Which Walk-In Bathtubs Fit Single-Wide and Double-Wide Manufactured Homes?

The bathtubs that fit manufactured homes in the Ella's Bubbles line are its compact walk-in tubs, and the team recommends two of them for single-wide homes: the Mobile 26x45 and the Front Entry 32x40, because both fit a short space and pass the narrow doorways common in manufactured housing. The Flow 28x48 is the third compact choice the team suggests for mobile homes and trailers, and a home with wider doorways and hallways opens up the Elite, Petite, Capri and Monaco as well. Ella mainly makes walk-in tubs rather than standard drop-in tubs, so there is no drop-in replacement tub to recommend. Where can I buy a walk-in tub sized for a mobile home? compares the three compact models in depth, and this page widens the list to every model Ella names for a manufactured home and explains why the doorway, not the number of sections in the home, decides which one fits.

Single-Wide or Double-Wide, the Tape Measure Decides

Ella's guides never assign a model by home type. The tub that goes into a manufactured home is the same tub that goes into any house. What changes is the planning, because the hardest part is usually getting the tub through the doors and hallway and into the bathroom. A single-wide and a double-wide are therefore answered the same way: you need a door opening larger than 26 inches to fit the narrowest tub in the Ella line, and every other model needs more. Manufactured, prefab and modular homes usually have doors wide enough. RVs, campers and small trailers often do not. Ella tubs ship fully assembled and cannot be taken apart to fit, so walk the whole path and write down each figure:

• The exterior door the tub will come through.
• Every interior doorway between that door and the bathroom, including the bathroom door.
• The hallway width, which matters as much as the doorways.
• Each corner and turn, since a tub that clears a doorway still has to swing around the bend after it.

Each spec sheet prints two sets of numbers. Shipping size is the crated dimension, and it applies from the curb to wherever the crate is opened. Actual size is the tub itself, and it applies to every opening the bare tub passes after that. Where the crate will not clear, the tub is uncrated outside and carried in by its frame, so the actual width becomes the figure that matters at your tightest doorway, and the passage must be wider than it. Can You Put a Walk-In Tub in a Mobile or Manufactured Home? follows the route from the front door to the first bath.

The Models That Fit, Side by Side

The table uses only published actual and shipping sizes. Never plan from the rounded model name; confirm the figure on the current spec sheet for the model you choose. Where a figure is not printed in Ella's current guides, the cell says not listed.

What the differences mean: the Mobile is the tub for a narrow passage, the Front Entry is the tub for a short space, and the Flow sits between them with a 48 inch length that still clears a 28 inch door. The Petite and the Elite are the compact choices in the standard 52 inch length, so they suit a manufactured home whose doorways are wide enough and whose bathroom has a conventional alcove. The Capri and the Flow are also named as compact choices, and the Monaco suits a home with a wider passage; their figures are not printed in these guides, so take them from the current spec sheet.

Why There Is No Drop-In Tub, and What Fills the Alcove Instead

Ella mainly makes walk-in tubs rather than standard drop-in tubs, so there is no drop-in model to recommend for a manufactured home. A walk-in tub fills the space differently, and each compact model handles the alcove its own way. The Flow ships with an extension panel so it can still fill a standard 60 inch alcove, and its outward-facing details are in Ella Flow 28x48: The Tub That Fits a 28 Inch Doorway. The Mobile offers no extension panel, so it suits a 45 inch space or a corner rather than a 60 inch alcove, and the Front Entry includes two removable side panels for corner or single-wall placement. Because the Front Entry's door faces the front, it is the one Ella model that is not ordered as left-hand or right-hand.

A small footprint does not mean giving up therapy. The Mobile carries 14 air jets or 15 hydro jets with an in-line heater, the Flow carries 16 hydro jets with an in-line heater, and the Front Entry carries full therapy packages. The Mobile's seat is 19 to 20 inches and its step-in is about 3 3/4 inches, with an outward-swing U-shape door that opens 165 degrees, so leave clear floor in front of it. The full specification is in Ella Mobile 26x45: The Smallest Walk-In Tub.

Floor, Water and Electrical Checks Before You Order

A walk-in tub places three loads on the floor at once: the tub, the water and the bather. Ella's owner's manuals require a level subfloor that can support the total weight of all three and that meets local code. Water weighs about 8.34 pounds per gallon, so the water is usually the largest share of the load. The Front Entry weighs 200 pounds empty and holds 70 gallons unoccupied, 25 to 55 occupied. The Flow has a net weight of 210 pounds and holds 65 gallons unoccupied, 30 to 50 occupied. The Petite's shipping weight is 305 pounds. The Mobile's capacity and weight lines are printed as images on its spec sheet, so use the product page for those figures or ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850.

Inspectors start from the International Residential Code minimum of 40 pounds per square foot for living areas, but a tub is a concentrated load on a small footprint, so joist size, span, spacing and condition all matter. Manufactured home floors vary widely, which is why a structural check by your contractor or an engineer belongs before the order. Are walk-in tubs a good option for mobile homes? walks through the floor check in full. On the electrical side, the Flow is the only Ella tub whose spec sheet calls for a 15 amp GFCI outlet on its dedicated 110/120V line, where other Ella tubs specify 20A; your electrician should still test the GFCI and confirm local code. For RVs, the team has no direct installation experience, so the RV's floor structure and plumbing capacity must be confirmed by the owner before ordering.

Where the Tubs Come from and How to Order One

Ella's Bubbles is a nationally distributed manufacturer of acrylic walk-in tubs, and every tub is assembled, jetted and tested in its production facility in Chicago. The order is placed through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, and because each tub is built and tested to order, timing varies by model, options and stock, so the team confirms current timing for your specific order. Availability of the Flow has varied, so check with your Ella dealer or the team when you plan. Bring the doorway figures, the bathroom dimensions and the floor check to that conversation, and the right compact model falls out of the numbers rather than out of the home's label.

Related Guides

• Will it fit through my doorway? How to measure your home for a walk-in tub
• What you need before installing your Ella walk-in tub: a planning checklist
• Installing in Mobile Homes, Condos, Upper Floors, and on Concrete Slabs

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