How does the Ella Transfer60 outward swing door walk-in tub work?

The Ella Transfer60 is the 60 inch long member of Ella's wheelchair accessible Transfer family: a walk-in tub whose oversized L-shape door swings outward and takes the whole sidewall beside the seat with it, so a bather can slide sideways from a wheelchair onto the 22 inch wide seat instead of stepping through an opening. It is offered as a soaking tub or with hydro, air and microbubble therapy packages, and its spec-sheet figures are set beside the Lounger's in Lounger Versus Transfer60: A Side-by-Side Comparison From the Spec Sheets. The figures below come from the current Transfer60 spec sheet and the live Transfer articles.

Size, Seat and Water Capacity

The product pages use a nominal 60 by 30 inch size; the spec sheet prints an actual size of 29.5 by 60 by 40 inches, so refer to the actual figure before framing an alcove. Inside, the interior length is 50 3/4 inches, the seat is 22 inches wide and 18 1/2 inches long, the seat sits 17 inches above the footwell floor, and the water reaches 17 5/8 inches above the seat at the top of the overflow. The tub holds 90 gallons unoccupied and 55 to 75 gallons with a bather in it, which is the number that matters for your water heater.

Net weight is 220 pounds, shipping weight is 300 pounds, and the crate measures 34 by 62 by 50 inches. Measure doorways, hallways and stair turns against the crate rather than the bare tub. The Transfer26, Transfer30 and Transfer32 all share a 52 inch length, so the Transfer60 is the choice when the bathroom can take more length, and Which Ella Wheelchair Transfer walk-in tub sizes and door options exist? lines up the whole family.

How the Outward Swing L-Shape Door Works

The L-shape door is the reason the Transfer family exists. The drawing prints a 172 degree opening angle, so the door swings well out of the way, and when it is open there is no sidewall next to the seat. Its winged shape fits over a standard toilet in a typical vanity, toilet, tub layout while still leaving a wide opening to the seat, allowing toilet clearance of up to 21 inches in height. A two-latch gear and shaft mechanism pulls the door evenly onto its seal for a watertight closure, and a soft-grip handle closes it. The first video below shows the difference between Ella's two outward-swing locks: the U-shape door uses a three-shaft gear and lock system, while the extra wide L-shape door uses a two-shaft system, and both handles are easy to engage and disengage.

The door hangs on mortised hinges, and the second video shows how simple the hinge is: six bolts on the door side of the hinge come out with a 3/16 inch allen wrench, an assistant helps lift the door away from the tub, and a replacement door goes on by lining up the bolt holes and tightening the bolts firmly. Because the door swings outward, confirm the clear floor space in front of the tub with your installer. Door side is chosen at order time, and the tub drains sit on the opposite side from the door, so a right-side door puts the drains on the left as you face the tub.

Getting Onto the Seat

Every Transfer tub has a low threshold, a textured floor, and deck and wall mounted grab bars for support during the move. How Do You Transfer From a Wheelchair Into an Ella Walk-In Tub? walks through the three ways in:

1. Lateral wheelchair transfer. Roll the chair up beside the open side of the tub, drop the chair arm, slide across onto the seat, then swing the legs over the low threshold into the footwell and close the door.
2. Sit and swing. A more mobile bather sits down on the seat first, then swings the feet into the tub.
3. Step in. With the whole side open there is room to step in and sit down as on any other walk-in tub.

The door decides what is physically possible. How a particular person should be lifted, steadied or positioned belongs to that person's physical or occupational therapist, and How do I choose a wheelchair accessible walk-in tub? covers the width and seat decisions that come first.

Shell, Drains, Faucet and Options

The soaking configuration includes an acrylic shell in gloss white with a fiberglass gelcoat reinforced finish, a stainless steel frame with adjustable leveling legs, a removable front apron with two access panels, one reversible end panel, and a stainless steel chrome finish deck and wall mounted grab bar. The dual drain setup that the product listing calls out is two 2 inch 4-port PVC drains with 2 end caps included, 2 overflows, and 2 stainless-steel operated openers with extended handles in chrome finish, so the tub empties through two drains rather than one.

The spec sheet's faucet section describes the 5 piece faucet: up to 18 GPM at 60 PSI on ideal in-home plumbing, two 5 foot 3/4 inch water supply lines, and a pull-out chrome hand shower on a 5 foot retractable stainless-steel braided hose. Optional features are a heated seat and backrest and a digital controller. Electrically, the tub needs dedicated GFCI protected line(s) at 115/120V 60Hz, and the sheet notes that the amp value for each pump may change based on availability, so your licensed electrician should work from the sheet that ships with your order.

Therapy Packages and What Runs Inside Them

The Transfer60 spec sheet lists seven ways to order the tub: Air + Hydro, Air + Hydro + Hydro Independent Foot Massage, Air + Hydro + Microbubble, Hydro + Hydro Independent Foot Massage, Hydro Massage + Microbubble, Hydro Massage alone, and Soaking. The LED chromatherapy light, rated 0.5A with an on/off push control, is included with dual or triple packages and is not included with Hydro Massage alone.

• Hydro Massage. A 7A pump, an intensity dial air control, ozone sterilization at 0.04A, 22 jets (16 seat jets and 6 foot jets), on/off push control, and a 6A 650W in-line water heater.
• Hydro + Hydro Independent Foot Massage. Two hydro pumps at 5A and 7A with two intensity dials, the same 22 jets, ozone sterilization and the in-line heater, so the foot jets can run on their own without filling the whole tub.
• Air Massage, paired with hydro. A 4.5A 500W three-speed air pump with 17 air jets (11 seat jets and 6 foot jets), alongside 11 hydro jets (5 back jets and 6 foot jets). Auto-purge activates automatically 20 minutes after the air pump shuts down and runs for 120 seconds to blow residual water out of the air lines.
• Microbubble Therapy. A 1 HP pump at 7.3A, a pressure vessel, an on/off push control and an agitator valve.

Note that the hydro jet count is tied to the package, not to the model name. A Transfer60 ordered with Hydro Massage carries 22 hydro jets, while one ordered with the Air + Hydro package carries 11 hydro jets plus 17 air jets, and both figures are correct for their packages. Choose the package with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before the order is placed, because pumps, jets and controls are built in at the factory.

Related Guides

• Operating the L-Shape Transfer Door: Front Handle, Closing, and Wheelchair Entry
• How do outward-swinging walk-in tub doors work on Ella tubs?
• Getting Into a Transfer Tub: Three Entry Methods and How the L-Door Is Built, on Video

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