Does drain side limit shower head placement in a 60 by 36 shower kit?

No. In an Ella 60 by 36 shower kit the drain side does not decide which wall the shower head, hand shower or slide bar mounts on. The wall arrives solid, with no valve cutout and no preset height or offset, and the kit ships without a shower head, hand shower, mixing valve or valve trim, so your plumber selects the valve and cuts the openings where you want them. What the drain side does fix is the handing of the stall itself, which is chosen when you order, and What Comes in the Box With an Ella Shower Kit, and What You Still Need to Buy lists exactly what is and is not in the carton.

What the Drain Side Does Decide

The 60 by 36 one-piece kits are sold in two mirror-image handings: a left seat with a right drain, or a right seat with a left drain. A center drain is not available. Because the seat and the drain always sit at opposite ends, choosing the drain side is really choosing which end the molded seat is on, and that is settled on the order rather than on installation day. The drain position on the stall also has to match the rough-in in your floor, so confirm that before the stall is set.

That is the full extent of what the handing controls. It places the seat and the drain opening. It does not place the valve, the shower head, the hand shower or the slide bar, because none of those positions exist on the stall when it leaves the factory.

What Arrives Solid, and Who Cuts It

Ella shower kits ship with the stall, the grab bar set listed for that kit and the drain. There is no shower head, no hand shower, no mixing valve, no valve trim and no supply plumbing in the box, and the wall has no opening for a valve or a head. The correct location depends on three things the factory cannot know: the valve you choose, the rough-in behind the wall, and the needs of the person using the shower. So the plumber marks and cuts the openings during installation, on whichever wall suits the valve and the bather. If the supply lines come up on the wall opposite the drain, the valve and head go there. If the bather wants the controls reachable from the seat, the plumber plans the cut with that in mind.

Before installation day, buy the shower valve with its trim and have it on site before the stall is set, buy the shower head, and buy the hand shower and slide bar if you want one. Which Handheld Shower Head Is Best for an Ella Walk-In Tub? explains the hand shower that comes with Ella walk-in tub faucet sets, which is a different situation from a shower stall, where you choose the hand shower yourself.

Where the Slide Bar and Grab Bars Can Go

The Ella 24 inch hand shower slide bar kit is published as installable in any location on the side or end wall, then adjusted and secured at the height and angle you want. It comes with a 5 foot hand shower hose and a coupling kit that seals the hand shower connection, and because it attaches to the wall and uses the hand shower you already have, it can go in on installation day or long afterward. The bar has a short slider that locks at the height you choose and a cradle that rotates to angle the hand shower, which lets one bar serve standing height for a rinse and seated height for hands-free use.

The slide bar is a hand shower holder, not a support bar. Grab bars are the bars meant to be held, and the shower walls are reinforced to withstand added accessories such as grab bars, seats and shower doors. The grab bars that ship with the kit are packed loose, and mounting them into the wall's reinforced backing zones with grab bar screws is part of the installation, so confirm the grab bar count against your order when you unpack. Should I choose a shower slide bar or a grab bar? explains why most people plan both and how to place them together.

The installation video shows the wall mounted sliding shower column going up: the installer picks the spot, levels it, drills and anchors the lower bracket, slides the holder and upper bracket onto the column, attaches the coupler and extension line so the hand shower seals at the receptacle, and the video closes by noting that the column can be placed anywhere that is most convenient for you. That is the same freedom you have with the slide bar on a 60 by 36 stall.

Planning the Openings with Your Plumber

Because nothing is pre-cut, a short planning session before the stall goes in avoids a cut in the wrong place. Work through this list with your plumber:

1. Confirm the handing on your order, left seat with right drain or right seat with left drain, and check that the drain opening lines up with the floor rough-in.
2. Choose the shower valve and trim, and decide which wall the supply lines will reach most directly.
3. Decide whether the bather will mostly sit or stand, and where the controls need to be reachable from the seat.
4. Pick the shower head position, and the slide bar location on the side or end wall if you are adding a hand shower.
5. Mark the grab bar positions in the reinforced backing zones at the same time, so every opening and anchor is planned on one drawing.

If you want a hand shower on a slide bar, choose that hardware with your plumber when you select the valve so the openings can be planned together rather than cut twice. Once the hand shower is in use, Why Does My Hand Shower Head Spray Out the Side and Can I Replace Just the Head? covers the washer and check valve at the hose joint, which is the most common reason for a sideways spray.

Reading the Drawing for Your Handing

Since the two handings mirror each other, the installation drawing for a left-seat kit reads the opposite way for a right-seat kit. Tell the team which exact 60 by 36 kit is on your order and which handing you have, and they can point your plumber to the right reading of the drawing before any fixture is set. Have the model number and serial number handy when you reach out at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850. The wider range of Ella shower options, including slide bars, rain showers and glass screens, is summarized in Showers, Shower Screens, and Accessories for Your Ella Walk-in Tub.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Installing the Wall Mounted Sliding Shower Column with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Choosing a Shower Valve and Cutting the Valve and Shower-Head Openings
• What Comes With Your Walk-In Tub Order: Faucet, End Panel, Grab Bars, Drains and What Your Plumber Supplies
• Mounting Grab Bars on Ella Shower Walls: Reinforced Backing, Finding the Zones, and Which Screws to Use

Common Questions