Ella's Bubbles does not factory-install grab bars supplied by a customer, dealer, or third party. Your Ella walk-in tub ships with the chrome deck-mount grab bar that was matched to your model, and the factory will not mount a bar it has not tested against the acrylic shell. If you would like a different finish, such as black, the swap is something your installer can do on site using the holes already in the tub, and it has to happen before the tub is installed.

Why Ella Will Not Mount Hardware from Another Supplier

A bar from another supplier is an unknown to the factory. Ella cannot know how it will sit against the tub, and if its base or fasteners rub on the acrylic, the finish can be damaged. Ella cannot warranty a part it did not make, nor damage to the shell caused by it, so the tub leaves the factory with its standard bar only. This is different from a faucet, which can be left off your order and supplied on your own as described in using your own faucet on a no-faucet order. You can read more about the standard bar in what a deck-mount grab bar is.

How the Deck Grab Bar Is Mounted

The deck grab bar fastens through two holes in the acrylic deck, with washers seated against the shell on the far side of the mounting. Because those holes are placed at the factory to match the standard bar, they fix the spacing for anything that replaces it. A replacement has to be a perfect match to those holes.

What a Swap by Your Installer Involves

1. Choose a replacement bar whose mounting-hole spacing matches the factory holes exactly. Even a small mismatch means a fastener will not seat properly.
2. Confirm the fit before installation day. The change cannot be made after the tub is installed, so the bar needs to be in hand and verified before the tub goes in.
3. Have the installer remove the factory bar, keep its washers, and mount the new bar with a watertight seal at each fastener. If a washer is lost or worn, see how to get a matching replacement washer.

If it helps you or your installer compare hardware, ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 for a photo of how the bar is mounted on the tub. Seeing the fastener layout makes it much easier to judge whether a bar you are considering can work.

What It Means for Your Warranty

Ella's published warranty excludes modifications and repairs made by anyone other than Ella's Bubbles. Replacing the factory grab bar with third-party hardware is a modification of that kind. The new bar carries only its own maker's warranty, and damage to the acrylic or a leak at those mounting points that results from the swap is not something Ella can cover. Coverage questions about a specific change are always confirmed by the support team, so open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support before the swap if you want the position in writing.

Keeping the Factory Bar

The chrome bar is the simplest path: it fits the factory holes and it is covered like every other factory part. If the bar that arrived seems wrong for your tub or was not in the box, that is a different situation and is covered in what to do if your grab bar is the wrong size or missing. Interior grab bars follow their own spacing rules, explained in matching the hole spacing on replacement interior grab bars.

Related Guides

• Grab Bars: What Is Included, Installing the Deck-Mount Bar, and Add-On Wall Bars

Common Questions

Still Need Help?

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and have your model and serial number ready.