Choosing a left-hand or right-hand walk-in tub comes down to one question: which end of the tub should hold the door and seat, and which end should hold the drains and faucet? Every Ella walk-in tub except the Front Entry is built in left-hand and right-hand versions, even though product photos show one side. The side is named as you face the tub, ready to enter: the door and seat are on one side, and the drains, water supply and faucet are at the opposite end. A right-side door means left-side drains; a left-side door means right-side drains.

How to Decide

1. Stand where you will approach the tub and note which end has the existing house drain.
2. Decide which side the seat and door should be on for grab-bar reach; someone with use of only one arm may prefer the seat position that keeps the grab bars on that side.
3. Remember the faucet always sits at the drain end, opposite the seat.
4. Check the swing of an outward door against your toilet and vanity. Our guide to bathroom layout planning walks through toilet clearance and corner placement.

Your House Drain Need Not Dictate the Side

Plumbing can run under the tub. There is roughly 3 inches of clearance beneath the frame, enough for a 2 inch PVC line, so a tub with drains on the right can connect to a house drain on the left. The dual T-type drains have four 2 inch ports; connect the ones you need and cap the rest, and a 2 inch house drain gets the most from the dual drain. Confirm the plan with your licensed installer before ordering, and see plumbing and drain configurations for connection layouts.

This video shows why the side choice is flexible: the two oversized 2 inch drains feed dual 4-port T-type drain bodies, and the installer can connect all four ports to the house drain or connect on the left or right side only and seal the unused ports with the included caps. The drain handles double as air vents, and because the system is gravity driven there is no pump to fail. Read more in Dual Drain Technology explained.

Faucet Position

Faucet and control holes are pre-drilled for the faucet you select and cannot be moved; drilling new holes voids the warranty on the altered shell. A tub with no faucet holes can be built for customers supplying their own fixtures; ask for that at order time. The article on what can and cannot be customized covers other fixed features.

LayDown Tubs

LayDown tubs are ordered by drain side; the 32x72 is listed in left and right versions (SKUs end in L or R). The glass door position is set at the factory and cannot be reversed after delivery, so confirm the orientation with the team before ordering. Details for both sizes are in the LayDown tub guide.

Choosing a Tub on Video

The video covers measuring yourself and your doorways, choosing the door side against the house drain connection, capping unused ports, the 2 inch house drain recommendation, and water heater and supply-line planning. Two of its lines are superseded by current documents: the door and drains are on opposite sides, and the Elite's width is 30 inches per the current spec sheet.

Common Questions

For anything model-specific, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850.