What features should I look for in a walk-in bathtub?

The features to look for in a walk-in bathtub are the ones that make entry safe and the bath comfortable: a low step-in threshold, a door that seals and cleans easily, a built-in seat at a comfortable height, grab bars and a textured floor, fast drainage, a rustproof frame and the therapy systems you will actually use. Ella walk-in tubs are built around all of these, and What is an accessible bathtub, and who are walk-in tubs designed for? explains which style of tub suits which bather.

Look at the Step-In Threshold, Not the Overall Height

A regular bathtub is an open basin you climb into over a high wall. A walk-in tub is entered through a sealed door, so the wall can be taller without being harder to get over, and the number that decides how easy a tub is to enter is the step-in threshold in the door opening. On the Capri that step-in is roughly 3 1/2 to 4 inches, far lower than the wall of a standard tub. Seated walk-in tubs stand well above a regular bathtub because they are built around a chair-height seat: the Elite is 35 inches high and the HomeCare assisted-bathing tub is 41 3/8 inches. If a listing shows a 15 inch figure, it is the soaking depth of the LayDown models, not a tub height, as Do they make a bathtub that is only 15 inches high? explains. Height rarely decides fit, because the tub goes into the same three-wall alcove a 60 inch bathtub used to occupy.

A Door That Seals, Swings the Right Way and Cleans Easily

The door is what makes a walk-in tub work, so ask three things: how it seals, which way it swings, and whether you can clean behind it. Ella doors close on an integrated gasket with a multi-latch gear and shaft mechanism, and the line uses three styles.

• A brushed stainless steel inward-swing door with frosted tempered glass, which detaches so hard-to-reach places are easier to clean.
• An acrylic outward-swing U-shaped door made of high-impact composite, with three latches on a gear and shaft mechanism.
• A lightweight aluminum L-shaped outward-swing door with two latches, which leaves no sidewall beside the seat for wheelchair transfers and allows toilet clearance of up to 21 inches in height.

Which way the door swings matters for the room: an outward door needs clear floor in front of the tub, while an inward door does not. The frame video below also shows a hardware-store tub whose door is adjusted with torsion bars so the installer can change its dimension when it leaks. A door that seals on a gasket and locks with latches is the design to look for instead. Two-seat tubs are offered with either an outward or an inward swing door.

Seat Height, Grab Bars and a Textured Floor

Inside a seated walk-in tub is a molded seat that is part of the shell, sitting 15 or 17 inches above the floor of the tub depending on the model, so the bather sits rather than lowering down to the floor. Seat width matters as much as tub width; the Transfer26, for example, pairs a 26 by 52 inch footprint with a 19 inch seat for petite to average bathers. Nearly every Ella model has a built-in grab bar, and every model has a textured slip-resistant floor. If the bather prefers to lie back, the LayDown tubs have a flat floor from end to end with no seat and a glass door in the side wall, with grab bars mounted on the wall beside the tub; Does the LayDown Tub Have a Seat? explains who that design suits. Someone who cannot lower themselves to the floor of the tub and rise again is better served by a seated walk-in tub or a transfer tub.

Frame, Shell and Finish

Under the acrylic shell is a rustproof stainless steel frame. The video shows that frame next to competitor tubs built on run-of-the-mill one inch square-tube steel, and next to a fiberglass tub with brackets molded into the shell, so you can see why the frame is worth asking about even though it is hidden after installation. The shell is a bright, high-gloss white acrylic; every current Ella walk-in tub is white, and off-white appears only on occasional clearance listings. Clean it with mild dish soap or a 1 to 1 white vinegar and water mix on a soft, non-abrasive cloth, and never with abrasive pads or powders. The shell and finish carry the Lifetime Limited Warranty for defects, and if the surface ever looks tinted, Why Does My White Walk-In Tub Look Pink, Yellow or Stained? walks through what to check. Every tub is assembled and tested to order before it ships.

Drains and Therapy Systems

Fast drainage matters because the door cannot open until the tub is empty. Ella's dual 2 inch drain technology is designed for fast and efficient draining, and the LayDown uses a single oversized 2 inch brass drain. On the therapy side, hydro massage, air massage, a heated seat and chromatherapy are available, and most models also come as a soaker with no jets. In a two-seat tub each seat has its own jets and its own independent systems, so both bathers get the same back massage, the same heated seat and the same high-flow faucet. A LayDown takes a single system: soaking, hydro massage, air massage or microbubble. Choose the therapy at order time, and if you choose jets, plan on a monthly vinegar flush: 2 cups white vinegar with 2 cups water, fill to 1 inch above the highest jets, run the jets 10 minutes, then drain.

Match the Size and Shape to the Bather

The last feature is the right footprint. Wheelchair users should look at the Transfer family, whose oversized L-shaped door lets the bather slide straight across; the Transfer26 is the narrowest at 26 by 52 inches, and the TransferXXL is the bariatric option at 36 by 55 inches. A bather who wants to stretch out can look at the Longer, at 27 by 60 inches with an extended seat area, and one who wants a deeper, more upright soak at the Deluxe, at 30 by 55 inches. Couples have four true two-seat tubs, the Big4Two, Escape, Tub4Two and Companion, each with two independent bathing spaces, and Two-Seat Tubs on Video shows that one person can also use them like a recliner. For reclined bathing, the LayDown60 is 30 by 60 by 21 inches and the LayDown72 is 32 by 72 inches. Ella does not cut a door into an existing bathtub, so the choice is always a purpose-built tub, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can match a model to your room and your bather.

Watch: Walk-In Tub With Rustproof Frame for Extended Lifespan, Voted Best/Safest 2020 | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Which Ella walk-in tub is right for me? Choosing between the tub families
• Choosing a Walk-In Tub on Video: Measuring Yourself, Doorways, Door Styles, Therapies, Hot Water and the Line Overview
• Walk-in tub dimensions by model: exterior sizes, seat widths, and door types

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