Can you add a shower to a walk-in tub?

Yes. Ella's Shower Column Kit adds a rain head and a hand shower to an Ella walk-in tub fitted with an Ella 2-piece or 5-piece fast fill faucet, and its diverter selects the rain head or the hand shower one at a time. Pair it with the 4-fold glass screen so a seated or standing shower stays in the tub. Why Does Water Spray Out of the Tub When I Use the Hand Shower? covers the screen and the spray control.

How the Shower Column Kit Installs

The video shows the kit going onto the tub deck. The existing hand shower is removed, the shower column base attachment is installed into the vacant receptacle, the water supply line is replaced, and the new one-half inch supply line is attached to the diverter on the 2-piece or 5-piece fast fill faucet set. A local licensed plumber does the work.

• In an alcove, a shower column installed on a tub with an extension panel uses the long 4 to 5 inch pipe connector to reach the wall. Mention the alcove and the panel when you ask about the kit.
• Keep the hand shower below deck height and aimed toward the tub wall. Lifting it to a wall bracket without the leak elimination kit sends water behind the tub.
• Fill until the water is above every jet before switching on any therapy. Jets above the waterline spray out of the tub, and a pump run without water above the jets is damaged.

Keeping the Water in the Tub

A walk-in tub is open on top, so a shower aimed toward the room sends spray onto the floor. Ella's published splash guards are the 4-fold glass screen for seated tubs and the LayDown screen for the LayDown tubs. Both keep water in only when the bottom gasket brushes the tub deck lightly and evenly. Too high leaks, too low damages the gasket.

• The 4-fold needs a side wall next to the deck, so the tub must sit in a corner or alcove. Mount it on the wall side, away from any extension panel.
• A 52 inch tub with an extension panel in a 60 inch alcove uses the 32 inch 3-fold configuration, made by removing one section.
• Confirm the wall channel is level, angle the rubber gasket inward toward the tub, and finish with a thin bead of silicone between channel and wall.

Finishing the Walls Around the Tub

In an alcove installation the walls above the deck are finished with tile or a surround over an aftermarket tile flange so water runs back into the tub. Ella also offers acrylic shower walls that can be used around a walk-in tub. Panels arrive with both outside vertical edges cut clean, and an exposed edge can be dressed two ways: the white CNC walls can be made with a 2-inch bend if you request it when you order, or your contractor fits a white J-molding sourced locally and seals every exposed edge with silicone. How Shower Wall Edges Are Finished has the details.

If You Would Rather Have a Walk-In Shower

Ella's Bubbles also offers walk-in showers, acrylic shower walls and shower bases for anyone who prefers a shower-based bathing option. The online shower builder tool lets you put together a custom shower design, after which a contractor visits to measure your space and finalize the installation details. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can point you to the right option.

Watch: Easy Shower Column Installation for Your Walk-In Tub | Ellau2019s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Installing the Shower Column Kit on Your Walk-in Tub
• Ella Fast-Fill Faucets: 2-Piece vs 5-Piece, Finishes, and the Waterfall Option
• Folding Glass Shower Screen: Which Side It Mounts On, How Much Room It Takes Folded, and Confirming Stock

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