Can the L-Shaped Door on a Transfer Tub Be Removed for Cleaning?

Ella's published door guides do not list the Transfer family's L-shape door as removable, because the lift-off-for-cleaning feature belongs to the inward-swing doors: the brushed stainless steel door on the Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe, Ultimate, Companion and Escape, and the brushed aluminum door on the Ultra. The L-shape door on the Transfer26, Transfer30, Transfer32, Transfer60 and TransferXXL stays on its hinges and swings outward into the room a full 172 degrees, so you clean it from the bathroom floor with the door open rather than by lifting it out. Our guide to which door your Ella tub has identifies every model's door style.

Which Ella Doors Lift Off, and Which Stay on Their Hinges

Ella builds five door styles, and only two of them are described as removable. The stainless steel inward-swing door is brushed stainless with a frosted tempered glass panel and an interior chrome locking handle, and Ella's door video and door guides both say it is removable for easy cleaning. The Ultra's inward-swing door is brushed aluminum with frosted glass and is also removable. Both of these doors close inside the tub, and once the tub fills, water pressure helps hold them shut, which is why they can be built to lift out when the tub is empty.

The two outward-swing styles work differently. The U-shape door on the Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile, Lounger, Shak, Big4One, Tub4Two and Big4Two, and the L-shape door on the five Transfer models, both lock with Ella's proprietary gear and shaft mechanism, three latches on the U-shape door and two on the L-shape door, to pull the door tight for a leak-proof seal. Neither outward door is described as removable in any Ella door guide. The acrylic S-shape inward door on the Standard, Standard60, Zen, Zen60 and Flow and the inward glass door on the LayDown60 and LayDown72 are not listed as removable either.

What the table means for a Transfer owner is simple. If you were expecting to lift the door out the way a stainless steel door owner does, that is not how the L-shape door is built. Its job is to open wide for a seated transfer and to lock tight with its two latches, and it does both while staying mounted. If you are still choosing a tub and a removable door matters to you, the inward stainless steel family is where that feature lives; the differences are laid out in inward or outward swing door: which should I choose.

How the Transfer L-Shape Door Is Built

The L-shape door is the widest opening Ella makes. It is cut in an L so the lower section passes over a standard-height toilet while the upper section opens the whole side of the tub, which is what lets a bather make a seated side transfer from a wheelchair or sit on the edge first and swing both legs in. The handle sits on the front face of the door, on the room side, and the easy-close chrome handle drives the two-latch gear and shaft locking mechanism that Ella's product video describes as a secure, leak-proof closure. The video on this page shows the door swinging open on a Transfer tub, the two-latch lock engaging, and the independent foot massage that the Transfer family can be ordered with.

• The door swings outward a full 172 degrees, so plan on about 36.5 inches of clear floor beside the tub for the swing.
• The toilet cutout sits about 20 to 21 inches above the floor. It usually clears a toilet seat of 17 to 19 inches, but a taller comfort-height toilet is not always clear, so measure before ordering.
• Every Transfer tub also has a low threshold, a textured slip-resistant floor and deck and sidewall grab bars, the same safety basics as every other Ella model.

Because the door opens into the room rather than into the tub, there is nothing to step around inside and no door to close past your knees. That is the reason many bathers find the outward door simpler, and it is also why the door needs floor space that an inward door does not. The full swing envelope and toilet placement are covered in will the walk-in tub door clear the toilet.

What a Hinged Outward Door Means for Cleaning and for Parts

Since the L-shape door is not a lift-off door, cleaning happens with the door open. An outward door swings into the room, so with it open the inside face of the door and the glass panel are in front of you from the bathroom floor, and the opening itself gives you clear reach to the threshold and the door frame on the tub. The 172 degree swing is the feature that makes this practical: the door moves well out of the way of the opening instead of standing across it.

Knowing that your tub has the L-shape door also matters when you need a part. Ella's door guide points out that identifying your style is what lets you order the correct seal, handle or replacement part, and the Transfer door's two-latch gear and shaft mechanism is a different assembly from the three-latch U-shape door or the stainless steel door's interior handle. If a seal or a latch ever needs attention, parts ship under the warranty and a local licensed plumber does the work; Ella does not send technicians. Reach the team at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850 with your model name and your order details from where you purchased.

Confirm You Have an L-Shape Door Before You Plan Anything

Every Transfer model uses the L-shape outward door, so the model name on your order paperwork settles the question. If you want to confirm it on the tub itself, Ella's guide to whether your door is inward or outward swing gives a short sequence of checks.

1. Find the model name on your order paperwork and match it to the Transfer list above.
2. Open the door. An outward door swings into the room and needs clear floor space in front of the tub; an inward door swings into the tub and closes from inside.
3. Look for the handle. A door with the handle on its front face, opening in an L over the toilet side, is the Transfer L-shape door.
4. Count the latches on the lock. Two latches means the Transfer door; three latches means the U-shape door on the Capri, Monaco and their family.

If a manual or spec sheet you were given describes a stainless steel inward door or a removable door, trust the tub in front of you. Ella's door guides note that some manual pages are carried over from the inward-swing family, and the Transfer door you can see and open is the one your paperwork and parts need to match. For an overview of how each door style changes entry, see which Ella walk-in tubs have textured floors, grab bars and easy entry.

Watch: Wheelchair-Accessible Transfer Acrylic Walk-In Tub with L-Shaped Door | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Operating the L-Shape Transfer Door: Front Handle, Closing, and Wheelchair Entry
• Why Don't the Pins on My L-Shape Transfer Door Line Up?
• L-Shape Transfer Door Pins Do Not Line Up or the Striker Plate Is Loose: Pin Adjustment and Replacement

Common Questions