What is the right way to fill a walk-in tub?

The right way to fill a walk-in tub is from the inside. Step into the dry tub, sit down on the seat, close and lock the door, close the drains, set the water temperature at the faucet, and only then open the tap, stopping when the water is above the highest jets and never above the center of the drain handle. How high should you fill a walk-in bathtub before your bath? explains the two fill limits in detail; this page walks through the whole fill from the first step to the last drop, including the temperature, the drain handles, and the one Ella tub that fills differently.

Yes, You Sit in the Tub While It Fills

A walk-in tub fills with you in it. The door is part of the tub wall, it only seals once it is closed and locked, and it has to stay closed for as long as there is water inside. That means the fill cannot start until you are seated with the door shut, and the door cannot open again until the tub has drained. Never enter a tub that already has water in it.

The wait at the start is shorter than most people expect. 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 because you are already seated, your body displaces part of the volume, so the level reaches the jets sooner than the unoccupied capacity would suggest. The glossy acrylic shell acts like an insulator while you wait, and on models that offer a heated seat and backrest, the surfaces can be warmed before you step in. The full sequence of entering, bathing and leaving is in How Do You Use a Walk-In Bathtub Step by Step?.

The Fill, Step by Step

1. If your tub has the heated seat and backrest, press the heater button before you get in so the surfaces have time to warm.
2. Open the door, step over the low threshold, and sit fully in the seat with your back against the backrest. Use the built-in grab bar as you turn and settle.
3. Close and lock the door. On an inward-swing door, keep your feet and knees clear of the door's path as it closes.
4. Close the drains completely. Most Ella tubs have two 2-inch gravity drains, each with its own handle, and on Ella tubs the drain handles close by turning counter-clockwise. Each handle should be fully closed before the faucet is opened, because a handle left partly open lets water leave while you fill.
5. Set the water temperature at the faucet before the water reaches you. The manuals warn that water above 100.4 F may be harmful, so adjust the hot and cold mix first and check it with your hand as the tub begins to fill.
6. Fill until the water is above the highest jets, and never above the center of the drain handle. Between those two marks, stop wherever the soak feels right.
7. Shut the faucet, then start your hydro or air massage. Every jet must be under water before either system runs.

Set the Temperature You Want, Because the Heater Holds It

On hydro massage models the in-line heater keeps the water at the temperature you filled it at, but it does not heat cold water. The fill temperature is therefore the bath temperature, so start with the water as warm as you like within the 100.4 F limit rather than filling cool and expecting the tub to warm it later. Because you are seated as the water rises, you feel the temperature at once and can adjust the faucet before the tub is deep, which is one more reason the seated fill is the right one. The heated seat and backrest, where fitted, warm the surfaces you are sitting against, not the water, so they take the chill off the wait but do not change the fill temperature you set.

Where to Stop: Above the Jets, Below the Drain Handle

The lower limit protects the therapy systems. Before you run any hydro or air massage, the water has to cover the highest jets in the tub, so the fill is never finished until every jet is under water. The upper limit is the center of the drain handle, and the manuals are firm about it: never fill above that point. The large drain dials also function as overflow protection, so the handle sits where it does for a reason, and a tub filled to its center is as full as it should ever be with a bather inside.

One fill has a fixed height. Before first use, and then once a month, fill the tub with water to one inch above the highest jets, add a mixture of 2 cups of white vinegar and 2 cups of water, run the tub for 10 minutes, then drain. Flushing after every bath is not necessary.

When the Bath Is over

Draining follows the same logic in reverse: open the drains, wait for the water to leave, and only then open the door and step out. Ella tubs drain by gravity through their 2-inch drains and typically empty in two minutes or less once connected to a proper 2-inch drain line. Ella's own field test of the dual drain system finished in 52 seconds, though the speed in your home depends on the house drain and piping. The dual drain also works as a vent, relieving air pockets so the tub keeps draining steadily to the end. What slows a drain down and what to check is covered in How fast does a walk-in tub drain after a bath?. If you only want to rinse off, every Ella walk-in tub has a large foot well for showering standing or sitting, so a quick shower needs no fill at all.

The HomeCare Exception: A Tub That Fills in About 90 Seconds

One Ella tub fills differently. The HomeCare Transfer Bathtub is the assisted-bathing model with an 80 gallon internal tank that pre-heats water while the bather is being prepared. The caregiver sets the temperature and the tank fills to the set level; once the bather is transferred through the door and it is closed, the fill button moves the pre-heated water into the tub in about 90 seconds, so the bather is not left sitting in an empty tub while it slowly fills. It is designed for caregiver-supervised bathing only, never for self-bathing. On every other Ella walk-in tub, the right way to fill is the seated, door-closed, faucet-first sequence above.

Related Guides

• How Fast Do Walk-In Tubs Drain and What Speeds It Up?
• What Size Water Heater Do I Need for My Walk-in Tub?
• How to Take a Bath in Your Walk-In Tub: The Sequence From Stepping In to Stepping Out

Common Questions