What is the Ella Big4Two two-seat walk-in bathtub, and who is it for?

The Ella Big4Two is a two-seat walk-in bathtub with an outward-swing door, built for two bathers who want to soak together or for one bather who wants the most room in the lineup. It measures 36 inches wide by 80 inches long by 40 inches tall, seats two people facing each other on 22 inch and 24 inch seats, holds 145 gallons unoccupied, and includes seat hydro massage, foot and calf hydro massage, three-speed air massage and LED chromatherapy. Ella's product video calls it the largest two-seat walk-in tub available on the market, and Two-Seat Tubs on Video: Big4Two, Escape, Tub4Two and Companion Walkthroughs shows it alongside the other three two-seaters.

Dimensions, Weight and Capacity

• Actual size: 36 inches wide by 80 inches long by 40 inches tall.
• Shipping size: 38 by 82 by 50 inches, crated.
• Weight: 328 pounds net, 531 pounds shipping.
• Seats: 22 inches and 24 inches wide, facing each other.
• Water: 145 gallons unoccupied, 85 to 135 gallons occupied, depending on bather size.

The 80 inch length is what sets the Big4Two apart. The video describes the largest interior soaking space of any two-seat tub in the industry, and because the two seats face each other, one person can sit on one seat and rest their feet on the other, which is why Ella's two-seat tour recommends these tubs even for someone who usually bathes alone. Before ordering, measure every doorway and hallway on the route into the bathroom against the crate size, and confirm that the floor and the home water heater are ready for a fill of up to 145 gallons. Can two people fit in a walk-in bathtub, and how big is it? walks through what a tub this size asks of a bathroom.

Door, Shell and Drains

The Big4Two uses an outward-swing door made of plastic composite and tempered glass, closing on a 3-latch gear and shaft mechanism that the video describes as ensuring a leak-proof, tight closure. An outward-swing door means the bather never has to step around a door inside the tub, and it is the same door platform as Ella's other outward-swing models. The shell is gloss white acrylic reinforced with fiberglass gelcoat, on a stainless steel frame with adjustable leveling legs. Like every Ella tub it has a low threshold, easy entry and a textured floor for added safety.

The spec sheet also lists a removable front apron with two access panels, one reversible end panel, and a stainless steel chrome-finish wall-mounted grab bar. Draining is handled by two 2 inch 4-port PVC drains with two end caps, two overflows and two stainless-steel operated openers with extended chrome handles, which the video calls Ella's industry-leading dual drain technology with adjustable height for fast, efficient draining. The house drain connects to either or both ports, and the drains install in either direction.

Therapy Systems Included

• Seat hydro massage: a 9 amp 1250 watt pump feeds 16 upper seat jets, 8 on each seat, with an intensity dial air control, run from the digital controller.
• Foot and calf hydro massage: a 7 amp 1000 watt pump drives 4 foot jets and 4 calf jets on its own on/off push control and intensity dial, with a 6 amp 800 watt in-line water heater and 0.04 amp ozone sterilization. The video shows this as the way to sit in comfort and enjoy a foot and calf massage on its own.
• Air massage: a 4.5 amp 500 watt three-speed pump feeds 18 seat jets, 9 on each seat, plus 4 foot jets, run from the digital controller, with Auto Purge that activates 20 minutes after the pump is turned off to clear water from the lines and prevent mildew.
• LED chromatherapy: a multicolor 0.5 amp LED bulb on a transformer, run from the digital control pad.

Two options can be added at order time. The MicroBubble therapy system uses a 1 horsepower 7.3 amp pump, a pressure vessel, an agitator valve and its own on/off push control, and the video describes it as billions of bubbles that exfoliate, moisturize and invigorate. The heated seat and backrest adds warmth to each seat. All of the equipment is 115 volt 60 hertz and requires dedicated GFCI protected lines. How the controls divide between the two bathers, with the foot massage on its own push control and the seat hydro, air and light shared on the digital controller, is explained in Can each bather in an Ella two-seat tub control their own therapies?.

Faucet and Shower Accessories

The spec sheet pairs the Big4Two with the two-piece fast-fill faucet, rated up to 16 gallons per minute at 60 PSI with ideal in-home plumbing, supplied with two 5 foot water supply lines with 3/4 inch connectors and a pull-out chrome hand shower on a 5 foot retractable stainless-steel braided hose limited to 1.9 gallons per minute. The faucet installs through a 2-1/2 inch hole, with a 1/3 inch hole for the mounting rods and a 7/8 inch hole for the hand shower. The product video also mentions the five-piece fast-fill faucet set with an extendable multi-function shower head, or a faucet set of your own choosing.

The accessories video on this page shows what makes the Big4Two a shower for two as well as a bath for two. The four-fold glass screen can be combined with a three-fold screen as a bright, airy alternative to a shower curtain, and it can be set up on both sides of the tub. Dual rain shower heads give a soft rain shower at both ends, so one bather can stand while the other sits safely, and dual extendable multi-function hand showers are the alternative.

How It Compares with the Other Two-Seat Tubs

What the differences mean: the Big4Two is the longest two-seater by 8 inches over the Escape and 20 inches over the Companion, which is where its soaking room comes from, but its seats are narrower than the Escape's, so a very broad bather may prefer the Escape while a tall bather gets more leg room in the Big4Two. It matches the Escape on capacity, and both hold far more than the Companion, which is the model for a standard alcove. The Big4Two and Tub4Two are the outward-swing choices, and the Escape and Companion are the inward-swing stainless door choices, so the door swing and the length of the alcove usually settle the decision. What is the Ella Companion two-seat walk-in tub for couples? profiles the smallest of the family for anyone whose room cannot take 80 inches.

Who the Big4Two Is for

The Big4Two suits a couple who want to bathe together with each seat getting its own share of the jets, and a single bather who wants the most stretching-out room Ella makes, with feet up on the second seat like a recliner. The video sums it up as a tub for the young, the old and the athlete, with plenty of room for two bathers or for enjoying it all by yourself. It is also the two-seat choice for anyone who prefers an outward-swing door. Where the goal is simply the largest single-seat tub rather than two seats, What is the biggest walk-in bathtub size you can buy? compares the ShaK and Big4One instead. The Big4Two is ordered through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, who confirm the door side, faucet, options and accessories before the tub is built and tested.

Watch: Big4Two: 2 Person Walk-In Tub Accessories For Couples | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Choosing a Two-Seat Walk-In Tub: Companion, Escape, Tub4Two, and Big4Two Compared
• What the Two-Seat Full Package Schematic Shows: Two Foot Pumps, Two HSB Boxes and Three Dedicated Lines (Companion, Escape, Tub4Two, Big4Two)

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