What is the Ella Big4Two two-seat walk-in bathtub?

The Ella Big4Two is the largest two-seat walk-in bathtub Ella's Bubbles makes: an acrylic tub with an outward-swinging door that measures 36 inches wide by 80 inches long by 40 inches tall, with two facing seats of 22 and 24 inches and a 145 gallon unoccupied capacity. It ships with seat hydro massage, independent foot and calf hydro massage, three-speed air massage and an LED chromatherapy light, and Ella's product video describes it as the largest two-seat walk-in tub available on the market today. Two-Seat Tubs on Video: Big4Two, Escape, Tub4Two and Companion Walkthroughs walks through the whole family on video; this page is the Big4Two on its own.

Size, Weight and Water Capacity

The figures below come from the Big4Two spec sheet. Widths are exterior, the length runs along the wall, and the height is from the floor to the top of the rim.

• Actual size: 36 inches wide by 80 inches long by 40 inches tall.
• Seats: 22 inches and 24 inches wide, facing each other, with a dedicated footwell for each bather.
• Water: 145 gallons unoccupied and 85 to 135 gallons occupied. The occupied figure varies with the size of the bathers.
• Weight: 328 pounds net and 531 pounds shipping, in a crate 38 by 82 by 50 inches.

The length is the figure to check first. At 80 inches the Big4Two runs well past the 60 inch alcove a standard bathtub sits in, so it needs a wall long enough to take it, and the 40 inch height needs checking against any window sill above the tub. Ella's product video says the tub has the largest interior soaking space of any two-seat tub in the industry, and the Big4Two matches the ShaK, Ella's largest single-seat tub, on unoccupied capacity while adding a second seat. Bathing alone, you can kick your feet up on the other seat like a recliner, which is why the two-seat tubs give one bather the most room to stretch out, as What is the biggest walk-in bathtub size you can buy? explains.

How It Compares with Ella's Other Two-Seat Tubs

All four Ella two-seaters are true two-seat tubs, meaning each seat has its own jets and its own share of the systems, and none of them is simply an extra-large single tub. Where they differ is in footprint, seat width and the door.

What the differences mean: the Big4Two and the Escape hold the same water and share the same 36 inch width and 40 inch height, so the choice between them comes down to the door and the length. The Escape is 72 inches long with an inward-swinging stainless steel door, which suits a room where floor space in front of the tub is tight. The Big4Two is 80 inches long with an outward-swinging door, which gives the longest interior of the family but needs clear floor in front of the door. The Companion is the compact option, built to fit a standard 60 inch alcove for medium to petite bathers, as What is the Ella Companion two-seat walk-in tub for couples? describes. The Escape's seats are the widest of the family, so a broad bather should compare seat widths and not just length.

The Outward-Swing Door, Deck and Drains

The Big4Two door is a plastic composite and tempered glass panel that swings outward and closes with a 3-latch gear and shaft mechanism, which the product video describes as a leak-proof, tight closure. Like every Ella walk-in tub it has a low threshold for easy entry and a textured floor for added safety. Because the door opens outward, the bathroom needs room in front of the tub for the door to swing, and the door side has to stay clear of a vanity or toilet.

The spec sheet lists the rest of the shell and deck equipment:

• Acrylic shell in gloss white, fiberglass gelcoat reinforced, on a stainless steel frame with adjustable leveling legs.
• Removable front apron with two access panels and one reversible end panel.
• Stainless steel wall-mounted grab bar in chrome finish.
• Two 2 inch four-port PVC drains with two end caps, two overflows and two stainless steel operated openers with extended chrome handles. Ella calls this dual drain technology. The house drain can connect to either or both ports, and the video notes the adjustable height of the drains for fast, efficient draining.

Therapy Systems Included on Every Big4Two

The Big4Two ships with four systems, each on its own pump, so every system can run at the same time.

• Seat hydro massage. A 9 amp pump feeds 16 upper seat jets, 8 on each seat, with an intensity dial air control, switched from the digital controller.
• Independent foot and calf hydro massage. A separate 7 amp pump drives 4 foot jets and 4 calf jets on an on/off push control, with its own intensity dial, a 6 amp in-line water heater and 0.04 amp ozone sterilization. Because it is independent, you can fill just the footwell and enjoy the foot and calf jets without filling the whole tub.
• Three-speed air massage. A 4.5 amp pump feeds 18 seat jets, 9 on each seat, plus 4 foot jets, controlled from the digital controller. The first press is high, the second medium, the third low, and the fourth turns it off. Auto Purge starts 20 minutes after the air pump is turned off and runs 120 seconds to blow residual water out of the air lines. It cannot be stopped and is normal even if it starts while you are still in the tub.
• LED chromatherapy. A multicolor 0.5 amp LED bulb on a transformer, run from the digital control pad.

Two options are listed on the spec sheet: the MicroBubble therapy system, a 1 HP, 7.3 amp pump with a pressure vessel, an on/off push control and an agitator valve, and a heated seat and backrest. Not every control is per seat. The foot massage is each bather's own, while the air massage, the seat hydro jets and the light run from one shared digital controller, a split that Can each bather in an Ella two-seat tub control their own therapies? explains in detail.

Faucet, Electrical and the Accessories Made for It

The spec sheet pairs the Big4Two with Ella's Fast Fill faucet, rated up to 16 gallons per minute at 60 PSI with ideal in-home plumbing, with two 5 foot supply lines with 3/4 inch connectors and a pull-out chrome hand shower on a 5 foot retractable braided hose. The hand shower itself is limited to 1.9 gallons per minute. The product video adds that you may use a faucet set of your own choosing instead. Every electrical fixture connects to a dedicated GFCI protected outlet or GFCI breaker, and the equipment is 115 volt, 60 hertz.

Ella's accessories video for the Big4Two shows three options made for a tub this long: a four-fold glass screen that can be combined with a three-fold screen as a bright, airy alternative to a shower curtain and set up on either side of the tub, dual rain shower heads that give a soft rain shower at both ends so one bather can stand while the other sits, and dual extendable multi-function hand showers. The product video runs through the whole tub, from the door and the drains to the foot massage and the heated seats.

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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