What is a walk-in bath and how does it work?

A walk-in bath, also called a walk-in tub, is a bathtub with a watertight door in its side and a low threshold, so you step in through the door instead of climbing over a rim, sit on a built-in seat, close and lock the door, and fill the tub from a deck-mounted faucet while you are already seated. When the bath is over, you open the drain, let the tub empty while you stay seated, then unlock the door and step out. What is a walk-in tub and who is it designed for? covers who the design suits, and this page walks through how one actually works, from the door to the drain.

Step 1: Stepping in Through the Door

The door is what makes a walk-in bath different from a standard tub. Depending on the model it swings inward into the tub or outward into the room. On Ella's Bubbles tubs the Deluxe has an in-swing door and the Monaco has an out-swing door, and both styles are available across the line. The threshold below the door is low, and the floor inside is textured and slip-resistant, so entering does not involve balancing on one leg over a tub wall.

The video on this page shows the door on Ella's Transfer models, which are built for completely unobstructed access. The presenter demonstrates the two-pin system that locks the outward-swing door and seals it, which he compares to a vault door, and shows the door swinging open a full 180 degrees. Because there is no sidewall next to the seat on a Transfer tub, a wheelchair user can roll up beside the tub, drop the chair's arm and transfer onto the seat, a more mobile bather can sit on the seat and swing their feet in, and anyone else can simply step in and sit down. He also points out the milled hinges mortised into the door, the stainless steel pins, and the door seal that is an integrated, permanent part of the door rather than glued on.

Step 2: Sitting on the Built-In Seat

Every Ella walk-in bath has a molded seat, which is the answer for anyone searching for a bathtub with a built-in seat. The seat is what lets you fill and drain the tub in comfort, and its shape is one of the main differences between models:

• The Deluxe, at 30 by 55 inches, is shaped for sitting upright in deeper water.
• The Longer, at 27 by 60 inches, has an extended seat area so a bather can scoot down and stretch their legs out.
• The Transfer XXL, at 36 by 55 inches, is a wheelchair accessible, bariatric model with extra width.

Walk-in Tub Model Highlights compares those bathing styles in more detail. Two-seat models place two seats facing each other, and the assisted-bathing models, the HoistAssist with its own battery hoist and the HomeCare, are built around a caregiver being present.

Step 3: Filling the Bath with the Door Closed

Once the door is closed and locked, you fill the tub while seated. Ella walk-in baths use a deck-mounted faucet with a pull-out hand shower, so the tub fills and rinses with the bather in the seat, and most models ship with a fast-fill faucet set. The hand shower lets you rinse off without standing.

Because you are sitting in the tub as it fills, Ella offers an optional heated seat and backrest. It is a 4 amp radiant surface heater built into the seat and backrest, completely separate from the water heater that works with the jets. Turn it on 10 to 15 minutes before you enter, and it switches itself off after 20 minutes, which is normal and by design; press the button again for more warmth. How the optional heated seat and backrest works covers the keypad and the timing.

If your tub has therapy jets, the water level matters. Fill 1 to 2 inches above the highest hydro jet before starting the hydro pump, and make sure every air jet is under water before starting the blower, which on most tubs means a full fill. Running a pump dry causes permanent damage that the warranty does not cover.

Step 4: Using the Built-In Jets

Shoppers asking for a bathtub with built-in jets for a spa-like experience are describing an Ella therapy package. Most Ella models can be ordered as a soaker with no jets for bathers who simply want a safe, comfortable soak, or with therapies that, depending on the model, include hydro jets, air jets, microbubbles, hydrofoot therapy and the heated seat and back.

• Hydro massage jets. Pressing the Water button starts a pump that draws bath water in through the inlet cover and pushes it out through the jets for a deep, targeted massage of the back, hips, legs and feet. The in-line heater holds the water at the temperature you filled it, the ozone generator sterilizes the circulating water, and the intensity dial adds or removes air in the stream to make the massage firmer or softer. Many jets can be aimed by turning the face. See What Are Hydro Massage Jets on a Walk-In Tub?.
• Air massage jets. Small brass jets in the seat, the base of the seat and the footwell floor are fed by a three-speed blower for a gentle, effervescent bubble massage. Press the Air button once for high, twice for medium, three times for low and a fourth time to turn it off. About 20 minutes after you turn the air pump off, Auto Purge starts on its own and blows the lines dry for 120 seconds; it cannot be stopped and is normal. See What Are Air Massage Jets on a Walk-In Tub?.

Because the jets and lines are built into the shell at the factory, air massage cannot be added to a tub later, so the therapy package is decided when you order. Hydro jets stay clear with a monthly vinegar flush: 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water, the tub filled 1 inch above the highest jets, run for 10 minutes and drained. Skip bath bombs, which clog the jets.

Step 5: Draining and Stepping Out

The bath ends the way it began, with you seated and the door closed. Open the drain and let the tub empty before you unlock the door. Ella designs its tubs with dual oversized gravity-driven drains so that wait is short, and the heated seat is Ella's answer to feeling cold while the tub fills and empties. Once the water is out, unlock the door, swing it open, and step out over the low threshold onto a dry bathroom floor. Ella walk-in baths are assembled in Chicago and ship nationwide, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can match a model and therapy package to your bathroom and the way you like to bathe.

Watch: Wheelchair Transfer Walk-In Tubs Designed for Easy Access | Voted Safest/Best 2020 | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• How to Take a Bath in Your Walk-In Tub: The Sequence From Stepping In to Stepping Out
• How Fast Do Walk-In Tubs Drain and What Speeds It Up?
• How fast will my walk-in tub fill? Fast-fill faucet expectations and operation

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