Can an Outward-Swing Walk-In Tub Door Open Before the Water Drains?

Yes, it can, and that is exactly why the rule matters. An outward-swing door is not held shut by the water in the tub. It is held by gear and shaft latches, and those latches release when the handle is rotated fully back to the open position. Every Ella's Bubbles manual gives the same instruction: never open the door until the tub is completely empty. If your door seems stuck at the end of a bath, start with Why Won't My Walk-In Tub Door Open After My Bath?, which covers both door styles.

Why an Outward Door Does Not Enforce the Wait the Way an Inward Door Does

The two door families keep water in the tub in two different ways, and that difference is the whole answer to this question.

On an inward-swing door, the weight of the water presses the door against its seal. The door is held shut by water pressure and opens only once the tub is completely drained. In other words, the tub itself enforces the wait. A door that seems stuck while there is still water in the tub is not a defect. It is the design doing its job.

An outward-swing door opens away from the tub, so the seal is made by the latch mechanism. Once you are seated, you pull the door closed and turn the handle. Turning the handle drives gears on a shaft that push three tapered pins into the frame, compressing the seal evenly all the way around. To open the door, the handle must complete its full rotation to withdraw the pins from the jamb. The pins follow the handle. That means the waiting is up to the bather, and the instruction in every manual is there to take the place of the water pressure an inward door relies on.

The short video on this page, Benefits of Outward Door Swing Walk-In Tubs, shows this locking system. It explains that the U-shape door uses a three shaft gear and lock system, that the extra wide L-shape door uses a two shaft gear and lock system, and that both handles are easy to engage and disengage. Easy to disengage is a real comfort benefit, and it is also the reason the handle should be left alone until the water is gone.

Which Ella Tubs This Applies to

The rule applies to every Ella tub with an outward door:

• The U-shape outward-swing door on the Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile, Lounger, ShaK, Big4One, Tub4Two and Big4Two. It is built from white plastic composite with a tempered glass panel and secured by a 3-latch gear and shaft mechanism. The full description is in What Is a U-Shape Outward-Swing Door on a Walk-In Tub?
• The outward L-shape door on the Transfer family, which is outward only.

The Royal, Elite, Petite, Deluxe, Ultimate, Ultra, Companion, Escape and LayDown are inward only, and the Standard, Zen and Flow are inward only with the acrylic S-shape door. On those tubs the water holds the door for you. Doors are not interchangeable, so the swing direction comes with the model you chose, and so does the end-of-bath routine that goes with it.

What Happens If the Handle Is Turned Too Early

Two things happen when an outward door is unlatched with water still in the tub, and neither one is good for your bathroom or your door.

• Water reaches places it normally would not. Opening an outward door before the tub has drained completely lets more water reach the frame than usual. Even after a full drain, water on the inside face of the door, in the gasket and on the sill runs down the frame and threshold when the door swings, sometimes into the latch openings in the jamb, and may leave a few drops on the bath mat. That small amount is normal. Opening early adds the water that was still in the tub to that path.
• The door alignment is put at risk. The guidance is not to pull or push on the door while water remains, since the bather's weight on the door can change its alignment. The door and seal warranty is valid only when the alignment is correct and has not been changed by a bather's weight, which is also why you should never lean on the open door or use it to steady yourself.

It helps to know what normal looks like so you can tell the difference. A damp sill and a few drops on the mat after the tub is empty are expected on an outward door. Water on the door and frame after the tub is empty is drainage, while water that runs steadily from the frame while the tub is full is a leak. The article Is It Normal for Water to Sit in the Door Frame After Draining? walks through that timing test.

The Right Routine at the End of Every Bath

The good news is that the wait is short. Ella drains are gravity driven, and under ideal house plumbing an average size tub drains in about 80 seconds.

1. Stay seated and turn the drain handle completely to the open position. A drain handle that is only partly open makes the tub drain slowly.
2. Wait until you can see that the tub is empty. Do not pull or push on the door while water remains.
3. Once the tub is empty, operate the handle through its full travel. On the U-shape door the handle faces toward the hinges when the door is locked and away from the hinges when it is unlocked, which gives you a quick visual check.
4. Open the door normally and step out without leaning on it.
5. Wipe the seal and frame with a towel to clear standing water and soap film, and leave the door slightly open between baths so the gasket and frame dry and the seal is not compressed for days at a time.

If the water is going down slowly, the house drain rather than the tub is usually the limit. A slow house drain lengthens the wait before the door can open, but it does not change the rule. Stay seated, keep warm with the hand shower if you like, and let the tub finish.

What It Means for Your Bathroom Layout

On an Ella walk-in tub the door and the drains sit on opposite sides. A right-side door tub has its drains on the left, and a left-side door tub has its drains on the right, with sides taken as you face the tub. The door sits over the seat, while the drains sit at the other end. The door side is set at the factory, so it is worth settling before your order is placed. Should My Walk-In Tub Door Be on the Left or Right Side? explains how to match the door side to your house drain.

An outward door also needs floor space to finish its swing once the tub is empty. The U-shape door swings 165 degrees and needs about 21 inches of clearance in front. The outward L-shape door on the Transfer family swings 172 degrees and needs about 36.5 inches of clearance. Keeping that floor clear means that when the tub is empty you can open the door fully and step straight out, rather than squeezing past a half-open door and putting weight on it.

If the Door Will Not Open Once the Tub Is Empty

A door that stays shut with water in the tub is simply latched. A door that still will not open once the tub is empty is a different story, and it points to the latch or a hinge. Check first that the handle has been rotated all the way back to the open position, since the pins only withdraw at the end of the rotation. If it still will not open, contact your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support, with your model and serial number, a photo of the handle in the open position, and a short video of the handle moving.

Watch: Benefits of Outward Door Swing Walk-In Tubs | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• How do outward-swinging walk-in tub doors work on Ella tubs?
• What Is a Gear-and-Shaft Latch (2-Latch and 3-Latch) on a Walk-In Tub?
• Door Handle Loose, Wobbly or Hard to Turn: Tightening the Bolt Under the Cap and Adjusting the Lock Nut

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