family or household members who may be enjoying the bath, the combined system offers each bather the opportunity to choose the massage they want each time they bathe.
Can I use bubble bath?
Well yes you can but be careful as the air system will double the bubble!
How do I operate the standard control?
The multifunction control allows bathers to manage the intensity of the massage by regulating airflow during their bathing experience. The keypad or keypads are within reach while bathing and controlling them rests at your fingertips. See the illustration below for an illustration of what each button does.
How do I set the 24 hour auto purge cycle on the standard control?
Activating the 24 hour purge cycle: You activate it by pressing and holding the plus (+) key for 5 seconds when the blower is off. The blower and heater will them come on for one minute and both indicator lights will blink at a rate of 2 seconds on and 1/2 second off twice (a slow pattern) and then remain fully on for the balance of the minute of operation. Once the operation is finished and the blower and heater have shut off, the blink pattern is set as described earlier i.e., 1/4 second on followed by 4 seconds off all day long.
De-activating the 24 hour purge cycle: You de-activate the cycle by pressing the plus (+) key for 5 seconds. The blower only indicator light will go on for 2 seconds, off for 1/2 second, on for 2 seconds and then turn off and stay off.
Activating the auto purge cycle will trigger a series of blinking lights. The blinking patterns can be confusing and you may want to read the answer to the question What do the blinking lights on the control mean?, found in this section of our website.
What do the blinking lights on the standard control mean?
Understanding the light indicator patterns is important and tricky. We will explain them herein. We call this blink think.
The light on the purge cycle will blink under two circumstances both of which are directly associated with the two purge cycles (after the system has been run and the 24 hour auto purge cycle). The first circumstance is after the system has been turned on and has either turned off automatically after 20 minutes or has been manually turned off earlier during a bath. In this circumstance the system indicator light (the one on the far left) will blink for 1/2 second each second for 15 minutes until the purge comes on and runs for 1 minute. The indicator blinks very rapidly during this 15 minute waiting cycle. When the purge comes on it will run for 1 minute and both indicator lights (system and heating) will come on and stay on solid (no blinking) indicating that the blower and the heating element are fully activated during the purge itself. Once the purge is complete both indicator lights will turn completely off, unless you have activated the 24 hour purge cycle.
The second circumstance is assocaited with the every twenty-four auto purge cycle, which can be manually set or amnually turned off. In this circumstance and assuming the purge cycle has been manually set to run at a certain time every 24 hours, the system indicator light (furthest to the right) will blink for 1/4 second each 4 and 1/4 second interval. So it is on for 1/4 second and off for 4 seconds; on for 1/4 second and off for 4 seconds; constantly between the one minute long purge of the 24 hour purge cycle.
If the blinking pattern is constant and follows the above pattern of a rapid blink followed by a longer interval between blinks then this is the way you tell that the 24 hour purge is set and actived. If the indicator light is not blinking at all during times of non-use then the 24 hour purge is not set.
Assuming the purge is set and the indicator light is blinking 1/4 second on floowed by 4 seconds off then the questions are what will happen when the actual purge runs and when will it run? The purge will come on at the same time every day that you first activated the cycle. It will come on for 1 minute and during that minute both the system and heating element indicator lights will come on and stay on for the duration of the purge. Once the purge is completed the indicator light blink sequence will return to the rapid 1/4 second blink followed by the 4 second off pattern.
There are a couple of other blink pattern circumstances you may want to be aware of.
If you have set the 24 hour purge and take a bath what happens to the blinking patterns? When you get in the bath and turn on the system you will either run just the blower (left indicator light) or the blower and the heating element (left indicator light and the indicator light to its immediate right). Depending upon your choice you will see the blower indicator light fully on alone or both the blower and the heating element light fully on. (Note: you can't turn the heating element on without having the blower on but you probably already know this). When you turn the system off or it turns off, it defaults to the blinking cycle of the after bath purge i.e., 1/2 second on each second for 15 minutes until the purge runs. When the purge is over, the 24 hour purge blink cycle resumes i.e., blinks 1/4 second on and 4 seconds off constantly all day.
Finally, there is a specific blink pattern associated with activating the 24 hour purge cycle and a specific blink pattern associated with de-activating the 24 hour purge cycle.
Activating the 24 hour purge cycle: You activate it by pressing and holding the plus (+) key for 5 seconds when the blower is off. The blower and heater will them come on for one minute and both indicator lights will blink at a rate of 2 seconds on and 1/2 second off twice (a slow pattern) and then remain fully on for the balance of the minute of operation. Once the operation is finished and the blower and heater have shut off, the blink pattern is set as described earlier i.e., 1/4 second on followed by 4 seconds off all day long.
De-activating the 24 hour purge cycle: You de-activate the cycle by pressing the plus (+) key for 5 seconds. The blower only indicator light will go on for 2 seconds, off for 1/2 second, on for 2 seconds and then turn off and stay off.
So there it is the whole blinking story!
Is there a consumer warranty?
30 years on the bath shell, 20 years on the blower motor and 5 years on the electromechanical components with only appropriate limitations associated with proper installation, use and maintenace. Not restricted to original owner.
For a copy of the current warranty go to the Library section of our website and select Consumer Warranty. Please note the date on the warranty and if your purchase was made prior to that date, please contact us fo a copy of the warranty that was in place during the period of sale.
Does the air heat the bath?
First time warm air system bathers often expect that the warm air of the system to heat the bath water and this is not true. It will not heat the water even though the warmed air is usually hotter then the bath water. Water is best heated within a chamber where the surfaces are heated electrically or with a flame. You can heat water with air but it takes super-heated air to accomplish this and that would be unsafe.
Air moving through water will wick up moisture and then burst into the atmosphere above the bath. As it does it will dissipate the heat in the bath water. A bath in which you are running the warm air system will remain comfortably warm for about fifteen minutes after which you may need to drain some bath water and refill with warm water.
The warm air felt cool at first is that normal?
First time bathers often discover that the air moving over their skin feels cool to them and are suprised. This is normal and when we discuss it with our bathers they understand why.
Each of has a different perception of the amount of heat we feel from water temperature as compared to air temperature. What we perceive as very hot water at 98F we would perceive as only somewhat hot air at the same temperature. We would not get in 68F water but enjoy an afternoon at the same temperature. A 98F day with no humidity is comfortable whereas the same temperature with 90% humidity is unbearable. We perceive air temperature differently than we perceive water temperature.
This is best illustrated by thinking about a 90F day with 90% humidity and no breeze. It is hot and uncomfortable. Then a breeze comes up and washes over our skin and we feel cooled. The breeze is no cooler but the air in motion over our skin feels cool as it evaporates perspiration. Being in a hot bath and then turning on a warm air system will create a similar sensation. For most it is comforting, refreshing and welcome.
Sometimes we find that all we need do is point out that the heating element is on a separate button on the keypad and needs to be turned on in order for the heating element to function. If this does not resolve the sensation, then we know we may be speaking with a person who has a greater sensitivity to air temperature than others and we offer the following advice.
We first explain that each of us has a unique sensory perception of air moving over our skin surface. We ask them to place a hand directly over an air portal or injector and note that this rush of air feels cooler than the bath water. We then ask the bather to slowly move their hand away and note how the air almost instantly begins to feel warmer as their hand moves farther away. We explain that this is due to the dispersion of the air in the water and less concentrated rush of air over their skin. We ask our bather to simply relax into the bath and let the air and water motion massage the central nervous system and body tissue for a couple of minutes and see if the initial sensation simply disappears. Usually, our bather finds the cool sensation completely replaced by the relaxing sensation of the hydro massage therapy system. Typically, our bather is no longer concerned with that first surprise sensation of ??cool air?? and is pleased with the greater massage value.
On rare occasions, the above outlined discussions do not work and a bather complains that they feel cold air. In these rare occasions, we become concerned that the blower heating element may not be working properly or that the blower may be located where the air it is drawing is actually too cold for the heating element to heat it sufficently. In these cases there are a couple of advices we offer as follows:
In order to allow the system to reach its optimum operating temperature, turn it on before filling the bath with water and let it run for one minute with the heating element on. Feel the headrest area and you should feel it getting quite hot to the touch. Once hot to the touch, fill the bath and bathe. Be careful to bring a damp wash cloth into the bath though as resting your head against a pre-heated surface can be dangerous. If the heating element is functioning properly and the air temperature the blower is drawing from is 68F or higher, then the heat at the headrest will be between 115 and 126Ft and the acrylic surface will get very hot. If this does not work then the problem may be a poor blower placement.
Take the temperature of the environment where the blower motor resides. If the ambient air temperature is less then 68F the heating element will simply not be able to heat the ambient air sufficiently well to blow air that is heated at least equal to the temperature of the bath water and it will feel much cooler and maybe even cold. Relocating the blower to a more appropriate location should resolve the issue. Temporarily running the system at a low volume setting with the heating elelment on may resolve the issue. This will reduce the flow of cold air over the heating element and allow it to better heat the air it is drawing in before blowing it into the bath water.
If none of this helps you may have a faulty heating element and should contact our customer service department for assistance.
What can I do to get the gloss back on my bath?
If you have attempted to clean the bath using normal household cleaners, yet the surface is still dull and dirty in appearance, the next step is to refinish it. Acrylic is colorfast throughout and this feature allows it to be very lightly sanded, buffed and polished to restore a marred surface to its original luster. In some rare cases where the surface has been severely damaged due to the use of abrasive chemical mixtures or an impact the acrylic may need more than sanding, buffing and polishing. In these cases a qualified acrylic service technician is needed. If you are at all uncomfortable with attempting this we encourage you to contact a qualified acrylic repair service to do the work for you. Your dealer should be able to refer a service or you can call our customer service department for a referral.
How do I clean my bath?
You should clean your bath with a mild dishwashing liquid such as Dawn or Ivory dishwashing liquid. Dilute the dishwashing liquid into some warm water and just wipe down the acrylic surface with a clean soft cloth then rinse. Do this once a week to remove soapy residue that builds up on the surface and your bath will sparkle for decades. Please use non-abrasive products to avoid scratching the surface. Do notuse any cleaning products containing abrasives or solvents, a stainless steel pad, acetone, dry cleaning liquid, window cleaner or products containing ammonia. Products like Bon-Ami, Comet, Ajax or Lysol are not recommended. Harsh chemicals should never be used on acrylic surfaces.
Should I clean the channel?
Our channel technology is the best draining channel in the industry but it is not immune from sediment or oil build up with use. You can substantially reduce the risk of bacterial build-up with a little routine maintenance. We hand laminate a specially formulated resin immersed cloth on the inside of the channel to ensure a smooth glass surface so that sediment does not have any corners or fiberglass hairs to adhere to. Our channels all slope to the lowest point in the bath, which is the drain, so gravity alone will drain nearly all of the water out after each bath. The automatic air purge cycle will exhaust residual moisture and evacuate any hair, skin exfoliates or particulate that may get in the channel.
The fact that our channel dries completely and thoroughly helps to prevent bacterial growth. But if residue from soap, oil, elixirs and similar bathing materials are not periodically cleaned out we are concerned they could cause trouble. Often our bathers use our baths in a shower and bath combination and when people shower they do not run the auto purge cycle. This results in moisture in the channel that will dry during the day but it will take a few hours and we believe this could eventually create a bacteria risk. To resolve this you can add to the cleanliness of the channel by programming the every twenty four hour auto purge cycle so that the channel is dried and evacuated every day.
But depending upon our channel design and the blower motor auto purge cycle alone to clean the channel of body oil, sediment, aromatic oil and elixirs, bath salt, algae treatments and other foreign matter that flood into the channel when the air system is off does not make good sense to us. These products can build up in the channel just like they can build up on the inside acrylic surface of the bath itself. We know you clean the inside surface regulary and we encourage you to clean the channel at the same time.
With routine cleaning of the channel you will eliminate residue build-up. To effectively clean the health channel simply fill the bath with hot water at least 4 inches above the highest air portal. Add 3 to 5 teaspoons of a non-abrasive and emulsifying liquid dishwasher detergent like Cascade to the hot water and mix it in well. Run the health system blower motor for 2 minutes then turn it off and let the detergent emulsify whatever residue may be in the channel for 2 minutes and then drain the bath. You probably won??t see any dirty water coming out but it is a good and practical habit to get in to. Take a soft cloth with warm water and rinse the bath well. The auto purge will come on shortly and dry the channel of any residual moisture. You may want to dry the bath well following the auto purge cycle but basically you are finished. Repeat this process every two months and your channel will stay clean and free of sediment or oil build-up that could possibly lead to bacterial growth.
Do notuse any cleaning products containing abrasives or solvents, a stainless steel pad, acetone, dry cleaning liquid, window cleaner or products containing ammonia. Products like Bon-Ami, Comet, Ajax or Lysol are not recommended. Harsh chemicals should never be used on acrylic surfaces.
