How do you get out of a walk-in tub safely after your bath?

You get out of a walk-in tub in the reverse of the order you got in: open the drain, stay seated until the water has left, then open the door, stand up with the grab bar, and step out over the low threshold. The door is part of the tub wall and has to stay closed for as long as there is water inside, so the drain always comes before the door. The complete sequence from entry to exit is in How Do You Use a Walk-In Bathtub Step by Step?. This page concentrates on the part new owners ask about most, the short wait at the end and the step out, and on the related question of whether you really sit inside while the tub fills.

Why the Drain Comes Before the Door

On a regular bathtub you climb out over the wall whenever you like. On a walk-in tub the door seals against the frame, and on an inward-swing door the water itself presses the door into its seal, so the door will not open until the tub has drained. That is by design, not a fault, and it is the reason Ella builds its tubs to empty quickly. Every Ella tub uses two 2-inch gravity-driven drains rather than a pump, so the water flows straight down through the two openings and out. Ella's own video on staying warm puts the figure at approximately 80 seconds for an average size tub under ideal conditions, and Drainage and Fill Time gives the general figure of two minutes or less once the tub is connected to a proper 2-inch drain line. In practice you open the drain, sit for a short wait, and the door is ready to open.

The Exit, Step by Step

1. Open the drain while you are still seated. Leave the door alone for now. With both 2-inch drains open the level drops fast, and there is no pump to switch on or wait for.
2. Stay on the seat until the tub is empty. The glossy acrylic shell acts like an insulator, so the inside walls stay comfortable while the water level falls. If your tub has the optional heated seat and backrest, it keeps the surfaces you sit and lean on warm right through the drain. It switches itself off after 20 minutes, and one press of its keypad restarts it.
3. Open the door once the water is gone. An inward-swing door that would not budge during the bath opens normally now. Swing it fully so the opening is clear of your legs.
4. Stand up with the grab bar. Nearly every Ella model has a built-in grab bar as standard equipment, positioned for entering, exiting and standing up from the seat. The molded seat sits at chair height, so you rise from it the way you would from a chair, with your feet on the textured non-slip floor.
5. Turn and step over the threshold. Step out over the low threshold rather than lifting a leg over a high tub wall, which is where many bathroom falls happen. On models like the Capri the step-in is roughly 3 1/2 to 4 inches. Keep a hand on the built-in bar or a wall bar until both feet are on the bathroom floor.

Yes, You Sit in the Tub While It Fills

Because the door must be closed whenever there is water inside, filling always happens with you seated. Plan the bath so you are settled on the seat before the water starts: open the door, step over the threshold, sit down, close the door, and only then turn on the faucet. Ella pairs its seated tubs with a fast-fill faucet, rated 16 GPM on the 2-piece set and 18 GPM on the 5-piece set at ideal home plumbing, and publishes a fill range of 7 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the tub and the water supply configuration in your home. It takes about 10 minutes to reach a level where the hydro jets can be used and about 6 minutes more to reach the overflow, and the size of your water heater matters as much as the faucet.

Will I Get Cold While the Tub Fills or Drains? answers the worry that goes with this in four parts: the fast-fill faucets shorten the wait, the glossy acrylic interior acts like an insulator, the in-line water heater keeps the water warm during hydro massage, and the optional heated seat warms the seat before you ever sit down. If you have the heated seat, switch it on 10 to 15 minutes before you enter so the surfaces are warm when you sit, then fill. It warms the surfaces rather than the water, so fill hot from the faucet and let the in-line heater hold the temperature. What Is a Heated Seat and Backrest on a Walk-In Tub? lists which models offer it and notes that it is not available on the LayDown tubs.

Grab Bars, the Seat and the Threshold

The built-in bar is standard on nearly every Ella model. If wall bars are added around the tub, Ella's guidance places horizontal bars 33 to 36 inches above the tub floor and a vertical bar near the door, at the spot where you step in and out, which is the bar you reach for on the way out. Suction-cup grab bars are not recommended. A bar you lean on must be fastened into studs or solid in-wall backing confirmed by a licensed contractor. The molded seat is sized by model, from 19 inches on the Petite to 29 inches on the TransferXXL, so you can sit squarely and push up with both hands. Walk-In Tub Versus a Regular Bathtub sets these features against a conventional tub, where you balance on one foot over a wet edge every time you get out and rarely have a seat or a fixed bar to help.

If the Drain Seems Slow

The 80 second and two minute figures assume the tub is connected to a proper 2-inch drain line and that the water can fall by gravity, because Ella tubs have no drain pump. If your tub takes noticeably longer to empty than the published figures, the exit wait grows with every bath, so have your installer check the drain connection first. If the connection is correct and the tub still drains slowly, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with your model and serial number.

Related Guides

• Why the Door Will Not Open Until the Tub Drains, and Can It Open Accidentally?
• Caring for Your Door Seal: Cleaning, Reseating, and Replacing the Gasket
• Water at the Door: What to Check First and Why You Should Never Lean on the Door

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