Which Ella Shower Pan Is Best for Wheelchair Accessibility?

For a bather who uses a wheelchair, the best Ella shower pan is a barrier-free roll-in base: a curb-less acrylic pan that sits flush with the bathroom floor so the chair rolls straight in with no lip to cross. Ella's Bubbles makes it in three standard sizes, 30 by 60, 32 by 60 and 36 by 60 inches, each with a left or right drain, and in custom rectangular sizes when the opening does not match a stock size. What is a shower pan and what does it actually do? explains the pan's job in a finished shower, and this page compares the accessible options so you can choose the right one for the person and the room.

The Threshold Is What Makes a Pan Wheelchair Accessible

Every Ella base is a one-piece molded acrylic tray with the slope, the drain opening and the threshold built in at the factory. The slope and the drain matter in any shower, but for wheelchair use the threshold decides everything, because it sets what the chair has to cross at the entry. ADA standards generally limit the threshold in a roll-in shower compartment to a maximum of 1/2 inch. A barrier-free base has no lip at all, so it meets that figure by design. The other Ella bases each add a step. The Accessible Caregiver Shower Base has a low 3/4-inch threshold built for home care, and the three-inch step-in threshold is the style most people mean by a walk-in shower. Both are residential choices for people who can step over an edge, and neither is the right pan for someone who bathes from a wheelchair. What Is the Difference Between a Roll-In Shower and a Walk-In Shower? covers the two families side by side.

What the table means in practice: the four flush options are the only ones that satisfy the 1/2 inch roll-in figure, so a wheelchair user should be choosing among them by size and drain position rather than by threshold. The caregiver base and the step-in base solve a different problem, a bather who walks in but needs a lower edge than a tub wall, and no add-on turns either of them into a roll-in pan.

Standard Roll-In Sizes and the Drain Position

The three standard sizes are all ADA curb-less roll-in pans. If one of them fits your opening, it is the simplest choice, because the drain sits in a set position for that size and you only choose left or right. The 32 by 60 inch barrier-free base is available in left and right side configurations and is ready to ship. Tell the team where the existing drain line sits in the floor, and it confirms which drain position matches your size. Roll-in and barrier-free bases ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam for the entry edge. The full line of bases, walls and matching pieces is in Shower Bases, Walls, and Filler Pieces.

When a Custom Barrier-Free Pan Is the Better Answer

If the alcove is shorter, longer or wider than the stock sizes, Ella can make a custom rectangular base. Ask for it as barrier-free, because a custom base otherwise typically has a threshold of about 3 inches, while a zero-threshold custom base sits flush with the surrounding floor. The limits are firm:

• The largest custom base is 44 inches wide by 80 inches long. A 38 by 80 inch base with a left drain is within the limits, and a custom 58 by 30 inch base with a center drain has been produced. A request larger than the maximum, such as 53 by 76 inches, cannot be produced.
• Only rectangular sizes are made. Bases with angled or curved edges are not offered.
• The drain can be placed left, right or center, but it must sit at least 9 inches from each wall. A drain only 7 inches from the threshold edge is not possible, even on a custom base.
• Custom bases are made for three-wall alcoves and for corner installations, and the team asks which layout you have so the drain and edges are placed correctly.

Who Makes Custom Shower Pans and Bases for Accessible Showers? has the full request process.

What the Base Does and Does Not Include

Shower products are sold per item, so a complete roll-in shower is the base in your size and drain position, a wall system sized to the base, and accessories such as grab bars or a shower door. Ella makes shower wall panels 98 inches high, and three-piece acrylic wall systems in white, CNC and digital print finishes with ADA accessories available. An 8 inch wide L-shaped filler piece can close a gap between the base and an adjoining wall or fixture. Two things Ella does not offer are worth knowing before you buy. There is no floor insert or riser that raises the interior of a stepped base to bring its drop within an accessibility limit, so if a kit with a recessed floor has already been purchased and the project turns out to require a roll-in threshold, the answer is a different base. And the acrylic pan is never tiled over, because tile would bury the molded slope and threshold and trap water with no path to the drain. The pan arrives as the finished walking surface.

Commercial Projects and Code

In a commercial or public building, the local building department decides what passes inspection, and state and local codes can regulate the edge profile as well as the height. The Accessible Caregiver Shower Base at 3/4 inch sits above the 1/2 inch ADA figure, so it is normally not the right choice where a project must meet the roll-in requirement. Is a 3/4-Inch Shower Base Threshold ADA Compliant for a Commercial Building? works through that case. Check the threshold figure on the spec sheet before ordering rather than judging from a product photo, since a low step and a flush floor can look similar online.

Steps to Specify the Right Pan

1. Decide who will use the shower. A wheelchair user needs a barrier-free base, while a bather who walks in with help may be served by the caregiver base or a step-in base.
2. For a commercial project, ask the local building department which accessibility standard applies and what maximum threshold height and edge profile it enforces.
3. Measure the opening and locate the existing drain line in the floor. Note whether the space is a three-wall alcove or a corner.
4. Choose a stock roll-in size with a left or right drain, or request a custom barrier-free base with the drain position the plumbing requires.
5. Request the spec sheet for that base from your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, confirm the threshold figure, and submit it with any permit paperwork.
6. Have your contractor set the base, connect the drain and finish the walls down over the pan's edge so water lands on the pan and runs to the drain.

Related Guides

• Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One
• How Do I Measure for a New or Replacement Shower Pan or Base?
• Shower Base Sizes and Thresholds Compared: AcrylX Barrier-Free, SMC Linear-Drain, Molded-Seat and Cultured Marble Bases

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