Does Ella's Bubbles install walk-in tubs, and how do I find an installer?

No. Ella's Bubbles manufactures walk-in tubs and does not perform installations or send technicians, so your tub is installed by a licensed local contractor that you hire, typically a plumber and an electrician. You are welcome to use anyone you trust, because certification by Ella's Bubbles is not required, and if you do not have someone in mind the team at (800) 480-6850 can check its installer network, which includes Angi Pro, for a professional near your installation address, as Getting Installer Referrals and Leads for Your Walk-In Tub describes. Whoever you choose receives free lifetime technical support from Ella by phone, email and live video, along with manuals and spec sheets.

Why the Installer Is Local Rather Than from Ella

Ella's Bubbles is a manufacturer. Walk-in tubs, acrylic shower walls and shower bases ship from the Chicago warehouse to the dealer network, so the products reach your home through your Ella dealer, and the work of fitting them into a real bathroom, with its own code, its own drain line and its own walls, is handled by a local licensed plumber or contractor. That split is deliberate. The contractor knows your local code, your existing plumbing and your walls, and Ella's technical support team knows the product, so keep your model number handy in case a question comes up mid-project. The two halves of the warranty follow the same line. The labor is warranted by the contractor who performs it, while the product itself is covered by Ella's Bubbles, which ships replacement parts under the warranty rather than sending a crew. Labor is arranged and paid for between you and the contractor, not through Ella.

The Two Trades a Walk-In Tub Needs

A walk-in tub connects to the drain, the hot and cold supply and the home's electrical panel, so plan on both a licensed plumber and an electrician. The plumber brings the water supply and the drain to the tub, sets it and makes the connections. The electrician handles the circuit, and the video on this page shows what that side involves. Ella marks all electrical components clearly and keeps them easily accessible, and the pumps, heaters and other components are certified. As your contractor connects the tub to your home power supply, dedicated GFCI protected outlets must be used, the tub cannot share a circuit with any other appliance, and the breaker box must use GFCI protected breakers. The amperage provided in the breaker box depends on the number and type of components in your tub, which is why the electrical diagrams for your model go to the installer ahead of time. Proper installation is what gives you years of reliable, trouble-free enjoyment, and both trades belong on the job.

How an Installer Referral Works

1. You ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 for help finding an installer in your area.
2. Ella's Bubbles sends the recommended installer your contact information, the tub specifications for the model being installed and the electrical diagrams for that tub, so the installer has everything before the first call.
3. The installer contacts you directly to arrange next steps.
4. The installer visits your home to take measurements of the installation space.
5. The installer provides you with an estimate for the installation work, which you settle with the installer rather than with Ella.

Contractors who would like to receive these leads can ask the team about joining the network. If you already have a plumber you like, nothing changes: Ella supports any licensed installer with the same manuals, spec sheets and live video help.

Choose Your Installer Before the Order Is Final

It is best to have your installer chosen before your order is finalized, because details like the door side and the grab bar finish benefit from the installer's input, and several of them cannot be changed after the tub is built. The measuring visit also catches things that are easy to miss, such as the width of the opening, the exterior and interior doorways the crate must pass through, where the existing drain comes up and where the dedicated circuit will run. On shower products the same logic applies even more strongly. The entry edge of a shower base, whether a standard or custom acrylic base with a threshold of about 3 inches, a zero threshold base that sits flush with the floor or a wheelchair accessible roll-in base with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam, cannot be changed once the base is set, so the installer and your Ella dealer confirm it against your bathroom before anything is ordered.

Shower Walls, Pans and Accessories Follow the Same Rule

Customers who search for someone to install acrylic shower walls quickly and professionally get the same answer. A local licensed plumber or a remodeling contractor who does bathrooms installs both the shower pan and the wall panels, in sequence rather than as two trades. The base is set first, on a floor prepared so the drain line lands where the drain sits on the pan you ordered, and acrylic bases are finished and ready to use once installed, while cultured marble bases are heavy and need at least two people to set. The wall panels glue over drywall, plaster, painted walls, cement board or even existing tile, so the room does not have to be stripped to the studs, they can be carried and installed by one person, and their factory finished edges are trimmed on site for a custom fit. The base is never cut. Who installs Ella acrylic shower walls, and how do I find them? and Who Installs an Ella Shower Pan or Shower Base? cover each half of that job, and Who installs acrylic shower walls and shower pans in my bathroom? explains how to brief one contractor for both. Accessories such as the shower column kit, the slide bar, the rain shower and the glass shower screens are fitted by the same contractor, and Showers, Shower Screens, and Accessories for Your Ella Walk-in Tub lists what is available for your model.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Proper Electrical Requirements For Installation with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• How Are Walk-In Tubs Installed in an Existing Bathroom, Step by Step?
• Labor Coverage Comes From Your Installer: What to Ask For in Writing Before the Tub Goes In

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