The Best Locations to Install Plumbing in Jetted Tubs

Drain Pipe

• Regardless of the type of jetted tub you buy, the drain will always be located in the bottom of the tub. It might be on one side or the other, or it might be in the middle, up against the wall of the tub, but it will always be on the floor. As a general rule, these drains need to be connected directly to the drain pipe coming up out of the subfloor, so the plumbing should be installed with the jetted tub’s drain location in mind before the tub is installed.

Flex Pipes

• Different jetted tubs have different faucet requirements. For example, you might have two faucet handles controlling the hot and cold water with a single pipe for the water to spit out into the tub, or you might have a single-headed attachment that also doubles as the inlet pipe. No matter where this is located on the tub, you can use flex pipes to attach the hot and cold water connectors to the jetted tub faucet.

Hard Pipes

• Hard pipes can also be used to connect the hot and cold water pipes to the jetted tub, although it depends on the location. For example, if your jetted tub installs in such a way that the inlet pipes are on the back wall of the tub frame rather than on the side of the actual faucet, you have to use flex pipes. But if both the inlets and the faucet are on the same size, you can connect the two with hard pipes, such as PVC or copper piping.

Customization

• After you have roughed-in everything according to the dimensions of the tub, you need to dry-fit the tub to determine whether any customization is needed. Nothing is ever set in stone with tubs, jetted or not, and before you can make the final connections, you need to have the tub in place where it will be installed in its finished position. At that point, you check to ensure the drain pipe matches up with the underside of the tub and all the connections for the inlets match up. Flex pipes help with this, and they are the best option for ease of use.