Do I need to send photos to order a replacement walk-in tub part?

Yes, in nearly every case. Ella's Bubbles matches a replacement part to your tub from your model, your serial number and a clear photo of the part, rather than from a measurement alone, because parts that look alike differ by faucet set and by the age of the tub. Send the photos through a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support, or call (800) 480-6850 and the team will tell you how to get them over. Hand Shower Hose and Sprayer Head Replacement, and Water Behind the Tub Near the Hand Shower shows how this works for one of the most common requests, and the steps below apply to any part on the tub.

Why the Team Asks for a Photo

A photo does four jobs at once. First, it identifies the part. Hoses and sprayer heads, for example, vary by faucet set and by the age of the tub, and the team does not want to send the wrong one. Second, it lets the team show you the match before anything ships. On a drain request the team sends a picture of the replacement assembly it can supply so you can confirm it matches, and for some tubs only one version of the assembly is available, so that check matters. Third, it documents the failure for the warranty. Parts are covered for the original owner at the original installation address once the team verifies the failure from your photos, which is why you are also asked whether the tub is newly purchased or already installed and whether you are the original owner. Fourth, it feeds the factory record. Ella keeps a record of every failed faucet cartridge and shares the pictures with the factory, so the team asks for them on every case. The upside for you is that the broken part never has to be shipped back; the photo stands in for it.

Ordering by Size: Supply Hoses, Drains and Valves

It is natural to want to order a hot water supply hose by length, or a drain by its diameter, and skip the photos. A measurement is still useful, so include it, but it is not what the team matches on. Ella's five-piece and two-piece Fast-Fill faucet sets ship with 5-ft supply lines, Ella tubs use a 2 inch gravity drain with an overflow, and the faucet valves come as hot and cold pairs, yet within each of those categories the fitting that connects to your tub depends on which faucet set you have and when the tub was built. That is what the photo settles. The most useful pictures are one of the whole part in place, one of the fitting or thread where it connects, and one wider shot of the faucet or drain it belongs to so the set is clear. Mark the piece that is cracked, bent, split or missing. If a sprayer head has broken off, check whether the broken threads can be worked out of the hose end, because if they are stuck you need a new hose as well, and a photo of the hose end tells the team which to send.

What to Send and Where to Send It

1. Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support, or call (800) 480-6850 if you would rather talk it through. The ticket keeps your photos, model and serial number together in one thread.
2. Your model number, which appears on your proposal or invoice rather than on the tub.
3. Your serial number, from the label behind the magnetic access panel next to the door. Photograph the whole label rather than retyping one number, or give your invoice number if you cannot reach the label.
4. Photos of the damaged part, the fitting it connects to, and the faucet or drain it belongs to, plus a short description of what happened.
5. Whether the tub is newly purchased or already installed, and whether you are the original owner. If you bought through a retailer, include the retailer order number.
6. The shipping address for the part and a phone number for the carrier label. The team asks you to confirm the address before anything ships.
7. A note if the tub cannot be used, so the team can prioritize the shipment.

Writing all of this in the first message is what gets the part identified on the first reply. The full parts process is described in Ordering a Complete Drain and Overflow Assembly and How It Is Replaced, which also explains that the drain body sits beneath the tub and is a job for a licensed plumber.

What Happens After the Team Has Your Photos

The team confirms the matching part, and on parts with more than one version sends you a picture to approve. If the part is supplied under the lifetime parts warranty it ships at no charge after verification. If it is a purchased part, for instance a thermostatic valve after its first year, payment is taken by phone, and for security the team does not store card numbers, so have the card ready on the call. Hoses and sprayer heads are tested before they ship. Faucet valves are replaced as a hot and cold set even if only one side failed, so both sides are renewed in one visit, and when the tub cannot be used the team can expedite the shipment. Tracking is emailed to you, or to the dealer who opened the ticket, once the parcel carrier picks up. Labor is never covered, and Ella does not send technicians. A local licensed plumber or electrician does the installation, with free lifetime technical support available by phone or ticket if a question comes up mid-job. Faucet Cartridge Burst and Spraying Water: Shutting It Down and Getting Replacement Hot and Cold Valves is the example to read if water is spraying now, since it starts with shutting off the supply.

Look-Alike Parts the Photos Sort Out

• Shower hose or air button hose. The small hose running from a button on the deck to the pump is the air button hose, not the shower hose. If it is split, the button stops working, and the team sends an air button hose, a different part.
• Sprayer head or whole hose. A head that snapped at the threads may need only a new head, or a new hose too if the threads are stuck in the hose end.
• Drain body or overflow. An overflow that no longer sits flush can often be adjusted from inside the tub without touching the drain body, while a cracked drain body under the tub needs the complete assembly.
• Thermostatic valve or Fast-Fill valves. The Ella Fast-Fill faucet is non-thermostatic, with a hot valve, a cold valve and a diverter. A TCV faucet has the thermostatic valve and two diverters. The TCV carries a 1-year limited warranty, cartridge fouling from calcium, iron or contaminated water is not covered, and a careful cartridge cleaning often restores it before a replacement is needed, as covered in Temperature Control Valve (TCV) Stuck or Not Mixing: Cleaning the Cartridge and Replacing the Valve.
• Vanity drawer, door or cabinet. For bathroom furniture the team matches by vanity model and finish and checks stock before promising a part, so photos of the damage plus one wider photo of the whole vanity are what it needs.

Each of these pairs looks similar in a description and different in a photo, which is the plain reason the team asks you to send one. The team can confirm your faucet configuration from your serial number, but the picture of the part in your hand is what turns a general request into the exact replacement.

Related Guides

• How to Order a Replacement Part for Your Ella Walk-In Tub
• Where to find your walk-in tub model and serial numbers
• Common Questions About Replacement Parts: Parts Lists, Diagrams, Photos, Addresses and Old-Part Returns

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