Does the Stainless Steel Walk-In Tub Door Only Swing Inward?

Yes. The stainless steel door on an Ella walk-in tub swings inward only, and there is no outward-swinging version of it. The brushed stainless door with its frosted tempered glass panel is fitted to the Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe, Ultimate, Companion and Escape, and on every one of those models it swings into the tub, locks with an interior chrome handle and lifts out for cleaning, as described in What Is the Stainless Steel Inward-Swing Door on a Walk-In Tub?. Ella's outward-swinging doors are a different platform altogether, built from white PVC composite and tempered glass rather than stainless steel, so choosing an outward door means choosing a model from that family.

Why the Stainless Door Is Designed to Swing in

The inward swing is not a limitation that was left off the stainless door; it is how the door seals. You enter through the opening, stay standing, swing the door closed toward you and turn the interior handle to lock. The handle pulls the door into its seal, and once the tub starts to fill, the weight of the water presses the door even more firmly into place. Because of that, the door stays shut on its own and will not open until the tub has completely drained. The frame is a U shape in brushed stainless, which is why this door is sometimes called the U-shaped stainless door, even though it has nothing in common with the outward U-shape composite door.

Two consequences follow from the inward swing. The door needs roughly 17 1/2 inches of interior room to swing fully open, and the clear opening on this family is the narrowest in the line at roughly 16 1/4 to 16 1/2 inches, so it is worth checking against the bather's needs before you decide. On the other hand, the whole door is removable, so you can lift it out to clean the seal and the tub wall behind it, and the single-seat models on this deck other than the Petite also include the 360 degree swivel tray, which is made only for this door family. Is There a Cup Holder for My Walk-In Tub, and Which Tubs Fit the Swivel Tray? explains why the tray cannot be added to an outward-swing tub.

Every Ella Door Family at a Glance

Every Ella model belongs to one door style, so the model name settles which way the door travels. The figures below come from the current spec drawings, the support team's working numbers and the door styles video on this page. Where a figure is not published, the cell says not listed.

Read across the table and the pattern is clear. Inward doors, whether stainless, aluminum, acrylic or glass, are held shut by the water and do not need floor space in front of the tub to open, but their openings run narrower, with the stainless door the narrowest of all. Outward doors need that clear floor space, from 21 inches for the U-shape door to 36.5 inches for the L-shape Transfer door, and in return give the easiest entry and the widest openings. If your bathroom cannot spare the swing clearance, an inward model is the natural fit. If the bather transfers from a wheelchair or needs the widest possible opening, the choice moves to the outward families. The full set of drawing figures is in How Wide Is the Door Opening? Published Door Widths, Swing Arcs and Clearance by Door Family.

Paperwork That Says Otherwise

Some printed documents suggest a stainless door where there is none, or an outward swing on a stainless tub. None of them change what is on the tub.

• The outward-swing family owner manual describes a stainless steel inward door in its entry section. That page is a carryover from the inward-swing manual and does not describe the Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile, Lounger, ShaK or Big4One.
• The Tub4Two spec sheet lists a removable stainless steel door. That line was carried over from the Companion and Escape sheets. The Tub4Two door is the outward U-shape composite door with a frosted tempered glass panel in a white composite frame.
• The Zen and Zen60 spec sheets say U-shape. That is a misprint; the Zen uses the same inward acrylic S-shape door as the Standard.

If a manual or spec sheet disagrees with what you see, trust the tub. Open the door and watch which way it travels, then look at the material: brushed stainless with frosted glass is the inward door, white composite with a decorative glass front is the outward U-shape door. Is My Tub Door Inward or Outward Swing, and Which Door Do I Have? walks through the identification model by model.

If You Want an Outward-Swinging Door

The way to get an outward door is to choose a model from the outward families, because the door style comes with the model rather than being a separate option added to a stainless-door tub. The five door options video on this page shows all five styles side by side and which way each one travels. The outward U-shape door is industrial strength PVC with a decorative glass panel and an effortless chrome locking handle, and both the U-shape and the L-shape outward doors use a proprietary gear and shaft locking mechanism to prevent leaks, with three latches on the U-shape door and two on the Transfer door. What Are the Shell, Frame, Door and Towel Bar of an Ella Walk-In Tub Made Of? describes the composite as a strong plastic with high impact resistance. Tell your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 which swing you need and how much floor space is in front of the tub, and they can point you to the models that fit.

Caring for an Inward Stainless Door

Wipe the frame and glass with a mild, non-abrasive cleaner and clean the seal with rubbing alcohol. Remove the door from time to time to clean the seal and the tub wall behind it, and leave the door open when the tub is not in use. Never lean on the door or use it to lower yourself into the seat, because the door and seal warranty is valid only when the alignment is correct and has not been changed by a bather's weight. If the handle no longer sits flush when locked, it is adjusted at the lock nut behind the front apron. For a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850, have your model name, your order details from where you purchased and photos of the handle and seal ready.

Watch: Walk-in Tubs With Stylish, High Quality Doors for Easy Access | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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• What Is the Door Seal on a Walk-In Tub?
• Caring for Your Door Seal: Cleaning, Reseating, and Replacing the Gasket

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