Will an Ella shower base fit my space and existing drain location?

Very often, yes. Every Ella shower base is a molded acrylic rectangle made for tub to shower conversions, so the footprint an old tub leaves behind is usually the shape it fits, and the standard sizes come with a left, right or center drain while a custom rectangle can place the drain where your line already comes up, as long as it sits at least 9 inches from the back and side walls. What cannot happen is moving the drain on a base after it is molded, and that includes the 32 by 60 roll-in. Can I Choose a Left, Right, or Center Drain on an Ella Shower? explains why; this page walks through checking your room and your existing drain against an Ella base, step by step, before the order is placed.

Step 1: Check the Shape of the Space

An Ella base comes out of a mold at the factory as a finished acrylic piece that already carries the drain, the slope and the threshold, and the molds produce rectangles. L-shaped, neo-angle, angled or curved footprints are not offered on any order, standard or custom, as Does Ella Make a Neo-Angle Shower Pan With a Curb for Corners? explains. The good news for most conversions is that a bathtub alcove is already a rectangle, so the question is rarely about shape. If a rectangle can be drawn into your space, an Ella base can be considered. If your room truly only works with an angled or curved pan, an Ella base is not the right fit and it is better to know that now.

Step 2: Match the Size

The table lists the base sizes and drain positions published in the sources for this page. Where a cell says not listed, confirm it with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before ordering.

What the differences mean for you: the standard roll-in sizes give you a drain at the left, right or center only, so your existing line has to land at one of those spots or be moved. The custom rectangle is the route when the drain is somewhere else, because its drain can be placed to your measurements as long as it keeps 9 inches from the back and side walls. The entry also changes. Roll-in bases have no threshold to step or roll over and ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam that keeps water in while a wheel crosses it, while a custom base carries a raised threshold on its longer side and a tile flange that suits tiled walls.

Step 3: Locate Your Drain and Compare

This is the check that prevents the worst surprise, a base set on the floor whose drain opening misses the pipe.

1. Measure the center of your existing drain from the back wall and from each side wall.
2. Ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 for the Specification drawing of the base you are considering, and compare the drain location on it with your measurements.
3. If the locations match, or your plumber confirms the trap can be moved within the space available, the base will work.
4. If they do not match and the plumbing cannot be moved, look at a different size whose drain position fits, or ask about a custom base.

On the 32 by 60 roll-in specifically: the drain cannot be moved on the base, because it is molded into the floor. The base is made in both left and right drain configurations, so the answer is to choose the configuration that lands over your line, as Do you make a barrier-free 32x60 shower base with a right-hand drain? describes. Note whether the installation is on a concrete slab with no access from below, because that limits how far a licensed plumber can relocate the line. Ella does not send technicians, so your local licensed plumber sets the 2 inch drain body to local codes and makes the connection.

Step 4: Plan the Walls and Send Your Numbers

Wall panels are sized to the base, so the base dimensions are the first thing to settle and the walls follow. A custom base has a tile flange and works well where the walls will be tiled; standard bases pair with Ella's acrylic wall systems, and Shower Bases and Walls lays out those choices. Whatever base you choose, it is a finished acrylic surface that must not be tiled over.

Have these ready, then open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850:

• The opening measured from finished wall to finished wall, front to back and side to side.
• The distance from the center of the existing drain to the back wall and to each side wall.
• Whether the floor is a concrete slab with no access from below.
• A simple drawing or photo of the room showing the walls and the drain.

With those numbers the team can tell you which standard size fits, whether a left, right or center drain lines up, or whether a custom rectangle is the better path.

Related Guides

• How Do You Measure a Shower Base, Including a Corner Base?
• Shower Drain Rough-In: How Far the Drain Sits From the Back Wall and Side Wall

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