Do walk-in tubs use more water than a regular bathtub?

It depends on the model you choose. The smallest Ella walk-in tubs use 30 to 50 gallons of water per bath once you are seated, while the largest two-seat model uses 85 to 135 gallons, so some walk-in tubs take a modest fill and others take a generous one. The number to compare with your current bathtub is the occupied figure, which is explained in How much water does a walk-in tub actually use per bath?.

Why a Walk-In Tub Fills Differently from a Regular Bathtub

A regular bathtub is an open basin you climb into over a high wall and lie down in. A walk-in tub is entered through a sealed door, and you bathe sitting upright on a molded seat at chair height. That seat is the reason a seated walk-in tub stands taller than a regular bathtub. The Elite, for example, has an actual size of 30 inches wide by 52 inches long by 35 inches high. A taller shell built around a seated bather can hold more water than its footprint suggests, which is why the question of water use comes up so often.

The second difference works in your favor. Because the door is part of the tub wall, it has to stay closed while there is water inside, so you step into the dry tub, sit down, lock the door and only then open the faucet. You are already in the tub during the whole fill, and your body takes up part of the space the water would otherwise fill. You also watch the level rise around you, so you can stop the fill exactly where you want it, above the highest jets and never above the center of the drain handle. The full list of ways the two tub types differ is in Walk-In Tub Versus a Regular Bathtub.

The Two Gallon Figures, and Which One Counts

Ella spec sheets print water capacity as two numbers, and reading the wrong one is the most common reason people think a walk-in tub uses more water than it does.

• Unoccupied capacity is how many gallons the tub holds with nobody in it. Most standard-size Ella walk-in tubs hold 65 to 107 gallons unoccupied.
• Occupied capacity is the water you use once a bather is seated and displacing water. Most standard-size Ella walk-in tubs use 30 to 75 gallons per bath.

The occupied figure is written as a range because the actual volume varies with bather size. A smaller bather typically uses the upper end of the range and a larger bather the lower end. When you are judging water use, hot water demand or fill time, the occupied range is the better guide, because that is the water that comes out of your faucet.

Two reading tips will keep you on solid ground. Use the gallon figures only, because the litre conversions printed on some sheets, including the Big4One sheet, are misprints. Also, the Monaco, Mobile and LayDown60 capacities are not printed on the current spec sheets, so ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 about those models.

Water Used per Bath Across the Ella Line

The spread shows that water use comes from the size of the tub you pick, not from the walk-in design itself. The Petite, Standard, Zen and Flow all hold 65 gallons unoccupied and use 30 to 50 gallons per bath, the lowest figures in the line. Move up to an extra-large or two-seat model and the occupied range climbs with it, up to 85 to 135 gallons on the Escape. If keeping water use low matters to you, a compact single-seat model is the natural choice. If a roomy seat or bathing for two matters more, plan your hot water around the larger range.

How to Compare with the Bathtub You Have Now

Ella does not publish a gallon figure for regular bathtubs, so the fair comparison is against the tub in your own bathroom. A few simple steps give you an honest answer.

1. Look up the water capacity of your current bathtub from its manufacturer.
2. Find the occupied range for the Ella model you are considering in the table above.
3. Place yourself in that range. A smaller bather typically uses the upper end and a larger bather the lower end.
4. Compare your current tub with the occupied range, not the unoccupied capacity, because the occupied figure is the water you use.

The lie-down models are a slightly different case. The two LayDown tubs have a soaking depth of 15 inches, compared to about 11 inches in a standard bathtub, so they are built for a deeper soak in the same reclined position. The LayDown60 capacity is not printed on the current spec sheet, so ask before you plan around it. The depth and height figures for those models are covered in Do they make a bathtub that is only 15 inches high?.

What the Water Use Means for Hot Water and Your Time

Gallons matter most at the water heater. The general guidance from the team is that the average walk-in tub usually calls for a 75 gallon or larger water heater, and the recommendation is the maximum capacity heater available for your house. The largest tubs, such as the ShaK and Big4Two, may require a dedicated additional heater. A tankless heater should be rated at 11 GPM or more. The Transfer60 range of 55 to 75 gallons is the one staff cite when a small tank runs out halfway through a fill, so match the heater to the occupied range of your model before installation day.

A larger fill does not have to mean a long wait. The Ella fast-fill faucet delivers 16 GPM on the 2-piece set and 18 GPM on the 5-piece set at ideal home plumbing, and three quarter inch supply lines with accessible shut-off valves are recommended. House water pressure, pipe size, the distance from the water heater and hot water being used elsewhere all change the real-world rate, as How long does it take to fill a walk-in tub? explains. At the end of the bath, the two 2-inch gravity drains typically empty the tub in two minutes or less when connected to a proper 2-inch drain line, which is described in Drainage and Fill Time. Have your licensed plumber look at the whole picture, including pressure and pipe runs, so the tub you choose and the hot water you have are a happy match.

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• What Size Water Heater Do I Need for My Walk-in Tub?

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