About Maya Bath

Reinforcement – To cut costs many factories use a composite material, combining ABS on the inside with acrylic PMMA sheets on the outside.

Check its Color – An easy test to tell a good quality acrylic from a bad one is by its color and flame-retardation. Cheap materials mixed in the acrylic can cause the color to have too bright a white finish and catch fire more easily. In addition, this low quality, high brightness acrylic is likely to clash in your bathroom.

Price – Some factories use acrylic that costs just $870 per tonne, some others use acrylic at $1,090-$1,160 per tonne. In fact, the acrylic Maya Bath uses costs $1,815 per tonne. This higher quality acrylic will last longer and also fade less over time.

Fiberglass and Reinforcement – Be careful of cheap fiberglass that uses a high degree of resin. This discolors easily devaluing and weakening the steam enclosure. All of our bases and most panels are acrylic with 3-4 layers of fiberglass to reinforce the more vulnerable areas (e.g., base, under seat, bathtub). To cut costs a manufacturer may use just 1 or 2 layers of fiberglass reinforcement.

Are they aluminum? – Check that the profile that holds the glass is not simply plastic with a metal coating or paint finish. The profiles coating may come off and is definitely not as strong.

What is the profiles thickness? – To save costs some manufacturers have a 0.5mm thick aluminum profile and whilst being weaker is also more prone to dents. Maya Bath use 1.2mm-1.6mm aluminum profiles.

Aluminum Quality – Some companies use recycled aluminum and perhaps a composite of other metals to create aluminum frames. This affects the aluminum’s hardness and likelihood of being dented.

Stainless Steel Structural Frame Support – The strength and durability of the support frame is essential as it forms the foundation of your shower or bathtub. Typically, a stainless steel frame will offer the optimum support as opposed to a wooden structure.

Thickness – Typically, it is suggested that a tempered safety glass of 5-6mm would provide optimum safety, below which the risk of breakage increase. As standard, Maya Bath uses 6mm or 8mm thick tempered safety glass on all steam showers.

Edge Protection – The risk of tempered glass breakage heightens if knocked at its edge or corners. Therefore, the glass edge should be protected within the aluminum profile. It is important to note that tempered glass is weak at the edges when constructing an all glass unit. Avoid hitting the edges or corners of the glass panel during installation to prevent accident.

Break Test – One safety standard states that a 120mm square piece of tempered glass should break into 45 individual pieces. Maya Bath’s tempered glass surpasses this and will break into 60 small pieces with no sharp edges. The smaller the pieces the higher the grade of safety glass used.

Pipe Clips – To minimize the risk of water leakage, stainless steel clips provide stronger and longer lasting protection to water leakage over the plastic clips used by some manufacturers.

Silicone free – Some manufacturers claim that their steam showers are entirely silicone free. From our first hand experience with steam showers, a sealant free shower can still leak water if water is applied to particular areas. Check with your supplier what “silicone free” actually means, asking how it works and what’s required to be watertight. You could prevent a water damage disaster that could costs thousands.

Valves – The flow, temperature control and water pressure within the shower will be valve controlled. To ensure the longer life of those valves check they are made from ceramic as opposed to plastic which will deteriorate over time.

Water Testing – Water leakage can be costly and a hassle. Make sure your shower has been fully water tested before shipping. Ensure your installer fully checks every feature, all pipework, tightens jubilee clips, jets and electrics while running a full water test to check for any leaks or drips.

Thermostatic Temperature Valve – As a safety consideration and to reduce the risk of scalding a thermostatic valve will offer a non-fluctuating water temperature. Every modern shower should be equipped with this safety valve that will eliminate those huge fluctuations in water temperature while allowing you to select your desired temperature. Some thermostatic valves also provide a temperature restrictor for the safety of younger users.

Corrosion Testing – The last thing you want is to receive your shiny new steam shower and then find that after a couple of months the chrome plating starts to deteriorate and peel off. Look for a company who will test the anti-corrosion level and protective layer of the materials used with salt spray equipment.

Door Rollers – Door rollers or runners often go unnoticed when they are functioning perfectly. However, if misaligned or damaged they can become a headache. Although, seemingly a simple part – quality should be evident in the detail. For example, Maya Bath door runners are tested to pass over 100,000 consecutive uses.

Operational Testing – The best way to check that both electrics (e.g., lighting, radio, jets) are fully operational and water does not leak is to assemble and fully test a product before it leaves the factory. Why not check whether each individual product has been fully water tested with an electrical supply.

Stainless Steel Door Handles and fixtures – Beware of plastic fixtures that have a chrome coating. These are liable to wear away more quickly and needless to say don’t give a quality feel.

Steam Leakage – Have a look at the gap between the door and the base. The amount of steam leakage varies greatly between manufacturers and whilst you will usually have a little leakage you want to keep this to a minimum. As used with Maya Bath steam showers check for good seals that are designed to reduce the escape of steam.

Weight Test – Simply put: the thicker the acrylic/ABS, glass, aluminum and stainless steel frame (is it a wood or stainless steel frame?) the greater the amount of material required in manufacturing. In addition, solid stainless steel fixtures are far heavier than their plastic counterparts. Not only will this result in a sturdier, stronger product but consequently the weight of the combined delivery boxes will be heavier. For peace of mind, why not check the unpackaged and installed weight of the product in which you are interested?

Residual Current Device – Water and electricity simply don’t mix – When dealing with these two elements safety is paramount. A residual current device or RCD is a device that will shut-off the steam shower as soon as a malfunction is detected. When using a 4KW steam generator or 220V product this is essential to guarantee the safety of the user.

Certification – Check for the ETL and CE safety mark, conformity to which means that the essential health and safety requirements set out in US Directives are met. In addition ISO14001, an internationally accepted accreditation for an Environmental Management System (EMS) and ISO9001:2000, which identifies factors that a manufacturer must fulfill if it is to achieve customer satisfaction through consistent products and services that meet customer expectations.

Electrical Components – A steam shower often contains a complex electrical box that controls steam production, radio, CD, telephone, massage jets and many other functions. Some manufacturers do not test the electric box used within their products, while others may do for just 1-2 hours. In contrast, each function within the Maya Bath electrical control box is run for 72 consecutive hours to ensure the reliability and durability of each electrical component used.

Part preparation – It’s important to check what’s required to install your steam shower before it arrives, ensuring that you have any necessary parts on site to avoid any delays. Some companies charge extra for supply pipes, drainage parts, and additional pieces crucial to the installation which can be frustrating – Know exactly what you’re getting for your money. Maya Bath Steam Showers come with all parts needed to install and use the units.

Interior Height – A costly or uncomfortable mistake may lead to you or your guests not being able to stand up straight inside your shower! This is an important design requirement and one which some manufacturers may overlook. Please be assured that each Maya Bath steam shower has an interior height of at least 6.3′ or higher.

Warranty – Be sure to review the warranty included with your new steam shower with a careful eye. Check how long you’re covered for and what’s actually covered under the warranty.

After Sales – Maya Bath maintains a high stock level of all parts used on all products at our US based distribution warehouse. In the unlikely event of any part failing, you can expect a swift response and resolution to the problem. Our technical support team has been working with steam showers for over eleven years, so we are aware of most common problems and how to solve them quickly. If you find that your supplier does not stock spares in the US, you could be waiting for weeks, even months before a replacement part arrives.

Product features – Once you are happy with the build quality you will want to double check the shower you have chosen provides the features you require. Most steam showers offer a handheld shower, overhead shower and body jets as standard. A feature such as ozone sterilization that will purify and kill bacteria after using the unit may be a differentiating factor. Other differentiating factors may be aromatherapy, foot massage.

Product design – New designs and features such as LED lighting can demonstrate how active a supplier is within the marketplace. If their designs and features seem old and dated, they may not be very active as a company. This could cause problems if you need after sales assistance a few years down the line. Perhaps ask a supplier if they have any new designs coming out, to help demonstrate their activity.

Installation Location

Perhaps the most important consideration when deciding the design and bath styling is where it will be installed. This will quickly provide the maximum size of the bath in both dimensions and whether there are any restrictions due to a toilet or wash basin etc. The installation location may also impose requirements on the shape of the bath (e.g., rectangular, corner, circular) as well as its overall sizing.

In addition, a larger bath will hold more water and its overall weight will be increased. It may be necessary to check whether the floor of the installation location needs any reinforcement to support this extra weight. If in doubt, check the weight of the bath when filled with water and get the advice of a structural engineer.

Bath Size

Ask yourself who will use the bath and how often the bath will be used. This will help you decide whether you opt for a single person or two-person bath. A child may comfortably fit into a small bath now but will this be the case in 5 years time?

Typically, a hot bath will comprise of 1/3 cold water and 2/3 hot water from your boiler or hot water tank. If you have a hot water tank then what is its capacity? Will there be enough hot water in this tank to fill 2/3 of the bath that you are interested in purchasing?

Type/Style of Bath

The style of bath chosen will largely come down to budget and personal preference. In the trade the finished acrylic side of a bath is referred to as an apron. The main types of whirlpool bath you can choose from are:

• Recessed: A bath that has one finished apron and 3 open sides that is designed to be installed in an alcove.
• Drop-in: Either installed in a raised platform or sunk below the floor level. Typically, these baths have no aprons and can be tiled or finished using a décor that matches the bathroom and provides a popular bespoke finish for whirlpool baths.
• Corner: Typically, a finished corner or crescent-shaped apron on the front with two open sides against the walls.
• Freestanding: These baths will be finished on all sides (often with legs) allowing them to be installed off of the wall. Make sure you have suitable drainage and water supply piping at your chosen installation point.

In addition, consider access of the bath piping for maintenance should a problem occur.

Drain Location

In most situations a drain can be moved or a natural recess below the bath can allow pipes to run to the rooms drainage point. However, in some situations it can be very costly or prohibitive to move the drainage point. Therefore, in these cases your choice of whirlpool bath may be affected.

Doorways

Usually, a whirlpool bath will come as one complete piece that cannot be broken down into smaller sections. Therefore, when refurbishing it is important to check whether the bath will fit through all doorways, around corners and hallways when maneuvering the bath to its chosen location. For a new build it may be necessary to move a large bath into the room before the wall or doorway is finished.

Running Costs

A majority of the Maya Bath whirlpool baths use a 1HP water and air pump. In the scenario where the pumps are operating at a combined 2HP this would equate to 2 x 746 Watts = 1.49KW. Therefore, operating the bath jets for 30 minutes at 10p per kWh would cost just 5.6p. The other main cost would relate to heating the water using your boiler system.

Heating the Water

Typically, a whirlpool bath is designed to be emptied of its water once you have finished a bathing session. Therefore, a water heater is not necessary as hot water can always be added during the bath session. However, the air below the bath that is drawn into the air pump will generally be warm and the process of pushing the water through the water pump can have a heating affect due to the friction, which will help slow the natural cooling process of the water.

Stock & Delivery Cost

To save money, many suppliers carry limited baths in-stock. Once they aggregate enough orders they will then start your order. Be careful as this will result in a long lead time of 8-12+ weeks and often further delays can be incurred due to unforeseen circumstances.

A bath will constitute a bulky and heavy item that will cost a significant amount to deliver. When comparing prices look to see if the price includes the delivery as this can considerably affect the final price.

A standard bath comes in different material finishes ranging from wood to enameled steel that can be noisy and prone to chipping. A majority of whirlpool baths will use an acrylic finish. Acrylic is often the preferred material due to its numerous benefits and reasonable pricing when compared to other materials. The main benefits of an acrylic finish include:

• Insulation – Unlike metallic materials, acrylic is a poor heat conductor and therefore an insulator, which will help keep the bath water warm for a longer period of time.
• Warm to touch – Due to acrylic being a poor heat conductor, acrylic will be more comfortable to touch or lean against while in the bath.
• Durable – Acrylic is a very long lasting material and will provide a good finish for many years.
• Easy Clean – An acrylic surface is smooth and is easily cleaned by simply wiping with a mild-household cleaner.
• Non-fading – Maya Bath has specially sourced a high quality acrylic that will not fade over time, whilst having greater fire retardation and strength properties.
• Easy Repair – A scratch can be an aesthetic nightmare to remove from many materials. However, acrylic can easily be sanded using a fine sand-paper and once buffed will result in a finish similar to a brand-new bath.

Quality is the single most important criteria to ensure that your new whirlpool bath will not only look great but also feel great and last for many years to come. Consider the following points when choosing a whirlpool bath:

Acrylic Reinforcement & Fiberglass – To save money some manufacturers will employ a composite material consisting of an ABS sheet with an acrylic PMMA sheet. This will result in a weaker material that will not provide the same benefits of a solid acrylic sheet.

Acrylic Color check – Acrylic quality can vary considerably. One simple check that can be done is to look at the brightness of the finish. Typically, a poor quality acrylic has other materials mixed into it that results in a very bright white finish that will decrease flame-retardation and likely clash with other bathroom items.

Acrylic Price – Some factories use acrylic that costs just $870 per tonne, some others use acrylic at $1,090-$1,160 per tonne. In fact, the acrylic Maya Bath uses costs $1,815 per tonne. This higher quality acrylic will last longer and also fade less over time.

Structural support frame – Does the bath have a strong frame and from what material is this frame constructed? Will it rust away over time? Is it flimsy? These are a few questions to consider. Maya Bath uses a strong 2-3mm thick stainless steel material to create the frame that runs all around the bath. In addition, the frame has adjustable legs to make sure the bath is flat.

Valves – To cut costs a valve can be made from plastic. Maya Bath uses ceramic inside its thermostatic valves to guarantee the maximum lifetime.

Corrosion testing – The last thing you want is for the shiny chrome surfaces of your taps to peal off after a couple of months of use. Using special salt-spray and corrosion equipment Maya Bath tests its chrome plating to make sure it keeps that shiny finish for as long as possible.

Operational testing – To ensure that all taps, jets and electrics are working correctly it is important to carefully test the unit before it leaves the factory. Each Maya Bath product is thoroughly tested to ensure all working parts are fully functional before shipping.

The features found in a hydromassage whirlpool bath far out-number those in a standard bath. Consider the following features:

Thermostatic Temperature Control – This will mix the hot and cold water to a specific temperature before it enters the bath. The valve regulates the water temperature to eliminate dangerous fluctuations that could scald, while also adding convenience.

Water Massage System – A water jet system is standard with most whirlpool baths where water is drawn into a water pump and forced out through jets that line the sides of the bath. The Maya Bath whirlpool baths often have two types of water jets: large positionable jets around the sides and smaller back water jets.

Adjustable Water Jets – The ability to vary a water jets intensity is fundamental to maximizing your hydro-massage experience. A special dial varies the speed at which water is pushed out through the water jets. Check that all jets are adjustable.

Air Massage System – An air jet system provides an extra massage option with a completely different experience. Air is blown up through the water from underneath the user and is in addition to the water jets that line the sides of the bath. Maya Bath provides a majority of its whirlpool baths with both a water massage and air massage system.

Adjustable Air Jets – Maya Bath employs a digital control system that allows you to control the intensity of the streams of air that bubbles up through the water.

Cleaning System – This feature has been specially designed to clean the pipes that circulate the water around the whirlpool bath. Simply unscrew the lid and put in a suitable cleaning solution and then run the cleaning system with the control panel as directed.

Underwater lighting – Underwater lighting is an aesthetic feature that will help create an ambience to compliment the bubbling water. The lighting can be colored or white depending upon the chosen model.

Handheld shower – Enabling you to wash off any left over suds or bubble-bath, this is a highly desirable feature.

Air regulator – To help avoid problems where the back jets can be blocked by a larger user, the air-regulator will diffuse the extra pressure and allow the bath to continue normal operation.

Foam headrest – For added comfort check that the whirlpool bath has a durable, water-proof, padding headrest.

Maya Bath considers that product safety is paramount and as such has built-in relevant safety devices into each whirlpool bath. Maya Bath provides the following safety devices:

Water present & level sensor:

To protect the water pump from being operated with the absence or lack of sufficient water, a sensor can detect the current water level. This will help protect both the water pump itself and the user before and during the hydromassage session.

Residual Current Device (RCD):

This simple device is important where water and electricity have the chance of coming into direct contact. An RCD will immediately turn-off all power to the unit if an imbalance in the phase of the current is detected. Make sure you have an RCD installed.

It is important that you buy from a company that you believe will still be in business for the foreseeable future so you can get spare parts and to service your warranty should a problem become evident. There are many cheap suppliers in the market who will provide a guarantee but may not actually be in business should a problem arise.

Certification

Electrical safety is of paramount importance, especially with products used in your bathroom environment. You do not want to find that you have a beautiful new product in your home only to find that it is a safety hazard to both you and your family. Check for safety certificates that are verified by a third party. For example, stating CE compliance is only the manufacturers word and does not indicate this has been externally verified. Each Maya Bath bath complies to the following safety standards: ETL, CE, ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004.

Prior to purchasing you should have confirmed the steam shower dimensions and know where in the bathroom you are placing the steam shower. The steam shower installation will require both a hot and cold water supply along with an electrical feed.

• Water Supply: The manufacturer’s steam shower installation booklet will provide measurements to where the hot and cold feeds should be piped. The steam shower will arrive with hot and cold braided hoses on the rear of the unit allowing the unit to be connected and pushed back into position. The water supply pipes should be recessed and not protrude more than ½ inch from the wall. Ball lever valves can be installed to allow quick shut-off of the water to the shower.
• Electrical Supply: The 5.0KW steam generators require a 30Amp dedicated power supply to the steam shower. Typically, this will be wired back to the consumer box and can be located on a separate breaker switch. The rated working voltage of a majority of the Maya Bath steam showers is 220V at 60Hz.
• Drainage: The manufacturer’s installation booklet will give measurements for positioning the shower’s drainage point. Typically, the shower will come with a flexible drain hose that will be connected to your drainage point.

At this stage you should carry out preparatory decoration as necessary. This may involve plastering, painting or tiling.

CAUTION: Never knock nails or drill holes into walls without knowing what is hidden behind them!

The overhead fan, lights and speakers will all be powered from the main control box. Each wire should be labelled and have matching connectors that come from the control box. These 12V DC wires should now be plugged together. The shower will have water pipes that run to the overhead shower and body jets from the 3-way thermostatic valve. These should be plugged into the corresponding connectors and tightened using the metallic pipe clips and a Phillips screwdriver.

Please check that the water supplies are balanced and at an adequate pressure. The steam showers come with stainless steel flexible hose lines in the back of the unit just like a house washing machine and will connect similar to a washing machine at your home.

Connect the dedicated 220V/110V power lines either directly to your breaker box or plug them into an outlet in the room. It is important that the ground wire is connected to a grounding point in the bathroom or the metal framing of the shower. The installer will be able to advise about correct grounding of the steam shower.

Finally, connect the flexible drain hose into your bathroom’s floor waste point and seal as necessary. Keep in mind that the drain is a flexible hose and you do have room to move it around underneath the tub/pan as well.

Typically, you should now place a bead of white or clear sealant between the adjoining side panels. Sealant should also be placed between the side panels and the tray to stop any water running along any seams and over the edge of the shower tray.

Once sealant has been applied and allowed to dry, the steam shower should be tested for water tightness. Use the handheld shower to spray water against the water jets, all acrylic/glass panel fixing holes and along the join of all adjoining panels. Typically, it is not necessary to seal the top piece but this is left to the discretion of the installer. Check around the rear and sides of the steam shower to see whether any water has escaped and reseal where necessary. Also, the installer should check that all pipes and fittings are fully spanner tightened and not dripping any water.

Once the unit has been fully checked for water leaks and all electrical features such as lights, radio and steam tested then gently push the unit back into position.