?Pipeless? Whirlpool Tub Introduced

There's another new entry in the whirlpool bath industry: Sanijet, a Dallas-based manufacturer of a new, patented technology that produces a line of "pipe-less" whirlpool bath tubs.

Introduced at the recent Kitchen & Bath Show in Chicago, the line will go into full production this month, aimed at the high-end housing market above $300,000. List prices for the tubs will range from $3000 to $5500.

Why the need for pipeless tubs?

"Because there are over 10 million piped whirlpool baths and air tubs cur-rently in use in the U.S.," says Sanijet vp of sales and marketing Phil Klement, "and none of them can be adequately cleaned by the user. We have documented research by a leading microbiologist at Texas A&M University that water samples drawn from piped tubs across the country contain potentially harmful bacteria, in-cluding Legionella, Staphylicoccus, E. coli, and Pseudomonas, too numerous to count.

"Our technology is protected by multi-ple patents. It was developed through seven years of intensive research. It eliminates the problems caused by water retention and the accumulation of harmful residue," says Klement. "With a simple turn of the wrist, users can remove each jet assembly for easy, thorough cleaning of every wetted component."