The door on a walk-in tub decides how a caregiver can move a bather into the seat. Ella builds inward-swing doors that need no floor space in front but ask the bather to step in and stand while the door closes past their knees, outward-swing U-shape doors that open away from the tub so nobody has to step around a door, the outward L-shape Transfer door that opens the whole side of the tub for a lateral wheelchair transfer, the 180 degree HomeCare door built for caregiver-only bathing, and the HoistAssist, which lifts the bather on a battery-powered seat. This page sets out what each door physically allows; how a caregiver should lift or steady a particular person belongs to that person's physical or occupational therapist.

Why the Door Decides the Transfer

An inward door needs the bather inside and upright before it closes. An outward door removes that step but needs clear floor in front. An L-shape door removes the sidewall beside the seat as well, so a wheelchair can pull up alongside. If you are not sure which door your tub has, which door does my Ella tub have identifies it by model. Note that the Zen and Zen60 use the same S-shape inward acrylic door as the Standard even where a spec sheet says U-shape, and that the Tub4Two and Big4Two have the outward U-shape door while the Companion and Escape have the inward stainless steel door.

Inward Doors: Step in, Stand, Close

On the S-shape acrylic, stainless steel, Ultra and LayDown doors, the handle is inside the tub: the bather steps over the threshold, remains standing, and the door is closed before sitting, because closing an inward door from the seat is much harder. The bather must therefore be able to stand inside the tub for a moment, with a hand on the grab bar, while the door swings in past their knees. The reward is that no floor space is needed in front of the tub, and once the tub fills the water presses the door onto its seal.

Outward U-Shape Door: No Knee Clearance, 165 Degree Swing

The U-shape door on the Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile, Lounger, Shak, Big4One, Tub4Two and Big4Two is made of white PVC composite and tempered glass and swings outward 165 degrees. Because it opens away from the tub there is no knee clearance to worry about; the caregiver guides the bather onto the seat, swings the door shut and rotates the handle fully to drive the three tapered latch pins into the jamb. The handle is on the outside, in the caregiver's hands. Plan for about 21 inches of clear floor in front of the tub for the swing. Our inward or outward swing door comparison weighs the two for a specific bathroom.

L-Shape Transfer Door: Lateral Transfer, Sit-And-Swing, Step-In

The L-shape door on the five Transfer models opens 172 degrees with a two-latch gear and shaft mechanism and a handle on the front of the door. With the door open there is no sidewall beside the seat, so three entries are possible. First, a lateral transfer: the wheelchair pulls up alongside, the chair arm drops, and the bather slides straight onto the seat before the caregiver closes the door and turns the handle clockwise. Second, sit-and-swing: the bather sits on the seat from outside and lifts both legs in. Third, an ordinary step-in with far more open room. The upper wing of the door is shaped to swing over a toilet, and the swing needs roughly 36.5 inches of clear floor in front. Seats run from 19 inches on the Transfer26 to 29 inches on the TransferXXL. See operating the L-shape Transfer door and getting into a Transfer tub.

In the video an Ella dealer demonstrates the three Transfer entries, wheelchair transfer, sit-and-swing and step-in, and shows the door wing swinging over a toilet. He describes the swing as 180 degrees; the current spec drawings list 172 degrees, and the drawings govern.

HomeCare 180 Degree Door and the HoistAssist Battery Hoist

The HomeCare 32x60 has a 27 inch wide aluminum outward door with a two-latch lock that swings a full 180 degrees, so the caregiver can seat the bather from the open side, close the door and press fill; its 80 gallon tank pre-fills at a set temperature and fills the tub in about 90 seconds. It is designed exclusively for assisted bathing, is not intended for self-bathing, and must always be supervised by a caregiver or trained professional.

The HoistAssist, model Transfer3060HL, pairs a 60 by 29 1/2 inch tub with a battery-powered stainless steel hoist. Converted from the published metric spec sheet, the lifting capacity is about 440 pounds and the seat travels from about 18 7/8 inches to about 42 1/2 inches, with a safety harness, anti-roll bars, a long-life battery and a battery indicator. The hoist lifts and lowers the seated bather into the tub. Both are described in the HoistAssist and CareGiver line and compared in assisted bathing tubs compared.

Caregiver Body Mechanics Belong to the Therapist

Whether a bather should pivot from a wheelchair, use a transfer board, be lifted, or stand with one hand on a grab bar depends on their strength, balance and diagnosis, and that plan comes from their physical or occupational therapist. Two tub rules apply to every technique: the bather's weight never goes on the door, which holds its own weight only, and a bather without all functioning limbs or who is paralyzed must be attended by a caregiver at all times and use an installed safety belt. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can read any measurement from the drawings for the therapist.

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