Walk-in tub installation: what the work involves, and what the house has to allow

What the work involves

1. The old tub comes out, usually along with the surround and some tile.
2. What is behind it is inspected, old waterproofing and damp are common findings, not exceptions.
3. Supply and drain are adapted to the new fixture, which rarely lands exactly where the old one did.
4. Where the tub has jets, a heater or a powered drain, a circuit is run and connected.
5. The tub is set, levelled and connected, and the door seal is tested properly.
6. Surround, trim and sealing are finished so the room looks finished.

Two or three days is common for a straightforward replacement. Longer where plumbing moves, where the floor needs work, or where what came off the wall was worse than expected.

The four things about the house that decide it

1. Hot water

A walk-in tub holds considerably more water than a standard bath, and you are sitting in it while it fills. If the water heater cannot fill it comfortably at a comfortable temperature, the tub will disappoint whatever else is right about it. This is the first thing to check and the last thing most sales visits mention.

2. The floor

A tub full of water and a person is a substantial load in one place. On most floors this is unremarkable; on an older or upstairs floor it is worth a look rather than an assumption.

3. The doorway

Two doorways matter: the one the tub has to come through, and the one the person has to come through. The second is the one that gets forgotten, and it is the constraint that limits what any bathroom can become.

4. Drainage speed

You cannot open the door until the tub has drained. Fast-drain systems exist and are worth asking about specifically, because the difference between a fast drain and a standard one is felt every single bath.

Living with one

The honest description, which is neither a warning nor a sales pitch: you open the door, step over a low sill, sit down, close the door, and the tub fills around you. When you are finished it drains, and only then does the door open.

For somebody who wants a bath and cannot manage a tub wall, that is a good trade and often a transformative one. For somebody who takes a quick shower, it is a wait twice a day for a product they did not need.

Most walk-in tubs include a hand shower, and many can be used for a seated shower , which is worth asking about if both are wanted. The comparison in full is on tub or shower.

Features worth paying for, and features worth skipping

• Worth asking about: a fast drain, a well-designed door seal, a comfortable seat height, a hand shower, a thermostatic valve, and grab bars positioned where they are actually reached for.
• Worth thinking twice about: air and water jets, heated seats and in-line heaters. They add electrical work, maintenance and cost, and are frequently used far less than expected.
• Worth checking either way: the warranty on the door seal specifically, since it is the component doing the hardest work.

Frequently asked