stock Sapphire 1 chassis
Sep 27

I need a walk in bath NOW!!

Paul

We sometimes receive calls asking if we have a particular walk in bath “in stock”. The walk in baths we offer are specialist items. Each is hand made to order in the UK factory. As such, delivery is normally 2 to 6 weeks depending on the model and the workflow.

So why does it take so long to make a walk in bath?

Well, let’s start with the material. “Standard” baths are made from a single sheet of acrylic which is heated up to make it floppy. It then goes in front of a vacuum former and is literally sucked into shape within seconds. It can then be trimmed and assembled. The factory we visited was producing hundreds a day. By contrast, walk in baths, are made from hand layered glass reinforced plastic (GRP).  Why? Because you simply can’t “suck” a sheet of acrylic that deep (we are talking about the deep tubs here) without it becoming incredibly thin. GRP is also considerably more robust and stable – exactly what you want when the side of the bath has a door! Needless to say, we don’t sell acrylic walk in baths…

Now let’s talk about the chassis. Have you noticed how flimsy most bath feet or cradles are these days? That’s because a bit of flex on a standard bath doesn’t matter – the water won’t go anywhere! But a walk in bath has a door with a seal, so we need a rigid, stable support frame. Walk in bath frames are normally welded 1 inch steel tubing, extending up to the bath rim. Depending on the model, numerous feet will support the base to ensure no flexing occurs. Once properly installed, they are rock solid!

The bath shell will be hand fitted to the chassis, adjusted as necessary and then filled with water to test the seal.

As there are so many models and variants, it is not really feasible to make and stock baths “just in case”.

So if you need a walk in bath, please plan ahead as you just can’t rush quality!

 

X
Skip to toolbar