How Does the Outward U-Shape Door Latch and Seal Against Water Pressure?

The outward U-shape door seals against water pressure with a 3-latch gear and shaft mechanism rather than with the water itself. Turning the outside handle drives gears on a shaft that push three tapered pins into the frame, and the taper pulls the door evenly into its gasket all the way around, so the seal is just as tight when you close the door on an empty tub as it is when the tub is full. What Is a Gear-and-Shaft Latch (2-Latch and 3-Latch) on a Walk-In Tub? introduces the mechanism, and this page explains why an outward door needs it, what happens inside the door as you turn the handle, and what you do as an owner to keep that seal working.

Why an Outward Door Needs Its Own Seal

On an inward-swing door, found on models such as the Standard, Zen, Flow, Ultra, Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe and Ultimate, the water is part of the seal. The door opens into the tub, so once the tub fills the weight of the water presses the door against its gasket and holds it there until the tub is drained. An outward-swing door opens away from the tub. The water cannot help hold it closed, so something else has to hold the water back, and that something needs to be robust. Ella's answer is the mechanism the presenter in the first video compares to a vault door: close the door, turn the handle, and the pins come out into the jamb so that everything inside stays put.

The U-shape door is fitted to the Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile, Lounger, Shak, Big4One, Tub4Two and Big4Two. It is a plastic composite frame holding a tempered glass panel, it swings outward through a 165 degree arc, and it is secured by three latches. The L-shape aluminum door on the Transfer26, Transfer30, Transfer32, Transfer60 and TransferXXL belongs to the same family of mechanism with two pins and a 172 degree swing. What Is an L-Shape Transfer Door on a Walk-In Tub? covers that door, and every check on this page applies to it as well.

What Happens Inside the Door as You Turn the Handle

The handle on the outside of the door is connected to a shaft. Gears on that shaft drive three tapered locking pins out of the door and into openings in the striker plate on the frame. The taper is the clever part. At the start of the handle's travel the pins need only light pressure, because the narrow end of each pin is just beginning to enter the frame. You only need to get the door started with a gentle push. As you continue to rotate the handle, which the video shows going through a full 180 degrees, the wider part of each pin seats into the jamb and the taper pulls the door evenly into the gasket all the way around. The pins do the work, not your arm. The presenter notes that the pins put the right amount of pressure on the seal every time, so a bather with limited mobility never has to force the door.

Two things follow from this design. First, the seal does not depend on the tub being full. Once the door is installed and aligned it does not move or shift, and the seal is just as tight when you close the door on an empty tub as it is when the tub is full of water. Second, the handle position tells you whether the pins are seated. On a U-shape door the handle faces toward the hinges when the door is locked and away from the hinges when it is unlocked, so a glance confirms the pins are home before you start filling. A handle left halfway means the pins are only partly in and the seal is only partly compressed.

Why the Water Cannot Stop the Door from Being Unlocked

The same fact has an honest flip side. Because the seal comes from the pins and not from the water, nothing about a full tub stops the pins from retracting. If someone rotates the outside handle fully back to the open position while the tub is full, the door unlocks. That is why every Ella's Bubbles manual gives the same instruction for outward doors: never open the door until the tub has completely drained. The rule comes from the manual, not from a mechanical lockout, and Can an Outward-Swing Walk-In Tub Door Open Before the Water Drains? walks through that difference model by model.

In practice accidental opening is unlikely. The handle sits on the outside of the door, where it is harder for a seated bather to reach, and the pins only retract at the end of a full rotation. The situation to plan for is assisted bathing, where a helper operates the door. Make sure anyone helping understands that the handle stays in the locked position until the tub is empty. On the Lounger the outside handle can be removed, and the team can tell you whether that approach suits your model and your household. There is no factory child lock or alarm accessory for the door. Can Someone Open the Walk-In Tub Door While It Is Full and Flood the House? covers the household side of this question.

What Keeps the Seal Working: Alignment

The gear and shaft mechanism depends on alignment more than anything else, and there is no adjustment screw on the lock that tightens or loosens the pins. The lock is set right when three conditions are met: the tub is level on every leg, the handle completes its full turn so all three pins seat in the striker plate, and the handle lock nut behind the front apron is set so the handle moves smoothly yet still pulls the door firmly into the seal. How do you adjust the 3-latch gear lock on an outward-swing door? walks through those settings in order.

Start with the legs whenever the door stops lining up or has to be forced. Ella tubs have at least six leveling legs, and each must rest solidly on the floor with no gap beneath it. When a leg hangs free the shell bows, the door rubs the jamb, the pins drift away from the striker plate openings, and the gasket may not touch on the lower handle side, which is where most door leaks begin. Adjusting anything at the handle on a bowed tub only masks the problem. If the tub is bowed down in the center, extend the center leg until the door frame clears the swing of the door.

Then protect the alignment you have. Never lean on the open door or use it to steady yourself while stepping in or out, because the door and seal warranty is valid only when the alignment of the tub and door is correct and has not been changed by a bather's weight. Use the grab bar and the seat instead. Complete the full handle turn every time, and keep the seal clean so the pins compress the gasket against a clean surface.

If the Door Itself Ever Needs to Come Off

The door is bolted to its hinge, and the second video shows how it comes off. Using a 3/16 inch Allen wrench, loosen and remove the six bolts on the door side of the hinge, then lift the door away from the tub with an assistant. To put a door back on, line up the bolt holes on the door with the holes on the hinge and tighten the bolts firmly. This is the procedure for replacing an outward-swing door, and the hinge itself stays on the tub.

If the pins stop lining up with the striker plate after you have checked every leg, or the door leaks while the tub is full with the handle fully locked, contact your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support. Have your model name, your order details from where you purchased, and photos of the handle in the locked position, the pins, the striker plate and the seal.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Replacing An Outward Swing Door with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• How Do I Adjust the Door Latch So the Door Seals Without Forcing?
• Door Handle Loose, Wobbly or Hard to Turn: Tightening the Bolt Under the Cap and Adjusting the Lock Nut
• Door seal or gasket looks worn, loose, or leaks: care, repair, and replacement

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