Which End Does the Elite Extension Panel Go On in a 60 Inch Alcove?

The Ella Elite's 7 inch extension panel goes on whichever end of the tub you specified when it was ordered, left or right, because the stainless steel shelf brackets that hold it are built into the frame at that end only. In the arrangement Ella shows in its own installation video for the 30 by 52 Standard, the end panel sits at the faucet end and the extension panel fills the other end, so on most orders the panel lands at the headrest end of the alcove. If your panel will only fit one end, Why Doesn't the Extension Panel Attach on the Faucet Side? explains why it is doing exactly what was ordered.

What the Elite Ships with for a 60 Inch Opening

The Elite's actual size is 30 inches wide, 52 inches long and 35 inches high, so on its own it does not fill the 60 inch three-wall opening that most bathrooms were framed around. Its spec sheet lists one reversible end panel and one 7 inch extension panel among the included features, alongside a stainless steel frame with adjustable leveling legs and a removable front apron with two access panels. The extension panel is the trimmable piece that takes a 52 inch tub to a standard 60 inch opening. It rests on adjustable stainless steel shelf brackets that are part of the frame, it is cut to the wall on site, and once installed it doubles as a handy shelf beside the deck. It does not add length to the tub itself, so the interior you sit in is the same whichever end it goes on. What Is an Extension Panel (Filler Kit) on a Walk-In Tub? describes the kit and lists the panel width for every model; the Elite shares its 7 inch panel with the Standard, Ultra, Petite and Royal.

How the Panel End Is Decided

The panel side is not something the installer decides on the day. It is chosen when the tub is configured, together with the door side and the drain side, and it is printed on your order paperwork. The frame is then built with the shelf brackets at that end. On the Elite, as on the Capri, brackets can be fitted to both ends, but only when that is requested before the tub is built. A panel that attaches at one end and refuses the other is therefore behaving as ordered, not failing.

The reason most orders put the panel at the headrest end comes down to where the faucet goes. Ella's installation video for the Standard, another 30 by 52 tub built to fit a 60 inch alcove, shows the tub equipped with an end panel for the faucet side and a 7 inch extension panel on the other side. The faucet end is the plumbing end, so the end panel covers that frame when it is exposed and the extension panel closes the gap at the opposite wall. When you place your Elite order, think of it as one question: which wall of the alcove will the faucet end sit against? The extension panel goes to the other wall.

The pieces involved, and when each one is settled:

What the differences mean: the only decision that cannot be changed later without the factory is the bracket end, so the panel side is the one line on your order to get right. The end panel is reversible and can move, the apron can be trimmed on site, and the extension panel itself is designed to be cut, but the end it mounts on is fixed when the frame is built.

Planning the Alcove Around the Panel End

Before the order is placed, measure the opening rather than the old tub. How do I measure my bathtub and alcove for a replacement? walks through the three figures: the length wall to wall along the back of the alcove, the width from the back wall to the front edge, and the height from the floor to the rim. Take the length at the back and again at the front, because alcoves are rarely square and the extension panel is what absorbs the difference. Have the model name and the actual size from the spec sheet ready when you talk to your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, so the panel end can be confirmed against your sketch.

Two accessories change slightly when the Elite sits in an alcove with its panel. A shower column installed on a tub with an extension panel uses the long 4 to 5 inch pipe connector to reach the wall, and the 4-fold glass screen converts to a 3-fold screen by removing one section, which is how it fits a 52 inch tub in a 60 inch alcove with an extension panel. Mention the alcove and the panel when you ask about either. What Is an Alcove Installation for a Walk-In Tub? also recommends a wall access panel behind the plumbing end so pumps and drain connections can be reached later without disturbing tile, and reminds you that the space around the tub must never be packed with insulation.

Fitting the Panel on Installation Day

Every removable panel, including the extension panel, the end panel and the front apron, comes off before the tub is carried into the house, and the tub is lifted only by the frame. The Elite's shipping size is 32 by 54 by 50 inches, which is the crate to plan the delivery path around. Your installer sets and levels the tub first and fits the extension panel last:

1. Measure the gap between the tub end and the wall at the top and at the bottom.
2. Trim the panel to the wall. It is designed to be cut, so an alcove that is slightly out of square or a little under 60 inches is handled on site.
3. Adjust the shelf brackets so the panel sits level with the deck.
4. Secure the panel with the kit hardware and seal the seams with silicone.

The Standard installation video on this page adds one trick for a tight 60 inch alcove: trim the corner piece off the main tub apron for a cleaner, tighter fit, or slide the tub in using the standard end piece and apron without an end panel. The second video, on extension and end panels, shows the reversible end panel going on either end, the extension panel placed on the right or the left of the tub, and the option to decline either piece at order time.

If the Panel Is on the Wrong End

Start with your order paperwork, which records the extension panel side chosen with the door and drain side. Then inspect both ends of the frame for the adjustable shelf brackets; only one end will have them unless a second set was requested before the build. If the paperwork and the brackets disagree, or you now need the panel on the other end, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your model, serial number, door side, a photo of each end of the frame and a sketch of the alcove with measurements in inches. Panels are cut for a specific tub, so a replacement panel or a second set of brackets is confirmed against what was built. If the gap is wider than the panel covers, your installer frames and finishes the remaining space, and a gap at a freestanding end rather than a wall calls for the reversible end panel instead.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Understanding Extension and End Panels with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• What Is an End Panel on a Walk-In Tub?
• Will it fit my alcove? Extension panels, end panels, and 60 inch spaces
• Can an Ella End Panel or Extension Panel Be Trimmed to Fit?

Questions fréquentes