A major consideration—though often overlooked—when buying a walk-in tub is the amount of hot water needed to fill it. For our standard-size walk-in tub, approximately 50 to 70 gallons of hot water will fill an occupied tub and around 85 gallons of water are required to fill an empty one. This is a good quantity of hot water, so you’ll need to make sure your hot water heater is up to the task.

With that much water being used, what can you do to ensure you’re in good shape to fill, drain and make the most of your walk-in tub? Read on to learn more about what you can expect.

Will My Water Heater Support a Safe Step Walk-In Tub?

Most hot water heaters hold anywhere from 20 to 100 gallons of hot water at any given time. Given the hot water needs of a walk-in tub, your hot water heater may need to be reassessed. Fortunately, Safe Step’s installation process includes a free in-home consultation to inspect your water heater’s condition and capacity. Our experts are happy to help you determine whether your water heater will need repairs or replacement to better accommodate your Safe Step walk-in bath. We’ll discuss your hot water heater’s status and more throughout the consultation and installation process, so you’ll be well prepared for any recommendations our experts make.

How Long Does It Take to Fill a Walk-in Tub?

Walk-in tubs are designed to be roomy, accommodating you or your loved one with plenty of space to bathe safely. Because of that, filling the walk-in tub completely may take slightly longer than your average tub. Your individual fill time will vary depending on your water pressure and fixtures rather than any feature in the tub itself. That being said, our tubs fill 20% faster than previous models thanks to our rapid-fill faucet, which pours out about 12 gallons of water per minute with the average household’s ½” plumbing supply line. This may be more or fewer gallons for you in-home with your water pressure and fixtures. Fortunately, our experts anticipated how to keep you comfortable while you wait when designing our walk-in baths.

Staying Warm While Your Tub Fills

Many bathers using walk-in tubs will likely be in the tub as it fills, differing from the traditional tub experience of stepping in once filled. It’s natural to worry about getting chilly in the tub while you wait, especially for seniors with thinner, sensitive skin. Safe Step anticipates this in our walk-in tubs, which feature a heated seat and backrest to keep you comfortable and warm while our rapid-fill faucet does its job. Simply turn on the water and your heated seat using the LED electronic keypad and let your tub do the rest of the work while you relax.

How Long Does It Take to Drain a Walk-In Tub?

Conversely, you might be curious how long you’ll need to wait for the tub to drain so you can exit the tub and rinse it out after your bath. The average walk-in tub can take anywhere from 6 to 15 minutes to fully drain. That’s why Safe Step’s tubs use the Quantum® Quick Drain System, which drains your walk-in tub 38% faster than previous drain models. With a clean, unclogged drain, your tub can be fully drained quickly!

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Water Usage Efficiency of Safe Step Tubs

When designing our walk-in tubs, we take care to keep our customers into account at every step of the process. That includes making sure our products use water efficiently, including in our therapeutic features like our MicroSoothe^® air therapy system or our hydrotherapy jets. Plus, unlike in traditional baths, the heated seat and backrest keep you comfortably warm throughout the entire bath, so you won’t need to refresh with fresh hot water to keep warm.

Choose Safe Step for Comfortable, Efficient Bathing

When it comes to walk-in tubs for seniors, Safe Step offers comprehensive products that keep your comfort and, above all, safety top-of-mind. Learn more about how our walk-in bathtubs can help you continue to live a safe, independent life at home with your free quote for a walk-in tub today!