Bubble Tubes

Which sensory bubble tube should I choose?

Bubble Column: the classic water bubble tube. A quiet pump sends streams of bubbles up through water lit in changing colours. It needs filling when you set it up and a clean from time to time. Plastic bubble tube fish can be added to drift up and down with the bubbles. The standard tube is 15cm wide, and the Giant Bubble Column is a wider 20cm.

Hurricane Tube: a bubble tube without water. A fan drives light beads up and down the tube, and you can turn the speed from a fast, tumbling rush to a slow hover. With no water inside it's lighter, easier to move and has very little upkeep.

Frosted Column: silent light. No water and no bubbles, just a calm, silent column of soft light that slowly changes colour.

Bubble walls. We also make the Bubble Wall in 1.2m and 1.5m heights.

Smaller budgets. The 1.2m Budget Bubble Tube is 10cm wide and cycles through colours on its own. Its bubbles switch on and off with one of our switches, sold separately. There is also a Budget Hurricane Tube, and a Tabletop Hurricane for a desk or shelf.

What size bubble tube should I choose?

The bigger the bubble tube, the more impressive it is. If you want to get right up close, stand it in a podium, which makes it more stable, and fix it with a bubble tube wall bracket if it's likely to be handled a bit more roughly. Please don't lean on a bubble tube unless it's in a podium and fixed with a bracket.

Changing the colours

Out of the box, every bubble tube cycles through colours automatically. To choose a colour yourself, or change it with the press of a switch, add one of our controllers: the 4 Controller Switch Buttons, the Spectrum Selecta or a Wireless Receiver. See the full range in MSE Control (MSE stands for multi-sensory environment, another name for a multi-sensory room).

Time with a bubble tube

A bubble tube doesn't ask anything of anyone. Some people pull up a bean bag and watch the bubbles climb. Others enjoy the colours changing across the room, or forget about it for a while. It's simply a good place to be.

How do I clean a bubble tube?

Our Bubble Column Additive helps keep the water clear. In hard-water areas, tap water can leave a cloudy limescale film on the tube, which household descaler removes. Every so often, empty the bubble tube, clean the inside with a mild detergent and refill it. Hurricane and Frosted columns have no water to look after.

How long do bubble tubes last?

Looked after properly, a TFH bubble tube should last a long time. For water-filled bubble tubes, we recommend changing the non-return valve once a year as routine maintenance. Every bubble tube comes with a one-year guarantee, which covers routine faults but not accidental damage. After that, we can repair or service it and will quote for the work first.

Are bubble tubes safe?

Every TFH bubble tube runs at a low 12 volts, so there's no mains voltage in the tube itself. Stand it in a podium and fix it to the wall with the Column Security Bracket wherever it might be leant on or knocked. If you need the safety standard or test details for a particular bubble tube, just ask us. Use under adult supervision.

Bubble tubes for schools and care settings

We accept purchase orders. If you're looking for funding, our funding and grants guide covers what's available for schools and young people. A bubble tube is usually the centrepiece of a multi-sensory room, so if you're planning a whole room, our guide to sensory rooms, free sensory room design service, price guide and examples of our rooms are good places to start.

Made by TFH

We've designed and made sensory equipment for over 40 years. Our bubble tubes are made in Britain, in our own factory in Wales, so we can tell you exactly how each one works and what it's designed for. Read more about TFH.

Written by John Tidmarsh, TFH UK.