Which Walk-In Tub Models Fit Through a 24 Inch Doorway?

None of Ella's walk-in tubs will pass through a finished 24 inch opening as it stands. The narrowest models, the Transfer26 and the Mobile 26x45, are 26 inches wide, and verified exterior widths across the line run from 26 inches up to 36 inches on the ShaK, so every tub needs an opening a little wider than its own actual width. A 24 inch door has to be widened, or its casing and framing taken off, before any model can be carried in, and How Wide Is a Walk-In Tub, and Will It Fit Your Home? is the width reference to compare against once the opening is changed.

Model Widths Against a 24 Inch Opening

The figures below are the actual exterior widths from the current spec sheets, not the rounded sizes in the model names. Shipping sizes are the crated dimensions where they are published.

What the table means is that the doorway, not the model, is the thing that has to change. Whatever model you choose, the finished opening must end up wider than that tub's actual width, and the 26 inch models set the smallest opening that could ever work. The shipping size matters for the path from the truck to the house, but the crate can be opened outside and the tub carried in by its frame, so the figure to hold against your interior doorways is the actual tub width.

Nominal Names Versus Actual Widths

Model names use a rounded nominal size, and the spec sheet records what the shell actually measures. The Petite is nominally 28x52 and actually 27.5 x 52 x 35 inches. The Standard is nominally 30x52 and actually 29 5/8 x 52 3/4 x 37.5 inches. The Elite is 30 x 52 x 35 inches exactly, so its nominal and actual widths happen to match; the measuring video on this page quotes an older Elite width of 29 3/4 inches, and the current spec sheet figure of 30 inches supersedes it. Half-inch differences between the name and the drawing are normal rounding, not an error, but they never work in your favor at a tight door, so plan from the actual size. Imperial figures are the authoritative ones, and where a metric figure printed beside an inch figure disagrees with it, the inch figure is correct. What Is Nominal Size vs Actual Size on a Walk-In Tub? explains how the two relate for every model.

What Removing the Casing Gains, and What It Does Not

Taking the door casing off usually gains only about half an inch, so on a 24 inch door it does not bring the opening up to even the narrowest tub. Getting a tub through means widening the doorway itself, which is a contractor's job and a decision to make before the tub is ordered. Measure the finished opening at its tightest point, with door stops and trim in place, and check every doorway, hallway and turn on the route, not just the bathroom door. A turn in a hallway, rather than the doorway, is often the real pinch point.

On delivery day the tub travels at its smallest size. The front apron, the magnetic access panels, the end panel and any extension panel all come off before the tub moves. The frame and the acrylic shell are built as one piece, so the tub cannot be split into sections for a narrow turn or stairwell. At a corner the flat tub will not clear, it can be stood on its end with the seat end, where the pumps are, facing down, and the team has confirmed the frame is rigid enough for this even on a model as large as the Big4One. Do not remove the tub door or any component beyond the panels without asking first. Can I Stand the Tub on End to Get It Through the Door? gives the moving sequence.

Choosing a Model Once the Doorway Is Widened

The width you widen to decides which models are open to you. At 26 inches the Transfer26, the Mobile 26x45 and the Lounger are the narrowest in the line, followed by the Petite at 27.5 inches and the Flow at 28 inches. Among the 52 inch outward-swing tubs, the Capri at 30 inches wide and the Monaco at 32 inches wide share the same door, depth, seat height and jetting, and the 2 inch difference in width is the real distinction between them. One customer found that the Monaco would not pass through their bathroom doorway and moved to the Capri for that reason alone, keeping the same depth and seat height. Monaco vs. Capri lays out that comparison.

Measure and Confirm Before Ordering

Write every figure in inches at the tightest point: the entry door clear width, each hall width, each interior door, each corner the tub must pivot through, and the bathroom door clear width. Printable Pre-Install Measuring Checklist for a Walk-In Tub has a line for each of them. The video on this page shows the method: measure all doorways and hallways, then open the download tab for the tub you are considering on the Ella website to find its specific dimensions and compare the actual exterior width with your narrowest opening. Share that narrowest figure and the model you like with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, and the fit is confirmed before an order is placed.

Watch: How to Choose Your Walk-In Tub | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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