After enjoying a bath in a walk-in tub, we can’t just open the tub door. These safety tubs are special; a senior has to wait for the walk-in bathtub to drain.
How fast does a walk-in tub drain?
It can take up to more than 10 minutes for all the water to go out of the tub. The fastest draining walk-in tubs, however, can be completely emptied in under 120 seconds.
We’ll give you an example of a fast-draining accessible tub further on; however, keep in mind that how fast does a walk-in tub drain depend on 4 factors:
- The capacity of the walk-in tub.
- Water pressure in your pipes.
- The width of your water pipes (3/4 inch pipes are preferable to 1/2 inch ones).
- Does the walk-in bathtub have specially designed water pumps to pump out water? (Only the fastest draining walk-in bathtubs include those)
Normal piping and a standard walk-in tub capacity of 60 gallons should drain the bathtub in about 5-10 minutes.
Walk-In Tub Draining Times
Depending on how quickly does the walk-in bathtub empty (or in other words – how long you have to wait in the safe step tub to be able to open the bathtub door), we can put accessible tubs in 4 categories.
Later on, we’ll give you 3 examples of the fastest draining tubs (under 2 minutes).
Here are the 4 rough draining times for walk-in bathtubs:
- Super Fast Draining – 1-2 minutes. Bathtub comes with 2 draining holes/pipes and possibly a drain pump system.
- Fast Draining – 2-6 minutes. Has 2 draining pipes but no drain pump system. Usually smaller tubs below with 50-gallon capacity or less.
- Average Draining time – 6-10 minutes. Only has 2 two inch draining pipe. This is the standard draining time of walk-in tubs.
- Slow Draining – 10-15 minutes. Only for very large walk-in tubs like the barometric tub and if you have low water pressure in the piping.
These estimates of how much time it takes for a tub to empty are exactly that: estimates.
Every walk-in tub has it’s own particular drainage time that is usually specified in its description.
If you would like for a walk-in bathtub to have a fast draining system, look for the ones with 2 draining pipes and a full drain pump system.
Top 3 Fastest Draining Safety Tubs
We’ve found 3 examples of the fastest draining tubs in order for you to have a look at the main features that enable them such record drainage times.
#1 American Standard 30″ x 52″ Tub – 2 Drains and Quick Drain TechnologyAmerican Standard has developed a patented Quick Drain technology that enables super fast drainage of their bathtubs.
The 30” x 52” model shown below has implemented this technology marvelously:
Thanks to the QUICK DRAIN patented technology, American Standard tubs have a bit on an edge when it comes to how quickly their walk-in tubs are drained.
#2 Ella HM3117-HB Royal Tub – Drains In 80 Seconds
The Royal Tub by Ella is one of the classic walk-in tubs that excels with record-breaking drainage times.
The big dual 2-inch drainage pipes are top-notch when it comes to gulping gallons of water per minute. If you have ideal piping (pressure, volume, cross-sections), Ella claims that this safety bathtub can drain in less than 90 seconds:
Ella tubs have, in general, one of the most recognizable designs of walk-in tubs.
#3 MediTub MT3053RWD Standard Fit – Empties In Less Than 60 Seconds?
MediTub’s great advantage is their Auto Drain technology that promises to drain a walk-in tub in less than 60 seconds.
60 seconds might be a long shot but there is no doubt that because of Auto Drain technology, MediTub bathtubs are one of the fastest draining tubs. Here is the well-known MediTub Standard Fit model:
