Can optional upgrades be added to a clearance walk-in tub?

Built-in upgrades can only be added to a standard new order. A clearance walk-in tub is one specific unit that has already been built and is sold exactly as it was configured, so the therapy systems and jets, the heated seat and backrest, the door hand and the drain side are fixed and are never modified afterward. Accessories that simply ship with the tub are the exception: a faucet, grab bars, an extension panel or a glass shower screen can be added to a clearance order once the team has confirmed by serial number what that unit already includes. Why the built-in options cannot change is explained in Can a Clearance Walk-In Tub Be Changed to a Different Door Side or Therapy?, and this page sorts every upgrade into the group it belongs to.

Why a Clearance Unit Is Fixed and a New Order Is Not

On a new order you choose the options and the tub is built to them. On a clearance unit the options were already built in, because every listing is one physical tub rather than a made-to-order build. Each unit passes the same Chicago inspection as a regular order, which is how the team documents exactly what is different about it, and the listing then describes that tub and only that tub. Two tubs that share a model name can be quite different. Several Monaco units on the same page can each carry a different therapy package or door hand, and one 30 by 52 inch Standard on the clearance page had hydro massage only, with 18 hydro jets, an inline heater, an intensity control dial, the five-piece faucet and a single 2 inch drain, while an earlier unit the same caller looked at had both hydro and air massage. The letters SN in front of a number simply mean serial number and do not code a feature.

The limit is not special to clearance stock. Jets and pumps are built into the shell, the radiant heater pads of a heated seat are sealed into the seat and backrest, and the door swing and hand are factory build choices set in the shell, the door frame and the latch mechanism, so an installer cannot reverse a door in the field and a new door or panel does not change it. That is why a jetted tub cannot become a soaker, jets cannot be added to a unit built without them, a heated seat cannot be added after the fact, and the drain side cannot move.

Built-In Upgrades Versus Accessories, Side by Side

What the table means for you: if the upgrade is part of the tub's construction, the clearance listing is the final word on it, and if it is a separate item that goes in the box, it can usually be added to your order. Read the listing with that split in mind. A unit that lacks the therapy you want is not a near miss the team can finish for you, but a unit that lacks a glass screen or an extension panel can still be completed with those pieces.

The Accessories You Can Still Add

Start by asking the team to read back exactly what your serial includes: the model and family, exterior length and width, door swing and which hand it is, seat width, the therapy systems fitted, the faucet, grab bars, drain configuration and the warranty terms that apply to that unit. Ask for the spec sheet, the written list of what is included and the listing video for that serial, so you and your installer are looking at the same tub you are ordering. Listing photos sometimes show a tub with an accessory that is not part of that unit, such as a glass shower screen, and the team confirms what ships with the serial and can add the accessory to your order if you want it. Ask specifically about the faucet, the grab bars and the extension panel, since those are the items most often assumed to be included. Ella faucet packages include a pull-out hand shower on the 2-piece and 5-piece faucets, most seated tubs carry one or two deck-mount grab bars with more available for the walls, and a single-drain unit drains more slowly than a dual-drain unit, so ask which drain configuration the serial carries. The full checklist is in Confirming What a Clearance Tub Includes by Serial Number: Model, Size, Door Side, Therapies and Faucet, and the accessories that add safety to any tub, from grab bars to a hand shower on a slide bar, are described in What accessibility upgrades can a bathroom remodel add?.

The Heated Seat, the Upgrade People Ask About Most

The heated seat and backrest is an optional 4A radiant surface heating system sealed into the seat and backrest and driven by a heat box under the tub, with its own small keypad and an automatic shutoff after 20 minutes. It is optional on most seated Ella models and is not offered on the LayDown tubs, it can be added to any standard order, and on your paperwork it appears as HSB. On the Standard and Zen platform the manual page for it is stamped Optional, not included, which is a reminder that the presence of the feature in a manual does not mean the unit has it. On a clearance unit the answer is simply whatever the serial's written list says. If the heated seat is on the list, it is there. If it is not, it cannot be added, because clearance units are configured as listed and never modified. The feature, its keypad and its power needs are described in What Is a Heated Seat and Backrest on a Walk-In Tub?.

When a Standard Order Is the Better Path

If you want a specific therapy package, a heated seat or a particular door hand that is not on the clearance page, a standard order built to your choices is the way to get it. Every Ella model except the Front Entry is built in a left-hand and a right-hand version, and the hand shows at the end of the SKU, for example HC3260L for a left-hand HomeCare and HC3260R for the right-hand version, with left and right tubs sharing the same measurements mirrored. Clearance stock is fixed, so if the only unit in your size is the wrong hand or lacks the therapy you need, the team can point you to the closest alternative serial or to a new order. Weigh the warranty as well. Warranty terms on clearance units are listed per tub and can differ from the standard Lifetime Limited Warranty: some listings show a limited parts warranty of a stated number of years, and some warehouse-sale items carry no warranty. The listed terms are final. Have the model and serial number of any clearance unit you are considering ready when you contact your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, and they can tell you exactly what it includes and what can still go in the box with it.

Related Guides

• Clearance and Warehouse Tubs: What Is Different, What Is Final, and What Warranty Applies
• Does This Tub Include the Heated Seat and Backrest? Confirming the Configuration Before You Order
• Can Hydro or Air Jets Be Added to an Ella Soaking Tub Later?

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