How Much Floor Space Does the Tub4Two Outward Door Need?

The Tub4Two and Big4Two carry Ella's U-shape outward-swing door, which opens away from the tub through a 165 degree arc and needs about 21 inches of clear floor in front of the door side. Nothing can sit inside that arc, and the door must never be opened until the tub has completely drained. What Is a U-Shape Outward-Swing Door on a Walk-In Tub? describes the door itself; this page is about fitting the two-seat versions into a real bathroom.

Which Door the Two-Seat Tubs Have

Ella builds two pairs of two-seat tubs with different doors, and the pair you choose decides how much floor you need. The Tub4Two and Big4Two use the outward U-shape door: a white plastic composite frame holding a tempered glass panel, secured by a 3-latch gear and shaft mechanism. The Companion and Escape are the inward stainless steel two-seaters, open into the tub, and need no floor space in front at all. If a Tub4Two spec sheet revision describes the door as an inward swinging removable stainless steel door, that line is a known misprint carried over from another document; the Tub4Two door swings outward. Which Door Does My Ella Tub Have? lists every model by door style if you want to confirm a tub you already own.

Floor Space by Door Type

For a two-seat buyer the table comes down to one choice. An inward two-seater, the Companion or Escape, can sit with a toilet or vanity right in front of it because the door goes into the tub, but each bather has to step in, stand, and close the door past their knees. The Tub4Two and Big4Two remove that step, so both bathers walk straight in, and a caregiver can close and lock the door from the bathroom side, but the door side of the tub needs about 21 inches of clear floor that stays clear. The Transfer door needs far more room and is a different kind of tub. Transfer techniques by door type explains what each door lets a helper do.

Measuring the Tub4Two Footprint Plus the Swing

The current Tub4Two spec sheet prints an actual size of 32 inches by 60 inches by 40 inches, with two seats of different widths, 20 inches and 22 inches. The shipping size is 34 inches by 62 inches by 50 inches, which is the figure to check against hallway turns and the bathroom doorway on delivery day. To map the door, draw a half circle on the floor from the hinge side of the door opening with a radius equal to the door width, then confirm about 21 inches of clear floor in front of the door side. The Tub4Two door opening width is not listed in the sources for this page; the Monaco and Mobile drawings print a 19 1/4 inch opening, but that figure belongs to those models. Ask for the Tub4Two drawing from where you purchased if you need the exact width for a tight layout. The Big4Two figures are not in the sources for this page either, so use its own spec sheet rather than scaling from the Tub4Two.

The door side is not a free choice. On every Ella walk-in tub the door and the drains sit on opposite sides, so a right-side door puts the drains on the left, and a left-side door puts them on the right, with sides taken as you face the tub. The Tub4Two has two 2 inch drains with two overflows, and those have to line up with your house drain, so settle the plumbing location first and the door side follows. Should My Walk-In Tub Door Be on the Left or Right Side? walks through that decision.

Can the Door Open Before the Water Drains?

No. Never open a U-shape door until the tub has completely drained. Inward doors are held shut by the weight of the water and physically will not open until the tub empties. An outward door has no such help, so it depends entirely on the lock: turning the handle drives gears on a shaft that push three tapered pins into the frame and compress the seal evenly all the way around. The handle faces away from the hinges when the door is unlocked and toward the hinges when it is locked, which is a quick visual check that the pins are fully seated before you fill. The short video on this page shows the gear and shaft mechanism and the three-shaft lock on the U-shape door. How outward-swinging doors work covers the full open, lock and seal routine. One more habit protects the two-seat door: never lean on the open door or use it to steady yourself, because the door and seal warranty is valid only when the alignment is correct and has not been changed by a bather's weight.

Before You Order a Two-Seat Tub

1. Locate the house drain, and note which side of the tub it will be on as you face the tub. The door goes on the opposite side.
2. Measure the clear floor in front of that door side. It needs about 21 inches, and nothing in the 165 degree arc, including a toilet, vanity or bathroom door.
3. If the clear floor on the door side is under 21 inches, an inward-swing two-seater such as the Companion or Escape is the safer fit.
4. Check the shipping crate against every doorway and turn on the delivery route.
5. Confirm the door side and the layout with your installer before you place your order, because the tub is built with the door on the side you order.

Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm the current drawing for the Tub4Two or Big4Two before you commit to a layout.

Watch: Benefits of Outward Door Swing Walk-In Tubs | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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• How Wide Is the Door Opening? Published Door Widths, Swing Arcs and Clearance by Door Family

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