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Not all safety baths are the same. When comparing safety baths from different manufacturers, here are some of the differences you should know about.
Safety Bath Manufacturing
Safety Bath Draining Time
Door System and Operation
Safety Bath Fill Time
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Safety baths are either mounted to metal frames after bath construction or bonded to wood support structures.
Seabridge safety baths are bonded using composite construction techniques to structural wood frames. They are not assembled after manufacture to metal frames as some companies do.
Combining all materials of the bath together while manufacturing results in a safety bath with greater structural integrity than a bath with components assembled separately.
Like high-quality yachts, Seabridge combines the best of wood technology with quality gelcoat and resin. This results in a safety bath with both excellent insulating qualities and resistance to fatigue.
Also like quality boats, the small amount of flex in our gelcoat allows for building settling in new construction and is superior for temperature fluctuations.
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Seabridge safety baths are surfaced with gelcoat, not made of acrylic. The gelcoat is reinforced with hand-laid cloth fiberglass backing.
Our industrial fiberglassing is done by time-consuming hand lay-up, not by time-saving chopper gun spray-up. Chopper gun construction results in a high resin to fiber ratio, which is inherently brittle.
The question to ask is not "what is the surface of the safety bath made of, gelcoat or acrylic", but "are your safety baths hand-laid cloth or chopper gun construction?"
Seabridge gelcoat safety baths are more slip-resistant than acrylic baths. Combined with a textured floor bottom, you get peace of mind and less fear of falling.
Other advantages of gelcoat over acrylic: warm to the touch, easy to touch up and repair, and not prone to delamination. Gelcoat is durable, easy to clean and lasts generations.
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Draining time determines how long you have to wait for the bath water to empty before you can leave your safety bath. It affects your safety and comfort.
Many of our customers are elderly persons who may be frail or susceptible to chills. Regardless of age or condition, Seabridge wants you to exit the safety bath quickly after soaking.
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Seabridge uses two drains on the bottom of all of its safety baths and disabled baths. Bath water drains more than twice as fast as a conventional "single drain" system ... as fast as 68 seconds.
Seabridge has often removed competitor safety baths from people’s homes and replaced them with a dual draining safety bath.
Your safety is important. Bathers have been trapped in a safety bath because of single drain malfunction. With two drains, we eliminate this risk.
For more information on Seabridge’s dual drain system visit our Technical Page.
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We don't know. We have seen this, usually on small outward swing door safety baths. The promotional literature says it is to prevent flooding. Our engineering staff, however, has not been able to determine how this drain would prevent flooding.
These safety baths hold approximately 25-30 gallons of water. If the bath door were to open accidentally, that 25-30 gallons of water would be traveling at about 30-35 km/h. Certainly the small drain provided would not prevent flooding.
We believe it's there in case of leakage from the door. But we would certainly like to hear from someone with the drain outside of the safety bath to let us know.
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NO!
This does not apply to traditional baths and it does not apply to safety bath systems. Safety baths should be as large as possible to allow ample room for people with limited mobility.
Seabridge design considers comfort, safety and space availability within a bathroom. Smaller safety baths are for smaller areas within the home, such as powder rooms and ensuites.
They often replace existing 36” shower units. See our Victorian bath for an example of a bath designed for a smaller space.
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Certain companies claim outward opening doors are better or more expensive to manufacture than inward swinging doors. This simply is not true.
Most safety bath manufacturers in North America use inward swinging doors. Why? Because they are more effective for sealing the door than outward swinging doors.
Outward swinging doors may cost more to manufacture because they need a significant latching system.
* Inwarding swinging means easy entering or exiting the bath. You can easily close the door once inside the bath.
Other fixtures in the bathing area such as vanities or toilets don't get in the way of opening the door.
You also don't need a complex latching system to keep the door closed when the safety bath is filled.
Inward swinging doors strengthen the door seal as the bath fills; the seal becomes more efficient.
You cannot accidentally open an inward swinging door while bathing. You could, however, accidentally open an outward swinging door and flood your bathroom.
Inward swinging doors don't need devices to adjust door tension to prevent leaking.
There is no residual water running off the door and falling onto the floor outside the bath. This is a safety concern when stepping outside the bath.
Inward swinging door safety baths accommodate a larger volume of water. As discussed above, this is an advantage not a disadvantage.
Most outward door swinging safety baths are small and uncomfortable. They're designed smaller because the amount of force needed to keep the door closed with a large water volume would be extreme.
 The closure system of the Seabridge Universal Disabled Bath outward swinging door incorporates all of the features of our inward swinging door systems.
Water pressure and force placed on the door while filling the safety bath enhance the door seal effectiveness. See a video on how the Universal Disabled Bath door operates.
 Our Cameo safety bath has a unique removable door allowing ease of use and access for both independent and assisted bathing.
See a video on how the door is removed from the Cameo bath.
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No statistics exist on persons needing an emergency exit from a safety bath. Most information relates only to conventional style baths.
People lower themselves to the bottom of a conventional style bath and then find it impossible to raise themselves up to stand and get out.
Don't get stuck in the bath! Read a Survey of elderly people who get stuck in the bath.  32KB
Designing and installing safe bathing systems in homes and care facilities helps avoid a situation where people are trapped in the bath after bathing.
Some companies claim if an emergency arose during bathing, an outward swinging door of the walk in bath could be opened while the bath is still full of water.
This is absurd. Why open the door while the safety bath is full and allow 30 gallons of water to run onto the floor of the bathroom?
This benefits neither the bather nor an assistant. In an emergency, there is no advantage to having the bather out of the bath on the floor or other area of the home.
It is not difficult to remove a person from a safety bath with an inward swinging door, once the bath has drained. Care providers can easily access the bather standing along side, in front, or behind the person.
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No, Seabridge safety baths do not leak. Fully certified in North America, we have thousands of safety baths installed worldwide; door seal failure is not an issue.
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 Other than the Cameo and Universal baths, our safety baths use a simple palm pad operating mechanism. Located on top of the door, the palm pad is easily depressed with an open hand, closed fist or elbow; no grasping or turning is required.
The door is closed by merely shutting it ... no latches or levers to manipulate. Simple!
When researching other companies, you should ask to see how the door operates. Many companies will not show these devices in their literature or on their web sites.
Make sure the system you buy is not difficult for you to operate. Make sure you will not have to make door adjustments in the future.
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 Fill time is important because it determines how fast your safety bath fills up and how quickly you can start bathing.
Larger water supply sizes and taps accommodate larger volumes of incoming water, allowing your safety bath to fill extremely fast. Filling at 10-15 gallons per minute ensures you start bathing quickly.
Many competitors don't use taps with these fill times. You will be waiting a lot longer for your bath to fill.
Make sure taps supplied by other companies are both ADA-compliant and certified. Do not divert water from your tub spout to a shower spray like a conventional bathtub.
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All Seabridge bathing systems come with ¾” bath filler taps, filling the safety bath quickly.
However, ¾” water supplies are not a requirement. When installing in new construction we recommend providing ¾” water supplies to all of our safety baths. This provides a noticeable advantage in filling the bath.
If ¾” water supply lines are not available, ½” water supply lines are more than adequate to fill your safety bath effectively.
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NO! Seabridge safety baths are designed to function with an existing 40 gallon hot water heater, the most common size.
Seabridge has never had to upgrade a 40 gallon hot water tank to fill any of our safety baths. Claims you will have to get a larger water heater are made by other companies, typically manufacturers of small outward swinging door safety baths. These claims are fabricated and untrue.
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The American with Disabilities Act or ADA and The Canadian Standards Association Barrier Free are organizations that set guidelines for the operation and installation of products designed for those with mobility issues.
It is vital that components such as shower valves, bath taps, grab rails and other products conform to the requirements set out by these organizations.
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Accessories include shower valves and hand-sprays, bath taps, grab rails and bars, and anti-scald valves that meet American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code requirements.
Seabridge products meet the requirements of ADA and CSA and carry the  mark for accessibility.
By meeting the guidelines set by ADA and CSA Barrier Free, Seabridge ensures your safety, comfort and ease of access.
Our components meet the needs of individuals as well as the standards of architects and engineers. Some companies do not provide approved accessible components.
Make sure you ask about the taps used to fill the safety bath, showering systems, grab rails and bars and anti-scald devices when dealing with other bath companies. If their products do not comply with ADA or carry the mark, they will not meet your safety and accessibility needs.
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Some companies manufacture only a single model of safety bath and raise the issue of getting into a walk-in or handicap bathtub.
Individuals have unique needs and requirements, and may need a different model or style of safety bath. Seabridge has developed bath systems that allow individuals to "step up and in" or "sit down and slide in".
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The step-in height of any safety bath should be comfortable and safe for the individual user. Not all products are safe and comfortable for all users.
Most safety baths with greater step-in height have been designed to allow for plumbing drain lines to run under the bath and make connections to existing drain lines easier and less costly.
This is referred to as an "above floor rough-in bath". Seabridge's step-in height is designed around the traditional riser ("stair height") of any step in the home or in public areas.
The step-in height varies from installation to installation. It can be significantly lower depending on whether or not the safety bath needs to be roughed-in above the floor or whether it can be lowered and drain lines connected below the floor.
If you can brace yourself on the safety bath and take a single step upward, you would have no difficulty using any Seabridge safety bath system.
If you cannot take that single step without difficulty, then you should consider our Universal sit-down disabled bath or our Cameo safety bath for assisted bathing.
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Certification is the testing of products to a specific market requirement by accredited testing authorities.
Accreditation is required for proof of compliance to market and industry standards. In most markets, conformity to local requirements is mandatory before products can be sold.
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Certified Seabridge safety baths reassure our customers and end-users that our bath products comply to relevant building codes, association criteria, and product safety and performance standards and that Seabridge conforms to a range of compliance measures.
The certification mark also signifies that our manufacturing site(s) undergo periodic follow up inspections to ensure ongoing compliance of the originally certified product. Field inspections consist of line sampling and inspection to ensure the product continues to be produced in the same way as it was originally certified.
You should know that certification of safety baths is required for installation in new construction, commercial installation and renovation installations when plumbing and electrical inspectors and code officials are required.
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Seabridge only uses air jet massage systems and not water jet systems (whirlpool systems) in our safety baths and disabled tubs.
Why? Because of the anti-bacterial nature of air jets versus water jets. Air jet systems deliver fresh clear air but water jet systems re-circulate used bathwater from one bather to the next. The air jet system automatically purges itself to promote evaporation of residual water.
Few people realize when you fill a whirlpool bath, sit down for a soak, and lean back to breathe in the warm air, you are exposing yourself to a variety of potentially fatal bacteria and fungi.
While resting in circling warm water that caresses your skin, you breathe in deeply, allowing legionella spores to reach deeply into your lungs. You stretch slowly; unwittingly allowing fecal matter, skin, and other debris left behind from the previous bather to envelope you slowly as you dip your head under the water.
Read the article "Relaxing in Filth: What Your Whirlpool Tub May Be Hiding"
Bacteria that gather in the piping of whirlpool bathtubs are difficult to remove and can cause serious health problems.
Read the article "Microbial Loads in Whirlpool Baths"
Air systems are less aggressive for frail and elderly clients and have high and low personal settings for the individual user.
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Safety Bath FAQs
