Jetted Bath Tub Plug for American Standard Whirlpool tub nozzles & strainer

prusaprinters

I recently moved into a house with a 10-year old American Standard jetted whirlpool tub with a broken motor. You need to run the jets to clean the interior piping, so we were left with a few pricey decisions to make if we wanted to use the tub for bathtime: have a plumber come out ($175 fee just to come out and inspect) to fix the motor (behind a wall that needs to get knocked down), replace the entire tub, or put a veneer tub surround over top of the jetted tub. Most of these options are pricey and would take a fair amount of time. I have two young children and we need to get back to taking baths! So, I whipped up a custom & semi-temporary solution that will tide us over until we can make major renovations: plugging the nozzles/drain and sealing with clear bath silicone. I was shocked to find out that such a plug doesn't exist on the market (some people were using those doorknob wall protectors glued in with marine epoxy) so it's 3D printing to the rescue! I removed and cleaned around all the nozzles and strainer from the jetted tub. The plugs and strainer cover were fixed in place with Loctite PL Heavy Duty Sealant: https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-Sealant-9-5-Ounce-Cartridge-2141743/dp/B075FT318W then sealed around the edges with clear silicone meant for bath tubs: https://www.amazon.com/GE-Silicone-Caulk-Clear-GE612/dp/B0000DI85V/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=silicone+sealant+bath&qid=1571343757&sr=8-4 Make sure to add a good dollop of clear silicone in the center of the strainer replacement cover before you screw in the center screw. After the recommended # of hours for curing time and drying on the silicone, and it's bathtime! Print instructionsI printed these with the outer face upright on the print bed (with supports) because I found I got a better top surface quality that way. I experimented with a few different materials, layer heights, and finishes — including Prusament PLA, Prusament PETG, and molding with Smooth-On/Smooth-Cast 300. Mostly, I am finding Prusament Galaxy Black PLA looks amazing, prints easy, and with a little bit of sanding and a couple coats of Clear Poly spray seems it will hold up just fine to the bathtime environment. I recommend printing in Prusament PLA at 3 perimeters with 20% infill, perhaps giving more solid layers to the top surface when printed upright (like a mushroom).