How do you know if a walk in tub is right for you? How do you know if you are buying a good one?
First of All Lets be Clear that a walk in tub is not for everyone. It is wonderfully convenient for the person who loves a luxurious soak, but has difficulty either stepping over the side of a tub, or getting up from the floor of the tub once they are through bathing. You do need to be able to step into the tub. We would generally recommend other products for people who require assistance standing.
Walk in Tubs are a relatively new bath product and like many new products the first prototypes often didn’t hold up under use. Also there are good quality walk in tubs and poor quality walk in tubs. Those early models and the poor quality tubs currently on the market have lead to some issues that some people perceive as CONS. We will call them the POTENTIAL CONS of the walk in tub.
The POTENTIAL CONS of the walk in tub:
1. The doors leak. Yes, there are some brands that have trouble around the tub door seals. The Best Bath brand of walk in tub is constructed in one reinforced piece so there is nothing to twist or make the door fit improperly. There is a drain inside the door in the very rare event that a door fit would fail. The seal itself has a lifetime warranty. With the right product, this is not really a CON.
2. It uses a lot of water. Water capacity varies by brand and model. Most of the Best Bath tubs use about 5-6 gallons more than a standard tub. Both the air jet and water jet systems with Best Bath heat the water making it less likely that you will need to add additional water to keep your water temperature where you want it. The manufacturer, Best Bath recommends that you have at least a 50 gallon water heater. That way you have enough hot water on demand to fill the tub and still do other things that need hot water at the same time. So, depending upon brand, water use may not be a CON.
3. It takes a while to empty the tub. Yes, you definitely have to step in and out of most walk in tubs while they are empty. With normal house drains, the average is drain time is 5-6 minutes according to Best Bath research. The fill time will depend upon your water pressure. We recommend spending the time by starting your relaxation, your bath, or even starting to dry off. At Home Access Solutions we are pro-active about this walk in tub fact of life. A Home Access Solutions staff member will remind and coach you on how to work with the drain-time during our complimentary home evaluation and our session after installation. You may want to consider an auxiliary heater, like a combination heat/light/vent or a small, safe area heater if you worry you might get chilly during drain time.
4. Cost. The fact is that these tubs are more expensive than standard tubs. They do, however, offer more to you for that difference in price. They are certainly less expensive than a professional assistant to help you bathe, or the cost of a fall or injury in the bathroom. There are cheap walk in tubs of course, but you will find that they are also cheaply built. Look for quality features such as durability and ease of installation to save money in the long run. The Best Bath products are built with layers of fiberglass over wood cores with one piece construction to prevent any warping. The Best Bath system also has many features that decrease plumbing and labor costs.
Home Access Solutions provides complimentary professional design to insure that you get accurate quotes for installation and we also provide project supervision during the installation to make the process as smooth as possible for you. We will obtain a quote from a qualified local installer for you, but we can also allow you to hire your own plumber or contractor, or do it yourself if you have the skills.
COST is RELATIVE - It depends upon how much the Safety, Ease, and Convenience is worth to you.
So in conclusion,
The walk-in tub is designed to increase SAFETY, EASE, and CONVENIENCE for the person who can walk, but who doesn’t want to struggle in or out of the tub. Many of the potential negatives or cons either don’t apply to high quality products such as the Best Bath System or may be less of an issue with the right techniques and design. The worst mistake you can make is to wait until you can hardly move before considering a walk in tub. Get one early so that you can enjoy years and years of safe, pleasurable bathing.
