ADA Grab Bars: 4 Features To Watch Out For

Looking for the right grab bars to purchase for your home isn’t like scouting for ordinary home decor. They need to pass specific provisions that have been approved by the statutes of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as meet your requirements, in tandem with the disability itself. 

Take a look at the vital details you should watch out for when in search of grab bars for toilets and bathrooms. 

Important Characteristics Of ADA Bars

1. Handle Diameter

This first characteristic speaks of the thickness of an ADA grab bar. Its overall diameter can either help or further cause discomfort and/or harm. For this reason, you should match the diameter of the handle with your grip and gripping-force.

Though the ADA requires a minimum of 32mm to 51mm or 1&¼ to 2 inches, it may still change in relation to your gripping comfort and capacity. You can always compare the diameter sizes of the handles of your choice to ensure that you get one with a thickness suitable to your needs. 

2. Wall And Grab Bar Space

The space between the wall and the ADA bar should be taken into account, too. If the span is tight and limited, it will be a source of difficulty, even if the bar itself is of a standard, ADA-compliant composition. 

According to their guidelines, at least 38mm or 1 & ½  inches is the average measurement that is deemed agreeable for those of different ages, height, and weight. 

That being said, be sure to have it adjusted on the basis on how easy or difficult it is for you to fully grab on to the bar. If you find yourself squeezing your hand into the space between the wall and the handle, have it modified. It may not seem like much now but sudden movements of your hand in such small spaces may actually cause bruising. 

3. Grab Bar Height

The handrail’s height from the floor, along with its height in parallel to yourself, are two separate variables to bear in mind. 

Grab bars next to the toilet must have a minimum length of 54 inches. This is proportionate to how the toilet itself has to be 16 to 18 inches in height. 

The rear grab bar, which you can affix above the toilet take and/or flushing device, is to be 33 to 36 inches from the bathroom floor. 

***These measurements are to be understood as standards which are ideal for common bathroom types and setups. You can always go out of your way to assess the area inside your bathroom and align the grab bars’ heights to the various sanitary hardware therein. 

4. Grab Bar Type

This is where design and function are taken into consideration. We have discussed a few basic grab bar types on another page. However, as a brief rundown, you can take your pick from a selection of vertical, horizontal, wave-style, floor-to-ceiling, and angled grab bars. And of course, much, much more. 

Besides installing them simply because of their aesthetic, you should know that there’s an objective behind why each one is styled in a specific manner. 

Textured, angled, and wave bars are often utilised as support on different eye-levels (i.e. from sitting to standing and its reverse). On the other hand, vertical and horizontal handles are excellent for weight support. 

Post Source