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Frequently Asked
Questions
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Clawfoot Tubs
Whirlpools
Faucets
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CLAWFOOT
TUBS |
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1. What are our clawfoot tubs made of?
Our clawfoot tubs are vacuum formed from two ¼” sheets of high-quality cast
acrylic, laminated together with our patented crushed stone/resin compound
to give our tubs thickness, strength, and weight. The cast acrylic sheet has
a second layer of ABS behind it which gives our tubs unmatched strength.
This multi-layered proprietary material is patented and called ACRASTONE.
Our tubs are the strongest tubs available anywhere.
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2. Why are our tubs a little more expensive than other acrylic tubs on the
market?
It is important for you to know why there are cheaper tubs on the market.
99% of acrylic tubs on the market today are made from only one shell, which
makes them very light but very flimsy, and, they have only one smooth
surface (inside). The outside is usually rough and dull. When we designed
our tubs, our goal was to eliminate these problems. What we came up with was
the process/material called ACRASTONE. We literally make TWO bathtubs, an
inner shell and an outer shell, and bond them together with a crushed stone
and resin compound to form one solid tub. The result is a ¾” to 1” thick,
sturdy bathtub that has a high-gloss shine both on the inside and the
outside of the tub. To achieve this porcelain-like shine on both sides, and
tub thickness to produce the strength, costs more compared to a flimsy
single-shell tub. The less expensive tub is usually a plastic shell sitting
on 4 feet that can be lifted with 2 fingers, while our larger tubs can weigh
as much as 300 lbs and are backed with a 25-year warranty.
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3. Why are our tubs superior to their cast-iron counterparts?
Our tubs are:
... Smooth and shiny on both sides
....Warm to the touch
....Have better heat retention
....Thick 1/8” finish, color won’t wear or chip off like cast iron
....Much lighter than cast iron, less freight, easier to install, and safer
on the 2nd floor
....Repairable surface, shine every time like new after polishing
....Will never rust
....Surface can withstand strong blows without chipping or cracking
....Have the flexibility to add an air massage system in the tub
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4. How many colors do we offer?
We currently only offer white and bisque, which constitutes 99% of the
market. We will offer more colors in the future, but no date has been set
yet. Back to top
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5. Do our tubs scratch easily?
No, our tubs are made from cast acrylic, the hardest acrylic there is.
Bulletproof glass is made from cast acrylic, the same material we use on our
tubs! Therefore, no damage can be done from daily cleaning and scrubbing.
However, your tub can be scratched with a screwdriver or similar sharp
objects. If your tub is lightly scratched, you can easily buff it out with
polishing compound like buffing out hair scratches on your new car. If the
scratch is deep, you can sand it down using fine sand paper in a circular
motion covering a wider area than the scratch. Repeat with finer and finer
sandpaper until the scratch is eliminated. Finally, polish the area with
polishing compound to bring back its original shine.
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6. How to clean our tubs?
We recommend just mild soap (like liquid dish soap) and sponge with warm
water. Since the surface is non-porous, soap stains and dirt cannot adhere
to it and will clean away easily. When there is a need to clean out tough
stains, we recommend using polishing compound to buff out the stains,
instead of using abrasive cleaning products. Never use cleaning products
with an acetone base (such as Scrubbing Bubbles) as these products affect
the chemical composition of the tubs and will produce hairline cracks. Use
of these types of cleaning materials will void your tubs warranty.
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7. What kind of warranty do we offer?
We offer a 25-year structural and surface warranty on our tubs. We will
replace or repair the tub should a problem develop within the warranty
period. Back to top |
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8. What do you need to know about our Caspian?
The Caspian is our flagship clawfoot tub. It combines the modern whirlpool
system with the classic look of a clawfoot tub. It is the first of it's
kind, anywhere. It is a true whirlpool tub with molded armrests, sitting on
4 feet. It has seven fully adjustable, 10gpm jets powered by a 2 hp pump.
The pump is self-contained and mounted on the side of the tub behind a
matching, sound insulated panel. The pump can be mounted on the left or
right side of your tub, according to your needs. The Caspian is a true
whirlpool tub with water circulating internally and draining away after each
use. Back to top |
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9. What is Champagne Massage?
Champagne Massage is an optional feature we invented for our clawfoot tubs.
This system is available on all of our tub models, with the exception of the
Caspian. Champagne Massage is an air blower system that can turn a regular
Victorian clawfoot tub into a 110-jet, full-body massage, air tub. The
system is powered by a 1.3 hp pump blowing warm air up through the water
from 5 evenly spaced air channels on the tub floor. The air jets are
positioned to reach and sooth muscle groups from lower lumbar to calf. You
are talking about 110 streams of air bubbles shooting directly at your body,
instead of just bubbles blowing around you from the perimeter like some of
the air tubs on the market. The pump is self-contained and mounted on the
side of the tub behind a matching, sound insulated door. There are no loose
parts to hook up. Just plug in the cord, and it is ready to go. Our pump is
much quieter than other tubs because we insulate our pump access door, and,
our tub is much thicker than other acrylic tubs on the market, which is an
important factor in dampening the noise from the motor. What is so unique
about this tub is that we have preserved the classical identity of an old
Victorian bathtub, and successfully merged it with modern technology. One
important note; Champagne Massage is not a true whirlpool system in the
sense that water does not circulate through the air channels. A true
whirlpool, like our Caspian, has water shooting out
through jets at your back, while our Champagne Massage tub blows air bubbles
through tiny holes drilled on the floor.
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10. How does a Champagne Massage tub clear water from the air pipes?
The air pipes in a Champagne Massage tub are not connected to the drain.
Therefore, water trapped in the air pipes has to be blown out by the blower.
Our motor is set to turn itself back on 15 minutes after each use for 20
minutes. This self-purge feature will ensure the air pipes are always dry &
clean, and ready for your next bath.
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11. Why is Champagne Massage a winner?
Champagne Massage is a winner because of its accommodating sizes. It is
available on ay of our claw foot bath tubs, with the exception of the
Caspian. These tubs look just like a regular slipper tub. There are no pipes
or plumbing exposed. A Champagne Massage tub is installed the same way as a
conventional clawfoot tub. The existing plumbing fixtures in a bathroom,
such as, drain, and supply lines, will also work on a Champagne Massage tub.
The Champagne Massage air system is the most sought-after feature in the
industry today. Every major brand has introduced their air tubs at the 2002
Kitchen and Bath Industry Show. But rest assured, no one else has yet been
able to make a clawfoot tub with the air system built in. We are the only
one in the industry now who is capable of making a tub like this, and this
process is currently being patented.
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12. Does the power outlet for a Champagne Massage tub have to be GFI?
Yes, it is highly recommended that a Champagne Massage tub be powered from a
GFI outlet. After all, the blower pump is like a huge hair blower. Since all
hair blowers now require a built-in GFI plug, our blower system is no
exception. Back to top |
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13. What makes our clawfoot tub stand out?
.....Quality (the thickness of our tub)
.....Porcelain gloss on the inside & outside
.....Nice-looking Ball & Claw foot design
.....Graceful body styles
.....One-of-a-kind tubs like Caspian & Champagne Massage
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14. How many styles of feet do we offer?
We offer 2 styles of feet. Ball & Claw (most popular) and Paw
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15. How many finishes of feet do we offer?
We offer 5 different finishes—white, brass, chrome, satin nickel and Oil
Rubbed Bronze.
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WHIRLPOOLS
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1. What are our whirlpool tubs made of?
Each of our whirlpool tubs are vacuum formed out of a ¼” sheet of
high-quality cast acrylic, strengthened on the backside with our patented
crushed stone / resin compound. When looked at closely, you can see our cast
acrylic sheet has a second layer of ABS behind it. This layer of ABS
provides unmatched strength to our acrylic sheet. When you bond this sheet
with our unique strengthening material, the tub becomes very rigid & solid.
This multi-layered proprietary process is patented and called ACRASTONE.
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2. How many colors do we offer?
We offer our tubs in white, bisque, hunter green, navy blue, black,
burgundy, red or, on request, custom colors..
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3. What kind of warranty do we offer on whirlpools?
We offer a 25-year structural and surface warranty on our tubs, and a 5-year
warranty on the pump. We will replace or repair the tub should a problem
develop within the warranty period.
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4. Will the customer need a separate circuit
for our whirlpool tub?
Yes, you will need a 20-amp dedicated circuit for our whirlpool tub. It is
recommended that this circuit be on a GFI (Ground Fault Circuit
Interrupter). Back to
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FAUCETS |
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1. What cartridges do we use in our faucets?
We use only ceramic disc cartridges in our faucets.
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2. How many finishes do we offer?
We offer chrome, polished brass, oil rubbed bronze, and satin nickel
finishes on our faucets and accessories.
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3. What kind of warranty do we offer on faucets?
10-year warranty on parts and finishes (except PVD)
Lifetime warranty on PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) Polished Brass, finish
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4. Do we have replacement parts in stock?
Yes, we do. All replacement parts such as handles, cartridges, and hoses are
inventoried. Back to
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5. How do we number our faucets in the catalog?
There are 4 tub faucet series in our catalog plus 2 lavatory faucet models.
Each series is categorized in 100’s, 200’s, 300’s, 400’s, 500's, 600's and
700's, respectively. Our part number for a faucet consists of three parts.
The first part is a number representing the entire faucet assembly, meaning
that it could include not just a faucet, but also parts like deck-mount
risers and supply lines, parts required to complete a job. We covered all of
these possible assemblies (packages) for each faucet type with different
parts, and gave each assembly a unique number. This way a customer can order
everything he needs for a job with just one number. The second part is the
handle style initial. We offer 4 different handle styles on 100 series, and
2 styles on the rest of the series. Each handle style is denoted in its own
initial, i.e., METAL LEVER = “ML”. The third part of our item number is the
initial for our finishes. Chrome for “CH”, PVD for “PB”, and satin nickel
for “SN”. Please refer to our color catalog (P.11) for a better
illustration.
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6. What do I need to know about your unique height-adjustable supply lines?
We invented our height-adjustable supply lines because we want our supply
lines to have the matching “brass pipe look” and the same base flange as the
waste & overflow. As you know, conventional waste and overflows are all made
of big brass pipes, while the supply lines are usually nothing more than
thin plated “brass tubes”. When you put the two together side by side, they
look very unbalanced. For this reason, we make our supply lines look just
like the waste & overflow, and easy to install at the same time. What we
have created is a brass pipe with a 6” adjustable range that can be pulled
up or down to a desired height to conceal the real plumbing running inside.
In another words, this pipe does not even touch the water. It is only a
shell for cosmetic purposes. Along with these 2 pipes, customers will get a
pair of shutoffs in the box that connect to the bottom of the faucet. And
from the shutoffs, ½” copper pipes coming up from the floor can be connected
with compression fittings provided. Therefore, one can easily install our
supply lines by first running the ½” copper pipes up from the floor to reach
the faucet, then sleeve over the height-adjustable supply lines. Next,
finish the connection and slide up the adjustable part of supply line to
conceal the connection. The installation is simple and quick; most
importantly, they look nice behind the tubs.
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7. What do I need to know about the shower enclosures?
The shower enclosure is a solution for people wanting to take a shower from
a showerhead in a clawfoot tub. A showerhead riser and an oval curtain rail
must be added to the faucet assembly to accomplish this. We have 4 different
models of oval shower enclosures to work with our faucets. 2 are designed to
replace the hand-held shower wand from the faucet (P.21 of our catalog), and
the other 2 on P.22 are designed to co-exist with the hand-held shower wand.
Regardless of which type of shower enclosure one gets, he/she must also buy
a faucet to make it work, whether it is with or without a hand shower. When
ordering a faucet for either type of shower enclosure, the faucet body is
always the same. What is going to vary when ordering a faucet with either
type of shower enclosure is hand shower, shower hose, and shower cradle.
Faucet numbers ending with an “S” are faucets without the hand shower, hose,
and cradle, which are designed to go with shower enclosures on P.21. In this
assembly, water is diverted only to the showerhead up on the riser;
therefore, no hand shower, hose, and cradle are necessary. Unlike the shower
enclosures on P.22, an extra diverter and a riser-mount cradle are in the
picture to make using the hand shower from the faucet possible. Faucet
ordered with this type of shower enclosure will only come with a substituted
riser-mount cradle. The original faucet cradle will not get sent with the
riser-mount cradle. In this assembly, since there are two diverters, (one on
the faucet, the other from the enclosure), water can be diverted either to
the hand shower, or to the showerhead above by using different diverter.
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8. What is the difference between “end-faucet application” and “side-faucet
application”, and what do they mean?
For some of our clawfoot tubs (not all), the faucet is recommended to go on
the side of the tub, instead of the end, due to the drain position. In most
cases, we recommend the faucet be directly above the drain. If a customer
wants to add a shower enclosure on top of his/her tub, the first thing we
would need to know is the location of the faucet, whether it is on the side
or the end of the tub. And the next thing we need to know is whether the
customer wants to keep using the hand shower on the faucet (if there is
one). The faucet location determines if the customer should get an
“end-faucet-application” enclosure or a “side-faucet-application” enclosure,
and keeping or not keeping the hand shower determines the type of shower
enclosure this customer should get. We have two types of shower enclosures.
One is designed to work hand in hand with the hand shower on a tub faucet.
The other, replaces the hand shower option on a tub faucet with itself.
Please see Q.7 in this section for more information on shower enclosures.
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9. What are the different mounting applications we offer with our faucets?
Most of our faucets (not all) can be purchased for wall-mount, deck-mount,
tub-mount, or floor-mount applications. Please refer to our catalog for
specific information on how a particular faucet can be installed. For the
wall mounting application, either a set of straight or swivel connectors are
required. The swivel connectors can swing outward or inward to meet the
water supplies on the wall, which makes installing the faucet much less
complicated. For the deck mounting application, a set of risers is needed to
mount the faucet on the rim of the tub. When a deck-mount faucet is ordered
for a clawfoot tub, the tub has to be ordered with faucet holes drilled on
the rim. The spread of the two faucet holes can be either 3-3/8” or 7”
(center to center), depending on each faucet. Customer can also install the
faucet on the wall of the tub (tub-mount) with straight connectors
penetrating through the tub wall. When a tub-mount faucet is ordered for a
clawfoot tub, faucet holes will be drilled on the tub wall above the
overflow. In certain cases where a drilling faucet hole is NOT desirable
(please see P.6 on color catalog), floor-mount assembly is then the choice
to install the tub faucet. This assembly can mount a faucet on a pair of
rigid, curved supply lines that are bolted down on the floor. Faucets using
this mounting method do not need to be in contact with a wall or the tub
surface. Faucet’s weight is entirely supported by 2 strong pipes and their
support braces.
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