Who can install a walk-in tub, shower pan or walk-in shower?

A local licensed contractor installs an Ella walk-in tub, shower pan or walk-in shower, usually a plumber for the drain and water connections and an electrician for the powered equipment on a tub, with a remodeling contractor who does bathrooms often carrying the whole job. Ella's Bubbles builds the tub or base, ships it as a finished piece and supports your contractor with manuals and live video help, but it does not send technicians or perform installations, as Who Installs a Shower Pan or Shower Base in My Bathroom? explains for the shower side. This page covers all three jobs, how to choose the installer, what the choice means for the warranty, and what to have ready before the work starts.

Ella Makes It, Your Contractor Installs It

Ella's part of the job is to build the pieces to your dimensions and answer your contractor's questions during the work. Hire a licensed, experienced local contractor, and if you do not have one, the team can refer installers from its nationwide network, which includes Angi Pro. Any licensed installer is fine, and certification by Ella is not required. Labor is arranged and paid for between you and the contractor, and Ella does not estimate it. Technical support guides your contractor for free by phone, email and live video, so questions that come up on site go to your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850.

The installer you choose does affect your coverage. Ella provides a lifetime parts warranty, and labor is warranted by the independent contractor who did the work. Improper or negligent installation and modifications by anyone other than Ella's Bubbles are excluded from coverage, so a licensed installer who follows the manual protects the warranty as well as the bathroom. Specific questions about whether a particular change would affect coverage go to support rather than to the installer.

Who Installs a Walk-In Tub

A walk-in tub combines plumbing and, on jet models, electrical work, so the trades involved are a plumber and an electrician, or a remodeling contractor who brings both. The tub drains by gravity through 2-inch drains rather than a pump, and once it is connected to a proper 2-inch drain line it typically empties in two minutes or less, so the drain connection is ordinary plumbing work. The faucet set is part of the tub package and is connected on site. Ella's technical support walks your contractor through the manual and can join by live video, and replacement parts under the warranty ship to you for a local licensed plumber or electrician to fit.

• Plumber: the 2-inch drain connection, the faucet supply lines and the hand shower.
• Electrician: the circuit for the pump, heater and controls on jet models.
• Remodeling contractor: leveling the tub, fitting extension and end panels, the tile flange and the wall finish around the tub.

Who Installs a Shower Pan or Shower Base

Because an Ella base arrives finished, the job on site is smaller than a traditional built-up pan. Ella pans, standard or custom, are finished acrylic and do not need to be tiled over. The base carries the drain and the threshold, and on some models a molded seat, so nothing is formed, lined or grouted in your bathroom. Your contractor prepares the floor and plumbing so the base lands on the rough-in, sets the finished base, connects its drain to the house drain line and finishes the walls around it. Standard acrylic bases come in 30x60, 32x60 and 36x60 inches with a left or right drain, custom rectangular bases run up to 44 inches wide by 80 inches long with the drain at least 9 inches from each wall, and a custom base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches. Ella also offers cultured marble bases in three sizes, and those are heavy and need at least two people to install, so tell your contractor which material you ordered before delivery day. Where Can I Buy a Shower Base for a Bathroom Remodel? covers what to have ready when you order.

Who Installs a Walk-In Shower

A walk-in shower is the base plus the walls, and one contractor handles both because they go in sequence rather than as two trades. The base is set first, and the walls are finished above it with a wall system sized to that base. Who installs acrylic shower walls and shower pans in my bathroom? details the wall side. The cultured marble surrounds come as eight, six or four panels, can be carried and installed by one person, glue over drywall, plaster, painted walls, cement board or existing tile, and have factory finished edges that can be trimmed and cut on site for a custom fit. Ella also makes plain white acrylic wall panels at 98 inches high. The wall surround is the component cut on site; the base never is. The online Shower Builder Tool lets you scroll through the options and put together a custom design before you talk with your Ella dealer.

What a Homeowner Can Do

Some add-ons are within reach of a handy homeowner. The shower column kit that adds an overhead shower to a walk-in tub is fitted by a homeowner or a local licensed plumber: the existing hand shower is removed, the column base goes into the vacant receptacle, the supply line is replaced and the new one-half inch supply line attaches to the diverter on the 2-piece or 5-piece fast-fill faucet set. The video on this page shows that sequence. Can you take a shower in a walk-in tub? covers the hand shower and the column. Glass shower screens, a slide bar for the hand shower and a 10-inch rain shower are accessories your dealer can confirm for your model.

Briefing Your Installer

1. Share the model and the spec sheet drawings before delivery so the drain and supply rough-in land where the fixture needs them.
2. For a base, tell the team where the existing drain line sits in the floor so it can confirm which drain position matches your size.
3. Have the installer level the tub and complete the water test before any wall is finished.
4. Give the installer the support contacts, ellasbubbles.com/support and (800) 480-6850, so questions are answered during the job rather than after.
5. Keep the installer's details, because labor on the installation is warranted by that contractor.

Watch: Easy Shower Column Installation for Your Walk-In Tub | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• How is a walk-in tub installed and what does the process involve?
• Installation Documents for Your Contractor: Spec Sheets, Electrical Diagrams, Manuals and the Live Video Session
• Printable Installer Handoff Test Checklist

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