Does the stainless steel walk-in tub door only open inward?

Yes. Every brushed stainless steel door Ella's Bubbles makes is an inward-swing door: it swings into the tub, closes with an interior chrome locking handle, and once the tub fills the weight of the water presses it into its seal, so it will not open until the tub has drained completely. There is no outward-swing version of the stainless door; the outward-swing doors are a different platform, a plastic composite frame with tempered glass, fitted to different models. Which door each model carries is settled by its name in Is My Tub Door Inward or Outward Swing, and Which Door Do I Have?.

How the Stainless Door Opens and Seals

The door is a brushed stainless steel U-shaped frame with a frosted tempered glass panel. To use it, 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 as the tub starts to fill the water presses the door more firmly into place, so the door stays shut on its own for the whole bath. The same pressure is why the door cannot be opened until the tub has fully drained, which is a safety feature rather than a fault. The extended stainless lever was designed to bypass the bather's leg so the lock can be worked from a seated position, but closing from the seat is much harder than closing while standing, so close and latch the door before you sit down. The door also lifts off its hinges so you can clean the seal and the tub wall behind it. The full description is in What Is the Stainless Steel Inward-Swing Door on a Walk-In Tub?.

Which Tubs Have the Stainless Door, and Which Swing Out

The stainless door is fitted to the Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe and Ultimate, and to the two-seat Companion and Escape. An outward door is not an option on those tubs; it comes with a different model. The Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile, Lounger, ShaK and Big4One have the outward-swing U-shape door, as do the Tub4Two and Big4Two, and every Transfer tub uses the L-shape outward door. Two more inward doors exist on other models: the Standard, Standard60, Zen, Zen60 and Flow use an inward-swing acrylic S-shape door, and the Ultra has an inward-swing brushed aluminum door with frosted glass. The video walks through all five door styles side by side so you can see each one move.

The practical difference is where the door needs room. An inward door needs no floor space in front of the tub, which is the reason to choose it when a toilet or vanity sits close by, but it uses space inside the tub as it swings and it gives the narrowest opening in the line. An outward door needs clear floor space in front of the tub for its arc, and in return it offers a wider opening and an easier step in and out. Published widths, arcs and clearances are collected in How Wide Is the Door Opening? Published Door Widths, Swing Arcs and Clearance by Door Family.

What Inward Swing Means for Your Bathroom

Because the stainless door swings into the tub, it stays clear of other fixtures and the tub can sit close to a toilet or vanity without a swing envelope in front of it. Inside the tub, the door needs roughly 17 1/2 inches of interior room to swing fully open, and the clear opening of about 16 1/4 to 16 1/2 inches is the narrowest Ella offers, so check that width against the bather before you decide. The outward family drawings show the U-shape door on a 165 degree arc, the Transfer26 and Transfer32 drawings add a 20 inch door swing clearance callout, and the L-shape door is designed to fit over a standard size toilet. If a manual or spec sheet seems to describe a different door than the one on your tub, trust the tub: the outward-swing manual carries over a diagram of the stainless door from the inward manual, and the Tub4Two spec sheet lists a removable stainless door that it does not have, because its door is the outward U-shape.

Does an Inward Door Leak Less Than an Outward Door?

The published material does not rank the two, and both are built to seal. The inward door relies on the handle pulling it into the seal and on the weight of the water pressing it further in, so the fuller the tub, the tighter the door. The outward U-shape and L-shape doors use a proprietary gear and shaft locking mechanism: the U-shape door has three latches and the Transfer door two, and the video notes that Ella uses three latches on the U-shape door where other walk-in makers use one, to assure a tight leak-proof seal. What matters more than the swing direction is alignment. The door and seal warranty is valid only when the alignment is correct and has not been changed by a bather's weight, so never lean on either style of door or use it to lower yourself into the seat. Wipe the stainless frame and glass with a mild non-abrasive cleaner, clean the seal with rubbing alcohol, and leave the door open when the tub is not in use. If the handle no longer sits flush when locked, it is adjusted at the lock nut behind the front apron. The materials behind each door are described in What Are the Shell, Frame, Door and Towel Bar of an Ella Walk-In Tub Made Of?, and for help with a door that will not seat, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with your model name and a photo of the handle.

Watch: Pick the Perfect Walk-In Tub Door: 5 Elegant Door Options | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Using Your Stainless Steel Inward-Swing Door: Opening, Closing, and Handle Adjustment
• 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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