Which side are the door, drains and bi-fold screen on an Ella tub?

Every Ella walk-in tub except the Front Entry is built in a left-hand and a right-hand version, and on all of them the door and the drains sit at opposite ends: a right-side door means left-side drains and a left-side door means right-side drains, with the side named as you face the tub ready to step in. The LayDown bi-fold screen is stocked as a left-hand or a right-hand screen to match the drain side of the tub, while every seated model takes the four-fold screen instead, as Which glass shower screen fits a seated versus a lay-down walk-in tub? explains. Panel height and width are not published for either screen, so the figures for your model come from your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850.

Door Side and Drain Side on Every Ella Model

The handing question comes up on every order, because a walk-in tub is built as a mirror image depending on the hand you choose. The rule is the same on every model that comes in two hands:

• The side is named as you face the tub, ready to enter. On a right-hand tub the door is on your right as you stand in front of it.
• The door and the seat sit at one end of the tub. The drains, the water supply and the faucet sit at the opposite end.
• So a right-side door always means left-side drains, and a left-side door always means right-side drains. No Ella model puts the door and the drains at the same end.
• The Front Entry is the one model that is not offered in left-hand and right-hand versions.

Your existing house drain does not have to decide the hand. There is roughly 3 inches of clearance beneath the frame, enough for a 2 inch PVC line to run under the tub, so you can choose the door side that suits the room and have your plumber route the line to the drain end. If an older plumbing video in your paperwork places the drains on the same side as the door, that statement is superseded. The drains are opposite the door on every hand of every model.

The Three Screens, Which Tubs They Fit and What Is Published

What the table means for you: if your tub has no seat, you need the bi-fold screen in the correct hand, and the drain side on your order decides which hand to ask for. If your tub has a seat, the four-fold is the screen, and the only open question is coverage. On a 52 inch seated tub it runs the length of the tub. On a 60 by 30 inch seated tub, hydro or otherwise, it stops short of the far end and covers about three quarters of the length, which is the normal pairing rather than a wrong part. Because no panel height or width is published for any of the three, plan the wall around the folded depth and ask for the panel figures before you tile.

Ordering the Right Hand of Bi-Fold Screen

The bi-fold is the only screen that fits the LayDown 30x60 and LayDown 32x72, and it is the only Ella screen stocked in two hands. It mounts at the wall end on the drain side of the tub, so a left-drain LayDown takes the left-hand screen and a right-drain LayDown takes the right-hand screen. When you order, give the model, the drain side and the hand of screen together so the team can confirm the match on the same order. Folded against the wall, the stack stands about 4 to 6 inches out, which is the figure to allow for when you plan the wall.

The screen is a stocked accessory held in limited quantities, so it goes on backorder from time to time. You are told at order time whether it is on hand. If it is not, the tub, the faucet and any in-stock accessories are confirmed and shipped, and the screen is listed as a pre-order that ships separately when the next shipment arrives, with pre-orders filled first. Ella does not publish restock dates, and When Will an Out-of-Stock Tub, Size or Part Be Back in Stock? explains how a backordered screen follows the rest of the order.

The Four-Fold on Seated Tubs, Including the 60 by 30 Models

Every seated Ella walk-in tub takes the four-fold screen. It was designed around a 52 inch tub, mounts to the bathroom wall at one end of the tub and folds outward away from the tub. Its panels are 1/8 inch tempered clear glass in an ionized aluminum chrome frame with PVC geared hinges. The glass is standard clear rather than low-iron, so a faint green cast can show along an exposed edge against white acrylic, and Is Ella Shower Door Glass Tempered, and Is It Low-Iron or Standard Clear? lists the glass on every door and screen.

The installation video on this page shows how the wall channel is measured and set level, how the gasket is fed into the bottom channel and trimmed with end caps, and how the chrome knobs go on before the screen is lifted onto the channel to set its height and level. The second video shows how the four-panel screen becomes a three-panel screen by removing one inside panel, and it notes that the three-panel screen can be used on its own or combined with a four-panel screen on a larger two-seat tub. Wherever the screen ends up, its bottom edge must follow the inside lip of the deck, especially where it passes over the door, or spray is funneled into the gap on the hinge side. Where Should the 4-Fold Shower Screen Sit on the Tub Deck? shows what to check and photograph.

Buying from Canada or an Address Outside the Usual Delivery Area

Canadian purchases are handled by Ella's Canadian partner, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can point you to the right place for your province. For any shipment that crosses a border, customs, tariffs, taxes, storage and other post-shipping charges are the buyer's responsibility, so ask about them before the tub leaves the factory. If your address is in Hawaii, Alaska, a US territory or a hard-to-reach rural area, confirm delivery with your Ella dealer or the team before you order, so the hand of tub, the hand of screen and the route to your door are all settled on one order.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Three Fold Shower Screen Assembly with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Left-Hand or Right-Hand? Choosing Door, Drain, and Faucet Side
• Will it fit my alcove? Extension panels, end panels, and 60 inch spaces
• Extension panels and filler kits: fitting your walk-in tub into a 60 inch alcove

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