Why Won't My Walk-In Tub Door Open After My Bath?

If your walk-in tub door will not open after your bath, the tub is doing exactly what it is designed to do. On an inward swing door, the weight of the water presses the door against its seal, so the door is held shut by water pressure and opens only once the tub is completely drained. On outward swing doors, the gear and shaft latches keep the door sealed until the handle is rotated fully back to the open position, and every Ella's Bubbles manual gives the same instruction: never open the door until the tub is completely empty. The first thing to check is simply that the drain is fully open and the water is going down. A door that seems stuck while there is still water in the tub is not a defect. A door that still will not open once the tub is empty is a different story, and that points to the latch or a hinge.

Likely Causes

• Water still in the tub holding an inward swing door closed, which is normal.
• The drain handle not turned fully to the open position, so the tub is draining slowly.
• A slow house drain that lengthens the wait before the door can open.
• On outward swing doors, the handle not rotated all the way back to the open position.
• A latch or hinge issue if the door still will not open once the tub is empty.

What to Check, in Order

1. Stay seated and turn the drain handle completely to the open position. Ella drains are gravity driven, and under ideal house plumbing an average size tub drains in about 80 seconds, so the wait is short.
2. Wait until you can see the tub is empty. Do not pull or push on the door while water remains, since the bather's weight on the door can change its alignment. The reasoning is explained in why the door will not open until drained.
3. If the water is going down slowly, the house drain rather than the tub is usually the limit. Our guide to a tub that drains slowly covers the drain handle, fittings and house drain checks.
4. Once the tub is empty, operate the handle through its full travel and open the door normally. On outward swing doors the handle must complete its full rotation to withdraw the pins from the jamb.
5. If the door still will not open with the tub empty, stop and look at the handle and latch. The door latch and handle guide shows how the latch is supposed to move and what a stiff or slipped mechanism looks like.

When to Open a Ticket

Open a ticket only if the door will not open after the tub has fully drained. Contact your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support, with your model and serial number, a photo of the handle in the open position, and a short video of the handle being operated with the tub empty. That lets the team confirm whether it is a latch or hinge issue.

Related Guides

• Why does my Ella walk-in tub take longer than 80 seconds to drain?
• Can an Outward-Swing Walk-In Tub Door Open Before the Water Drains?

Common Questions