Can two people carry an Ella walk-in tub up a flight of stairs?

Two people can carry most standard-size Ella walk-in tubs, which weigh 200 to 240 pounds net, once the tub is out of its crate and the access panels are removed, but a flight of stairs calls for extra hands beyond that pair. The tub ships fully assembled and cannot be taken apart, so the stair route has to clear the tub's actual size, or the crate size if you carry it crated. Every model's figures are in How much does a walk-in tub weigh? Net, shipping, and filled weight guide.

What You Are Actually Lifting

Two weights matter on delivery day. Net weight is the tub alone. Shipping weight adds the crate, the skid and the packing, and the packaging adds several inches and a good deal of weight to the tub itself. Across the line, net weights run from 160 to 328 pounds and shipped weights from 220 to 531 pounds. The pound values printed on the spec sheets are the authoritative figures; the kilogram conversions on some sheets are misprints and should not be used.

What the differences mean: a single-seat tub such as the Standard is a two-person carry once uncrated, while its crated weight of 310 pounds is a different job that needs more people or equipment. The two-seat models at the bottom of the table are outside the 200 to 240 pound range that two people move safely, so plan on a larger crew whether or not stairs are involved. The ship size column is the number to hold against the staircase if the crate goes up intact. Note that shipping size and shipping weight describe the crated tub, not the finished tub, so a crate that will not clear a landing does not mean the bare tub will not.

Uncrate First, Then Strip the Panels

Tubs cannot be disassembled to fit through a doorway or up a stairwell. What your installer can do is remove the front apron, the access panels and the end panels once the tub is uncrated, then measure and carry the bare frame. That is why the crate is only the first clearance question and the tub's actual size is the second. A few rules come straight from the delivery guidance:

• Lift only by the frame once uncrated, never by the plumbing or the panels, because the air jets under the tub can break off.
• On the Standard and Zen, the crate cover itself takes two people to remove, so do not send one person to open the container.
• Keep the crate, the skid and every piece of packaging until the tub is installed and tested. Returns are accepted only in original packaging.
• Inside the container the tub is wrapped in plastic and bubble wrap, and small parts such as drains, handles and hardware are boxed inside the tub or under the frame. Take those boxes out before the carry so nothing shifts or falls on the stairs.

The shipping crate is built to take the scuffs of shipping so the tub inside does not, which is another reason to open it at ground level, inspect the tub, and only then decide whether the crate or the bare tub goes up the stairs.

Measure the Stair Route Before the Truck Arrives

1. Walk the route from the curb to the bathroom with a tape measure, including the stairs.
2. Note the narrowest doorway, the tightest turn, any stair landing and the ceiling height on the stairs.
3. Compare each figure against the shipping size for your model if the crate is going up, and against the tub's actual size for the bare frame.
4. Count the helpers. A crated tub of several hundred pounds needs more than one person, and stairs call for extra hands beyond the two who can move a standard-size tub on a flat floor.
5. If you have a tight spot and want the team to confirm clearance, have the model name, the shipping size from the spec sheet and your own measurements of the doorway, hallway and stair turn ready when you open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850.

A Second-Floor Bathroom Has to Hold More Than the Tub

Getting the tub up the stairs is only half of a second-floor installation. The bathroom floor must support the tub plus the water plus the bather, and that filled weight is far higher than the net weight you carried. The weight guide linked above collects the net, shipping and filled weights for every model so you can hand the figures to your contractor. If your model is one whose weights are not printed on its current spec sheet, such as the LayDown72, ask the team for that figure rather than estimating it.

Inspect before you carry. Freight damage must be reported within 48 hours of receipt, so look at every side of the crate and the skid before the driver leaves, photograph anything beyond light scuffing, and note it on the shipper's delivery document before you sign. Then open the container and check the tub for concealed damage, visually and operationally, before it goes anywhere near the stairs. Save all packaging material and file any claim promptly through ellasbubbles.com/support.

Why a Shower Kit Is an Easier Carry Than a Tub

If you are weighing a tub against a shower for an upstairs bathroom, the difference on the stairs is real. The 3-piece Ella shower kit with its door weighs 276 pounds in total, but it arrives as separate pieces, and the base on its own weighs approximately 80 pounds. Each component is handled on its own, so no single lift approaches the full kit weight, which is what makes a 3-piece shower practical to carry up stairs and through interior doorways. A walk-in tub is one molded, assembled unit, so the whole net weight goes up the stairs in a single carry. The piece figures are in How Much Does the Ella Shower Kit or the Shower Base Alone Weigh?.

Related Guides

• Walk-In Tub Weight and Floor Loading Explained: Tub, Water and Bather Together
• Will it fit through my doorway? How to measure your home for a walk-in tub
• Installing in Mobile Homes, Condos, Upper Floors, and on Concrete Slabs

Related Videos

Common Questions