Can a walk-in tub go where there is no existing tub?

Yes. An Ella walk-in tub does not have to replace an existing bathtub, and when it goes into a spot that never had one, your plumber runs the drain and supply lines to suit the new location. Building that drain line before the tub is set saves a great deal of effort, because the final connection is made on site to ports already mounted on the tub, as Can a Walk-In Tub Connect to My Existing Drain and P-Trap? explains. Four things need settling before anyone cuts: the door side, the drain layout, a wall behind the tub, and the electrical plan.

Decide the Door Side First, Because It Fixes Where the Drains Land

Ella walk-in tubs are built as either a left-hand or a right-hand configuration, and the door and the drains are on opposite sides of the tub. A right-side door tub has its drains on the left, and a left-side door tub has its drains on the right, with sides taken as you face the tub. In a room with no existing rough-in, that means the door side you choose for the room decides which end the new drain line has to reach. The item description on your final invoice states the hand of the tub, so read it before you confirm, and share the spec sheet with your installer so the drain positions are known ahead of delivery.

In a three-wall alcove the side walls close off once the tub is in, so the only way to reach the drain connections afterward is through the front of the tub. Pick the configuration that puts the drain ports where they can be reached from the front, underneath the pumps, so the final connections can be made and checked without moving the tub. Choosing the Drain Side for an Alcove or Slab Installation and Prebuilding the Drain Line covers that layout in detail.

The Drain Rough-In

Every Ella tub drain is 2 inches and gravity driven. Most models have two drains, one on either side of the tub's center line, and each ends in a four-port T-type PVC fitting that ships installed on the tub with the ports open. There is no drain pump anywhere in the system, so a power failure never leaves you waiting to exit. Your plumber ties the drains into a 1 1/2 inch or 2 inch house drain with a standard T or Y fitting. Standard house plumbing for a bathtub is an inch and a half drain.

• Two accepted trap layouts. A P-trap for each drain, which is the fastest draining layout when there is room for two traps, or one P-trap for both, with the two drains combined by a 2 inch tee or wye ahead of it. A Y is preferred over a T because the water changes direction less.
• Vent, slope and clean out. The line runs through the P-trap to a 2 inch vent pipe, slopes downhill to the main, is trapped and vented to local code, and has a clean out just uphill of the main line. The branch line is 1 1/2 to 2 inches.
• Ports. Connect all four for maximum drain speed, or connect the two on the convenient side and cap the rest with the end caps that ship with the tub. Even one port still works.
• Clearance. There is only about half an inch under the tub for the drain line to fall toward the house drain. The default installation keeps all piping above the floor and needs no cutting, but on a slab a shallow trough in the concrete is worth considering even where it turns out not to be strictly necessary.

Because the drain body hangs below the tub floor and can be connected from the left, the right or the center, the new floor drain does not have to sit directly under the tub drain. Ella does not publish a maximum offset; the limit is set by the room and the clear path under the tub, as Can a Walk-In Tub Use the Center Floor Drain From a Freestanding Tub? describes. Rough in the trap with a slight allowance in both directions rather than a rigid stub, set the tub level in its final spot, measure the actual outlet, and then make the final trap connection. Ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 for the spec sheet and the approximate drain distances for your model, because the rough-in depends on the model.

The Room Has to Give the Tub a Back Wall

A freestanding tub can sit in the middle of a room. A walk-in tub cannot. The one thing a new location has to provide is a wall or a knee wall behind the tub's long back side, so the room layout changes along with the plumbing when the tub goes somewhere a tub never stood. Plan the knee wall and the alcove framing together with the door swing and the drain access described above, and make sure the drains end up on the side nearest the new house drain connection.

Electrical and Grounding

Motors and pumps are fully installed on the tub at the factory, so there is nothing to mount in the field, but power still has to reach the tub. The electrical work depends on the model and the therapy options you choose, so share the tub dimensions and the electrical diagrams for your package with your electrician before the walls close up. The grounding video on this page shows that Ella tubs come with ground wires on all electrical components and on the tub frame, and your electrician secures a proper ground connection following all local and state electrical codes.

Who Does the Work

Ella manufactures the tub and supports your installer, but it does not install. A new location is a job for a licensed contractor who knows your local building requirements and codes, and the plumber should confirm the house drain is sized and vented correctly before the tub arrives. If you would like a referral, Ella works with a network of experienced installers across the United States, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can point you to one. Have your contractor call the same number with the model name and a sketch of the room, and the team can confirm the drain position and electrical layout before anything is roughed in.

Watch: Proper Grounding of Your Walk-In Tub with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Left-Hand or Right-Hand? Choosing Door, Drain, and Faucet Side
• Electrical requirements by model: dedicated GFCI circuits for your walk-in tub
• What Size Water Heater Do I Need for My Walk-in Tub?

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