How Is a Walk-In Tub Installed, and Do I Need a Professional?

Ella's Bubbles manufactures the tub and does not perform installations or send its own technicians, so an Ella walk-in tub is installed by a local licensed plumber and electrician, or by a skilled owner who hires the electrician for the electrical step. Ella always recommends licensed professionals so local codes are followed, but a handyman with real plumbing and electrical experience can do the plumbing side, as Installing It Yourself: What DIY Owners Must Do to Keep Support and Warranty explains. The one step that is never optional is the electrical: the tub must be on dedicated GFCI protected circuits provided, installed and tested by a licensed electrician.

What the Installation Involves, Start to Finish

1. Inspect and test on delivery. Photograph any damage, record it on the shipper's delivery document and have the driver sign. Whenever possible, fill the tub before it goes inside to check for transit leaks.
2. Remove every panel before moving the tub. Take off the front apron, access panels and end panel, and lift only by the frame. The air jets on the bottom break off if the tub is dragged or set down on them.
3. Check dimensions and prepare the subfloor. The floor must be level and able to support the tub, the water and the bather. Set the tub on its adjustable legs and level it until every leg touches the floor with equal weight, because the door only closes into a watertight seal when the tub is truly level. On the Standard and Zen platform the front legs are screwed into the subfloor.
4. Connect the drains. The dual 2 inch drains connect to the house drain through the T-type fitting. Your plumber can use all four ports or either side and caps the ports that are not used.
5. Connect the water supply. The faucet ships with two 5 foot supply lines. Ella strongly recommends 3/4 inch shut-off valves near the tub for easy access and future service.
6. Make the electrical connections. The pumps, heater and other electrical components are certified, clearly labeled at the factory and plug into dedicated GFCI protected receptacles. The tub cannot share a circuit with any other appliance, the breaker box must use GFCI protected breakers, and the more pumps and accessories the tub has, the more dedicated lines it needs. The tub frame and every electrical component carry ground wires and must be properly grounded to local and state code.
7. Fill and leak test before anything is closed up. Run water, check every connection and run the pumps before walls, trim or access panels go back on.

If you want a shower column, it is fitted before the tub is finally set in place, because the column needs access to the back side of the tub for its supply connection. Where can I buy a walk-in tub shower combo with professional installation? covers that planning point.

Which Steps You Can Do Yourself and Which Need a Licensed Trade

What this means in practice: a confident do-it-yourself owner can handle delivery, leveling, drains and supply lines and then bring in a licensed electrician for the circuits. An owner who is not comfortable with plumbing should hand the whole job to a licensed plumber and electrician. Either way the tub is the same, the parts warranty is the same, and the electrician is part of every installation.

Why Ella Recommends a Licensed Professional

The Lifetime Limited Warranty is a parts warranty no matter who installs, but it excludes improper or negligent installation, and labor, removal, replacement and plumbing or electrical connections are never covered. A licensed professional protects you on both counts. The warranty is also put in force by the 2-page activation form, which must be completed and signed by both you and your installer, with the installer initialing that the tub is level with all legs touching, installed by a licensed electrician on a dedicated GFCI circuit breaker and properly grounded, and supplying the electrician's license and insurance information. Any licensed installer is fine, and certification by Ella is not required.

Labor on an Ella tub is warranted by whoever did the work, never by Ella's Bubbles, so get the labor scope and the installer's own labor warranty in writing before the job starts. My Installer Went Out of Business, Who Does Warranty Repair Labor Now? explains how the two promises differ and why your parts coverage continues even if the installer does not.

Finding an Installer and the Support They Receive

If you do not have a contractor, give the team your full installation address and they will check the installer network near you and help you locate a reputable installer, ideally one who measures the space in person before the order is placed. Ella sends the recommended installer your contact information, the tub specifications and the electrical diagrams for your model, and the installer contacts you directly, visits to measure, and provides an estimate for the work. Getting Installer Referrals and Leads for Your Walk-In Tub describes that process.

Whoever does the work gets free lifetime technical support from Ella by phone, email and live video, along with the manuals and schematics for your model, so prior experience with Ella tubs is not required. The video on this page explains the electrical requirements: dedicated GFCI protected outlets, GFCI breakers in the panel, no shared circuits, and where on the Ella website the electrical requirements for each jetting package are published so your electrician knows how many lines and outlets the tub needs before the first wire is run.

After Installation: Who Handles Problems Later

Once the tub is in, Ella Technical Support diagnoses any problem with you by phone, photos and live video, ships a verified part under the warranty, and a local licensed plumber, electrician or handyman fits it. Nearly every repair is ordinary plumbing or electrical work, so you are never dependent on a specialist. Who Can Come Out and Fix My Walk-In Tub? covers that service model. Before you start the installation, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 to arrange live video help for yourself or your electrician.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Proper Electrical Installation For Your Walk-In Tub with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Common Installation Questions: Tile Order, Leveling Legs, Subfloor, Panels, Drain Size and the Outdoor Test
• Before Your Installer Leaves: The 16 Checks Explained in Plain Language and Why Each One Protects Your Warranty

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