What is the bather weight limit for the LayDown60 30x60 tub?

There is no set bather weight limit for the Ella LayDown60, and that is true of every current Ella walk-in tub. The acrylic shell is bonded to a stainless steel frame whose adjustable leveling legs carry the load of tub, water and bather to the floor, so fit comes down to the interior dimensions rather than a weight rating. On the LayDown60 the figures that decide fit are the 46 inch by 20 inch interior floor, the 19 5/8 inch glass door opening and the 15 inch soaking depth, and What Is the Ella LayDown60 30x60 Walk-In Tub and Its Drain? covers the rest of the tub.

Why No Weight Rating Is Published

Every current Ella walk-in tub, from the Petite to the LayDown line, is built the same way. A solid acrylic and ABS sheet is heated and vacuum-formed over the mold into one seamless surface, gel-coated fiberglass is applied to the back for strength, and the shell is set on a rust-proof stainless steel frame. Further fiberglass layers then bond shell and frame into a single structure. The team describes the acrylic as roughly 1/8 to 3/16 inch thick with the fiberglass backing behind it, and because the white runs through the sheet rather than sitting on top, the surface is non-porous and resists fading, mold, mildew and staining.

The frame is what carries the weight. Threaded leveling feet let the installer level the tub on an imperfect floor, and once the tub is level the load of the shell, the water and the bather is transferred to the floor across every leveling leg rather than through one point. Larger tubs add center legs so the frame cannot twist while the pumps run. Because the structure works this way, Ella publishes no bather weight rating for any model, and the guidance from the team is that fit is a question of body dimensions, not pounds. The full construction story is in What Are the Acrylic Shell and Stainless Steel Frame on a Walk-In Tub?. The LayDown60 spec sheet backs this up with a lifetime limited warranty on the shell, frame, door and parts to the original purchaser at the original address.

The LayDown60 Figures That Decide Whether It Fits You

On a seated walk-in tub the seat width and the depth from the seat to the overflow do most of the work. The LayDown60 has no seat at all, just a flat textured floor for bathing lying down at full length, so the interior floor and the door opening take over that job. The current spec sheet prints these figures:

• Actual size: 60 inches long, 30 inches wide, 21 inches high.
• Interior floor: 46 inches long by 20 inches wide, textured for slip resistance.
• Glass door opening: 19 5/8 inches wide, with a 115 degree swing on the inward swing tempered glass door in its brushed aluminum frame.
• Net weight 160 lbs and shipping weight 220 lbs, in a crate 63 inches long, 33 inches wide and 29 inches high.
• Soaking depth of 15 inches, compared with about 11 inches in a standard bathtub.

Three of those numbers matter most for a larger bather. The 20 inch floor width is the space between the straight side walls where your hips and shoulders rest when you lie back. The 19 5/8 inch door opening is the gap you step through. The 46 inch floor length is the distance from one end wall to the other at floor level. The video on this page presents both LayDown sizes for bathers of all sizes, pointing to the added width, length and depth, the 15 inch soak against the 11 inch standard, and the straight, narrow side walls that make stepping in and out safer than a conventional tub with curved walls.

Two things on older paperwork should not worry you. If a brochure cover in your packet lists the 30x60 as 30 by 52 inches, that is a known misprint, and the tub is 30 inches wide and 60 inches long. Unoccupied water capacity is also not printed on the spec sheet, so ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 to confirm it for your order rather than working from a guess.

How to Measure Yourself Before You Decide

Ella's measuring method does not ask how much you weigh or how tall you are. Sit in a chair facing a wall, in a relaxed position, and take three measurements: your hips while seated, your shoulder width while seated, and your length from head to feet while seated. Then compare those numbers with the drawings and specifications for the model. Different body sizes require different size tubs, so be exact.

For the LayDown60, set the hip and shoulder figures against the 20 inch floor width and the 19 5/8 inch door opening, and set the head-to-feet figure against the 46 inch floor length. If the floor looks tight on paper, the larger tub in the family, the LayDown 32x72, has a 61 inch by 28 inch interior and is the model Ella points to for a full-length recline. What size walk-in tub fits a five foot or six foot person? puts both LayDown sizes beside the seated models, and What size walk-in tub fits a six-foot-tall person? covers the wide-seat Big4One and ShaK for bathers who would rather sit upright than lie down. Bigger is not automatically better: a tub sized for a tall bather can be uncomfortable for a shorter one, which is why the measurements, and not a weight figure, should drive the choice.

What the Installer Needs to Get Right

Because the frame carries the load through its legs, leveling is the step that matters most once the tub is in the room. The owner's manual that covers both LayDown sizes walks through inspecting the crate, carrying the tub by the stainless steel frame only with the access panels and toe kick plates removed, the water test, leveling on the adjustable legs, and how the tempered glass door should sit once the tub is level. Never lift by the plumbing, and do not bump the sides or bottom of the shell, where air jets can break off. The sequence is in Installing the LayDown Tubs, Part 1: Delivery, Placement, Leveling and the Glass Door (30x60 and 32x72).

Contract a licensed plumber and a licensed electrician and follow local codes, and keep every piece of packaging until the tub is installed. With the tub level and the door seated correctly, the leveling legs share the weight of the 160 lb tub, the water and the bather across the floor, which is the whole reason a single weight rating is not needed. If you want a second opinion on fit before ordering, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your three seated measurements and the model you are considering, and the team can compare them against the LayDown60 drawings with you.

Watch: 32x72,30x60 Lay Down Walk-In Tub with Hydro Therapy: Relaxed Bathing for All | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Does the LayDown Tub Have a Seat? Flat Bottom Design, Seat Figures on Listings, Faucets and Therapy Choices
• Your LayDown Owner's Manual, Section by Section (30x60 and 32x72)
• LayDown Tubs on Video: 30x60 and 32x72 Walkthroughs, the Glass Door, the Drain and Where the Controls Are

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