walk-in TUB

[fsviatko]

My wife and I are both seniors I need a recommendation for a walk-in tub

[don &/or Lucille]

[Tony Miklos]

I recommend that you get a walk in tub.

[bob haller]

home depot carries them in my store. pricey but i am a shower kinda person

[Twayne]

Not a direct answer to your queston, but ...

I looked at walk-in tubs and they were really too expensive for us. I also was never able to find any information on, or assurance of, being able to replace door gaskets in say 5 years down the road. None of the answers, IF I even got an answer were very satisfactory.

Instead, we opted for a 3' x 4' shower enclosure with seating molded into it. The lip to step into it is only 3" high so it's not hard to enter/exit. Then we also put one of those constant-temerature regulators on it so the washing machine, dishwasher, whatever wouldn't change the temperature of the water. All you notice is a lessening of the water pressure for that duration, but the temperature of the water stays where it's set. Love it! They're fairly pricey too, but we've had it for a couple years now and we still love it! They do make some that are cheap, both in price and quality and I'd definitely those and go for the more expensive, thicker ones. Our particular one was a 5-piece. The only "complex" part of installing it was making sure the base was properly supported underneath and level along the edges. We skipped the doors because they're more trouble to clean than they're worth and curtains are just so much easier to clean & change.

We purchased it at Lowes, but it was a well known brand I forget now. I like to be touchy-feely with things like that because telling me it's xx "gauge" doesn't mean a lot to me. You can sure tell the difference in a store though, even if you then go elsewhere to do the actual purchase. Lowes had the best price in our case for the one we picked out, and they even beat the manufacturer's price.

HTH,

Twayne`

[mm]

Hey, you beat me to it. I was going to say that.

My mother was getting old, and I put in a grab-bar for her just outside the tub, so she was able to step over the side. And she got a seat so she could sit in the tub, but it occurred to me, what good is getting into the tub if you can't sit on the bottom, and be surrrounded by the warm water. That's the relaxation of the whole thing. If it it were just about sitting down, one can put a stool or chair in the shower.

My mother was either satisfied or figured there was nothing more she coudl do, but I'd be interested in a way to sit down in the tub and then get back up again. When I broke my arm at the wrist two years ago, I had a hard time getting out of the tub myself. I couldn't remember how I used to do it. I had to wiggle around on to my knees first to stand up.

I realized it was a lot easier to get out when the tub was still full of water, because I was buoyant. My broken arm was the one next to the wall, which had to twist more than the other to rest on the tub edge where it met the wall, to push myself up. AFter a few weeks and my self-designed therapy, it bent enough that I could use it, and 2 or

3 weeks later it was back to the original strength. But it made me wonder how I will take baths when I'm 20 years older. Like I say, my mother was 88, and losing weight without trying, but she could still get over the side into the tub (or maybe not and this whole story wrt her was really about the shower stall). But what good did it do her. I never asked because I didn't want to make her feel bad and I hope I haven't made the op feel bad.

[willshak]

don &/or Lucille wrote the following:

I got a question. Is there a safety lock that prevents the door being opened when there is water in the tub? We're talking about mostly old people here.

[Ralph Mowery]

While we are in good health , a few years ago we bought a house with two baths. We had the tub in the master bath removed and a walk in shower installed. It was costom made out of what I think is called marble. It is really just some fancy epoxy mix. If my wife wants to soak in a tub, she can, but about 99% of the time it is a shower for us. Make sure a grab bar or two are installed. Makes a good place to place a wash cloth and if you feel like you are falling, it is something to hang on to. Also install a soap shelf.

[Steve B]

Uh, about 500# of water keeps the door shut by applying pressure from the inside. But you knew that, right? If there is more than I'd say a foot of water in it, it would be impossible for a "normal" person, even an old one to open it.

Steve

Heart surgery pending?

[Tony Miklos]

OK seriously (my other reply was just a little joke), anyway I need to replace my bath tub also. It is the dumbest design I've ever seen. The side of the tub you step over is over 12" wide and it has a step built in, but the step is only on the outside of the tub, no step from the inside to go down or up and out again. I've fallen trying to get out of it once and my heel went through the back wall and basically got stuck in the fiberglass. The fiberglass had broken in a manner so when I tried to pull my heel out, the fiberglass came with it and cut into my heel more. I think I somehow got a hand back there and pushed in on the fiberglass as I was pulling out my foot. 3 strips of aluminum (duct) tape cover the hole.

Question: How can I make good use of the extra 6+ inches of bathroom floor when I install a normal tub? (no money for a whirlpool bath either). I suppose I could go all out and move the toilet 6" then install a new vanity that is 6" wider, but that's a lot for 6".