Which distributor sells Ella walk-in tubs for manufactured homes and remodels?

There is no separate distributor for manufactured housing. Ella's Bubbles is the Chicago-based manufacturer of acrylic walk-in bathtubs and also a national distributor of bathroom fixtures and showers, and its tubs reach manufactured homes and remodel projects across the country through a nationwide network of authorized resellers, so the place to start is your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850. The same Ella tub that goes into a site-built house goes into a manufactured home; what changes is the planning around doorways, floor and utilities, which Which Walk-In Bathtubs Fit Single-Wide and Double-Wide Manufactured Homes? covers model by model.

Who Makes the Tub and Who Supplies It

Every Ella walk-in tub is assembled, jetted and tested to order in Chicago and ships fully assembled. It cannot be taken apart to fit, which is why the route into the bathroom, not the home type, decides which model you can use. The tubs are supplied through Ella's nationwide network of authorized resellers, and the same network supports individual remodel jobs, whether the project is a manufactured home, a modular home or a site-built house. Ella mainly makes walk-in tubs rather than standard drop-in tubs, so there is no drop-in replacement tub to recommend for a manufactured home; an Ella remodel is a walk-in conversion.

Ella does not install. A local licensed plumber and electrician, or a general contractor who knows manufactured housing, does the work, and Ella's technical support is there for them with manuals and live video help. For a manufactured home that contractor should also check the floor, the plumbing and the power before you order, because local mobile-home guidelines may apply.

The Compact Models the Team Recommends

For single-wide manufactured homes the team recommends two models, the Mobile 26x45 and the Front Entry 32x40, because both fit a short space and pass the narrow doorways common in manufactured housing. The Flow 28x48 is the third compact choice, and a home with wider doorways and hallways opens up the Elite, Petite, Capri and Monaco as well. The table uses only published actual and shipping sizes; never plan from the rounded model name.

What the table means: compare the actual width with your tightest doorway and the actual length with the opening measured wall to wall. You need a door opening larger than 26 inches to fit the narrowest tub in the line, and every other model needs more. Manufactured, prefab and modular homes usually have doors wide enough; RVs, campers and small trailers often do not. Where the crate will not clear, the tub is uncrated outside and carried in by its frame, so the actual width becomes the figure that matters at your tightest doorway, and the passage must be wider than it.

What a Quick Remodel Looks Like with a Fully Assembled Tub

Because the tub arrives in one piece, the installation needs the same four things in any home: a route into the bathroom, a level and adequately supported floor, a working drain and water supply, and dedicated GFCI-protected power. In many remodels the tub goes into the same three-wall alcove the old tub or shower stall occupied. A conventional alcove is built around a 60 inch tub, while a shower stall is often shorter, which is why the 52 inch models are a common starting point and why the Front Entry and the Mobile exist for openings shorter still. If the tub you choose is shorter than the opening, an extension panel closes the gap to the end wall so the finished installation looks built in, except on the Mobile, which has no extension panel. Can a walk-in tub be installed where my walk-in shower is now? follows that swap step by step.

Walk the whole path before you order and write down each figure: the exterior door the tub will come through, every interior doorway including the bathroom door, the hallway width, and each corner and turn, since a tub that clears a doorway still has to swing around the bend after it. Can You Put a Walk-In Tub in a Mobile or Manufactured Home? follows the route from the front door to the first bath.

Door Style and Clearance in a Compact Bathroom

The video on this page shows Ella's three door styles and the room each one needs. The outward-swing U-shape door is made of industrial strength PVC with a decorative glass panel and a chrome locking handle and requires 21 inches of clearance in front of the tub. The inward-swing door is brushed stainless steel with a tempered frosted glass panel and is removable for cleaning. The L-shaped outward-swing door has an extra wide opening for wheelchair users, fits over a standard size toilet and requires 36.5 inches of clearance. In a compact manufactured-home bathroom this matters: the Mobile has an outward-swing U-shape door and the Capri is an outward-swing model, so measure the floor space in front of the tub as well as the opening. The outward-swing doors use a mechanical gear and shaft locking system to prevent leaks.

Floor, Plumbing and Power

A walk-in tub places three loads on the floor at once: the tub, the water and the bather. Ella's owner's manuals require a level subfloor that can support the total weight of all three and that meets local code. Water weighs about 8.34 pounds per gallon, so the water is usually the largest share. The Front Entry, for example, weighs 200 pounds empty and holds 70 gallons unoccupied. Inspectors start from the International Residential Code minimum of 40 pounds per square foot for living areas, but a tub is a concentrated load on a small footprint, so joist size, span, spacing and condition all matter, and manufactured-home floors vary widely. Have your contractor or an engineer check the structure, confirm the existing plumbing can supply enough hot water and handle the drainage, and plan the dedicated GFCI-protected circuit. Are walk-in tubs a good option for mobile homes? lists these checks in detail, and Installing in Mobile Homes, Condos, Upper Floors, and on Concrete Slabs covers the other settings that add planning steps. If your clearance is tight, send your measurements to the team at ellasbubbles.com/support before ordering.

Watch: Walk-in Tubs With Stylish, High Quality Doors for Easy Access | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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