How Do I Reinstall and Realign the Stainless Steel Door After Removing It?

The stainless steel inward-swing door goes back onto the same hinge it was lifted from. The alignment comes from that hinge, which is why the hinge stays bolted to the tub the whole time. Use two people to set the door back on the hinge, and match it against the photos you took before removal. Then latch it and test it with a fill above the door seal before you rely on it. The removal side of the job is covered in How Do You Remove and Reinstall the Elite Stainless Door for Cleaning?. This page covers getting the door back on correctly, and what to do when it does not sit or latch the way it did before.

Which Doors This Applies to

The stainless steel inward-swing door is used on the Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe and Ultimate walk-in tubs. It is a brushed stainless U-shaped frame around a frosted tempered glass panel, and it locks from inside the tub with a chrome handle. The Ultra uses the same inward-swing design in a brushed aluminum frame with frosted tempered glass. The Companion and Escape two-seat tubs use an inward stainless door as well. Ella's product video for these tubs describes the doors as removable for convenient cleaning, and Using Your Stainless Steel Inward-Swing Door explains how the door works day to day.

The door swings toward the seat and rests on its hinge. Once the tub fills, the weight of the water presses the door into the seal. Nothing on the room side of the tub holds the door in place, so an opened door can be lifted up and off. The same fact matters when the door goes back on, because the door sits where the hinge puts it.

The outward-swing composite door on a tub such as the Capri is very different. It is held by a 3-latch gear and shaft mechanism and is not lifted out, so nothing on this page applies to it. If you are not certain which door type you have, ask the team at (800) 480-6850 or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support before you lift anything.

Why Reinstalling Is Harder Than Removing

The door is the part of the tub that holds back a full bath of water. It seals only when it sits on the hinge and meets the seal the way it did before removal. The technical support team is plain about this: reinstalling the door is harder than removing it. Even a small shift at the hinge changes how the door meets the seal and how the handle pulls it closed, and the result can be a leak on the first fill. That is why the team discourages removing the door just to get through a tight doorway, as Can I Remove the Door to Get the Tub Into the Bathroom? explains.

Three rules protect the alignment before you start.

• The hinge never leaves the tub. Remove the door from the hinge, never the hinge from the tub. With the hinge still bolted where the factory set it, the door has one correct place to return to.
• Photograph first. Take pictures of the hinge and the handle latch positions before anything moves. Those photos are your reference for realigning the door.
• Protect the seal and the glass. While the door is off, rest it on a padded surface such as a folded towel or blanket, so nothing presses on the seal or the glass.

Reinstalling the Door Step by Step

1. Finish the cleaning while the door is off. Residue that builds up in the seal or the door frame is a leading cause of door leaks. Clean the gasket all the way around with a mild, non-abrasive cleaner, rubbing alcohol and soft cloths, and wipe the tub wall the door seals against. Inspect the seal for anything that has flattened, lifted or caught debris.
2. Bring in a second person. The door is heavy and awkward once it is free of the hinge, and the technical support team asks for two people every time an Ella door is handled.
3. Lift the door together and set it back onto the same hinge, in the open position it was in when it came off.
4. Hold your photos next to the hinge and the handle latch. The door should sit on the hinge exactly as it did in the pictures.
5. Swing the door through its travel a few times. It should move freely toward the seat and back.
6. Step in, remain standing, and close the door with the interior chrome handle until it locks firmly, the same way you would before a bath.
7. Run the test fill. Fill the tub above the door seal and watch the bottom edge of the door for leaks. If the door came off during installation, do this test before the room is finished.
8. Open both drain openers and let the tub drain completely before you open the door again. The door is held shut by the remaining water and opens freely once the tub is empty.

If the Door Does Not Sit, Latch or Seal the Way It Did Before

Start with the simple causes. Compare the door with your photos again, because the most common problem after reinstallation is a door that is not sitting on the hinge the way it was. With a second person, lift it off and set it back on. Then look at the seal once more. A strip of debris, or a section of gasket that was disturbed during cleaning, can keep the door from seating even when the hinge position is right.

If the door sits correctly but the handle feels too loose or too stiff, the chrome handle has its own adjustment. Ella's Chrome Door Handle Adjustment video shows it. Remove the front apron, locate the protective cap and remove it. Loosening the locking nut creates less tension for the handle, and tightening it creates more tension. Adjust it as needed. This changes how the handle feels and holds. It does not move the door on its hinge, so use it for handle tension and not as a fix for a door that is sitting wrong.

If the handle itself was taken off, for example for refinishing, it attaches with a single bolt. Removing Grab Bars, the Door Handle and Controls for Custom Plating or Refinishing covers how that hardware comes off and goes back on. Reinstall it snugly and check for leaks before the tub goes back into service.

A search for door alignment also turns up the hinge adjustment for Ella glass shower screens. That procedure loosens the hinge screws on the glass panel side of a screen door. It is described in Hinged Glass Screen Door Out of Line With the Frame. It belongs to the shower screen that sits on the tub deck, not to the tub's entry door, so do not carry it over to the stainless door.

When to Bring in the Support Team

If the door is loose on the hinge, or it drips during the test fill after you have reseated it and cleaned the seal, stop there and do not force anything. Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850. Have your model name ready, along with your before photos, a photo of the closed door, a close-up of the hinge, and a photo of the spot where water appears. Tech support can review the photos and talk you or your installer through the next step.

Ella does not send technicians. If a part turns out to be defective, the replacement part ships under the warranty after verification, and your installer or a local licensed plumber does the hands-on work. Leave the door in place and do not use the tub while you wait. A door that is out of position can leak as the tub fills.

Related Guides

• Bent or Loose Door Hinge: Diagnosis, Tightening, and Replacement
• Door Handle Loose, Wobbly or Hard to Turn: Tightening the Bolt Under the Cap and Adjusting the Lock Nut
• Replacing a Leaking Door Seal: Torn Seal or Door Alignment, Warranty Coverage, and How the Seal Ships

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