What is the plastic door latch striker called, and can I order one?

The plastic piece your door handle locks into is called the latch receiver: a hard plastic block with a silicone cover over it, and together those two pieces make up the door latch assembly. It is a different part from the striker plate, the plate on the tub frame that the tapered locking pins of a gear-and-shaft door press into, which What Is a Striker Plate on a Walk-In Tub Door? describes. Yes, you can order either part without buying a new door: the latch ships as a complete assembly with its hardware, matched to your model, door side and handle style, and a striker plate with a failing weld is replaced as a warranty part once the team has reviewed your photos.

Two Different Parts That Owners Call the Striker

Owners describe both parts the same way, as the thing the door locks into, so the first job is to sort out which one you are looking at. On the doors that lock with a handle closing onto a block, that block is the latch receiver. It is hard plastic, the silicone cover over it is a separate piece, and the two together with their hardware are what the team calls the door latch assembly. On the gear-and-shaft doors, turning the handle drives tapered pins out of the edge of the door, and the plate on the frame that those pins enter is the striker plate, also called the strike plate or keeper.

What the table means in practice: if your handle turns and pins come out of the door edge, your part is the striker plate, and most problems are solved by leveling and tightening rather than by a new part. If your handle simply closes onto a plastic block with a soft cover, your part is the latch receiver, and a cracked block is a straightforward parts request.

How to Tell Which Door You Have

Door latch or handle trouble: correct handle installation, alignment, and replacements lists every Ella door. The U-shape outward-swing door on the Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile, Lounger, Shak and Big4One uses the 3-latch gear and shaft lock. The L-shape outward-swing door on the Transfer tubs uses the 2-latch version, with the handle on the front of the door turning clockwise to close. The HomeCare 32x60 has a two-latch aluminum door. The inward-swing stainless steel and glass doors use a chrome locking handle and are also held shut by water pressure during the bath.

A quick test settles it. Open the door, turn the handle to the locked position and look at the latch edge. If tapered pins extend from the door, you have a gear-and-shaft door and the frame part is a striker plate; on a Transfer, both pins should extend about 1 1/2 inches. If nothing extends and the handle instead closes onto a block fixed to the tub, that block is the latch receiver.

Checks Before You Order Anything

1. Check every leveling leg. A leg off the floor lets the frame flex, which stresses the striker plate and moves it relative to the pins. What Is a Gear-and-Shaft Latch (2-Latch and 3-Latch) on a Walk-In Tub? explains why alignment matters more than anything else on these doors.
2. Check the handle orientation on an outward-swing door. The handle should face away from the hinges when unlocked and toward the hinges when locked; a handle installed the wrong way causes improper closures and leaks.
3. If the striker plate moves by hand, tighten its nuts from inside the front apron, then close the door and confirm the pins enter cleanly.
4. On a Transfer, if one pin sits noticeably shorter than the other, the pins have skipped a gear inside the door and the bottom pin can be adjusted on its own. Why Don't the Pins on My L-Shape Transfer Door Line Up? walks through that adjustment.
5. Press the door seal fully into its channel all the way around so the door closes squarely.
6. If the plastic latch receiver is cracked, do not glue it. It is replaced as a complete assembly.

The 3-latch lock has no adjustment screw, as How do you adjust the 3-latch gear lock on an outward-swing door? explains, so a door that has to be forced is telling you the tub or the handle is out of alignment, not that the striker is worn out.

Ordering a Replacement Latch Assembly

When you request the latch, say that you need the complete assembly: the hard plastic receiver, the silicone cover and the hardware, so everything arrives together. The part is matched to your model, your door side and your handle style, which is why the team asks for a photo of the part your handle closes onto, your model name, your serial number and where the tub was purchased. The serial number is on the label behind the access panel next to the door. Send those through ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850, and the team identifies the exact part and arranges shipment. Door parts are covered by the Lifetime Limited Warranty on a parts-only basis for the original purchaser, and the team confirms coverage from your photos. Ella does not send technicians, so plan on a local licensed installer or plumber fitting the new assembly.

Replacing a Striker Plate

If the striker plate wobbles or shows a crack at the weld, photograph it with a tape measure in the frame and open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your model and serial number. A failing weld is replaced as a warranty part once the team has reviewed the photos; labor is not covered. The striker plate nuts are reached from inside the front apron, so any tile or trim over the apron must come off first. Never open the door until the tub has drained, and never lean on the door, because the door and seal warranty is valid only when the alignment of the tub and door has not been changed by the bather's weight. After any adjustment or replacement, close and lock the door, fill to a normal bathing level and watch the gasket line for 20 minutes.

Related Guides

• Why Did the Plastic Door Latch Crack and Why Won't the Door Seal Now?
• Door Handle Loose, Wobbly or Hard to Turn: Tightening the Bolt Under the Cap and Adjusting the Lock Nut
• Ordering a Complete Replacement Door: What It Includes, What the Team Needs, and How It Installs

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