Will the Ella four-fold shower screen fit another brand's walk-in tub?

Our 4-fold shower screen is designed and tested on Ella tubs and Ella deck faucets, so we cannot guarantee that it will fit a walk-in tub built by another company, and the maker of that tub is the right place to ask about a screen matched to it. The same answer applies to drain flanges, drain plugs and every other Ella replacement part, as My Tub Is a Different Brand. Will Ella's Bubbles Parts Fit? explains. If you still want to compare the screen with your tub, this page gives its measurements, what a 44 inch screen leaves uncovered on a longer deck, and why the seal along the bottom is the part we cannot vouch for on a deck we did not build.

The Screen's Measurements and How It Is Built

The 4-fold shower screen measures 44 inches long by 42 inches high. Its four panels are 1/8 inch tempered clear glass in a chrome ionized aluminum frame, joined by PVC geared hinges, with a knob on both sides and a 90 degree pivot at the wall channel. The screen is reversible for a left or right installation, folds accordion style flat against the wall when not in use, and pivots open for entry. Two points matter most when you hold it up against another maker's tub. First, the screen mounts to the side wall beside the tub, not to the tub itself, so it needs a wall on whichever side you choose. Second, by removing one of the four sections it converts to a 32 inch wide 3-fold screen. The first video on this page shows that conversion step by step: the third panel from the wall side is lifted, the inside and outside screws come out, the plastic retainer inserts are pushed out to release the hinge, the panel is lifted away, the outer panel is reconnected to the middle panel with the spacer in place, and the screw caps snap back on. The screen is described in full in What Is the 4-Fold Shower Screen on a Walk-In Tub?.

What It Leaves Uncovered on Another Tub

The length is the first thing most owners of another brand's tub run into. On a tub whose top measures about 59 to 60 inches, the 44 inch screen leaves roughly 15 inches uncovered at one end. Removing a section only makes the screen shorter, at 32 inches, so it does not help close that gap. Current screens are built as a rigid four panel unit, so a fifth panel cannot be added, and single panels are not sold to close the opening. If you want the whole length of a tub closed, our team can look at whether a fixed glass panel can sit beside the folding screen, which depends on the tub and the bathroom. On Ella's own tubs there are two arrangements worth knowing about for comparison. In a 60 inch alcove where a 52 inch Ella tub uses an extension panel, one section is removed to make the 32 inch 3-fold screen, mounted on the wall side away from the extension panel. On the two-seat Big4Two, the second video shows the four-fold glass screen combined with a three-fold glass screen as a bright alternative to a shower curtain, along with dual rain shower heads and dual hand showers. Those pairings are Ella accessories on Ella tubs, and they do not change the answer for a tub we did not build.

Why the Seal Is the Sticking Point

The part we cannot vouch for on another maker's deck is the seal. A full-length rubber gasket runs along the bottom of the screen, angled inward toward the tub, and it has to brush the tub deck lightly and evenly. The height and level of the wall channel decide whether the screen stays dry: set too low, the gasket gets damaged; set too high, water escapes underneath. On an Ella deck the screen was designed and tested against that surface. On a deck with a different profile, rim width or slope, no one can confirm the gasket will seat, so fitting the screen there would be at your own risk. The shower column kit is in the same position, since it too is designed and tested on Ella tubs and Ella deck faucets. The other Ella screens and accessories, including the bi-fold screen for the LayDown tubs, the slide bar and the 10-inch rain shower, are listed in Showers, Shower Screens, and Accessories for Your Ella Walk-in Tub.

Drain Flanges, Plugs and Other Parts for Another Brand

No, Ella drain flanges and plugs do not fit a walk-in tub from another brand. Our replacement parts, drain hardware included, are made for Ella walk-in tubs, matched to a specific Ella model and production year, and we supply parts only for our own tubs. Seals, hoses, jets, pumps and fittings differ between makers, which is why Technical Support confirms the brand and where the tub was purchased before sending anything, and why no part ships that could not fit. Even within the Ella line, diverter valves fit two different deck-hole sizes and older thermostatic valves used different supply connections, so across brands the gap is wider still. For another company's tub, its original manufacturer or a local plumbing supplier is the right source, and a local plumber can do the labor once the correct part is in hand. Ella does not send technicians to any tub, including its own; on an Ella tub, parts ship under the warranty and a local licensed plumber or electrician does the work. The full policy is in Does Ella's Bubbles service or sell parts for other brands' walk-in tubs?.

How to Find Out Whose Tub You Have

Walk-in tubs from different makers look alike from across the bathroom, and tubs bought used or inherited often arrive without paperwork. One photo settles it. Pull the magnetic access panel next to the door away from the frame, photograph the serial label behind it, and put the panel back. An Ella serial usually begins with M. Then take one photo of the outside of the tub showing the door and faucet. An inward brushed stainless door with frosted glass, an outward white U-shape door with three latches, an L-shape outward door with the handle on the front, an inward acrylic S-shape door, or a glass door on a low LayDown tub each point to an Ella family; if the door matches none of these and there is no M serial label, the tub is most likely not an Ella. One more trap: a retailer shower kit can carry an Ella QR sticker while the product is another maker's, in which case the retailer's documentation applies. Send the two photos through a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850, and the team will identify the brand either way. The door-by-door guide is Is My Tub an Ella? Identifying the Brand and Model From Labels, Doors and Faucets Before Ordering Parts.

Watch: Big4Two: 2 Person Walk-In Tub Accessories For Couples | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Four-Fold Glass Shower Screen: Damaged Hardware, the Return Window and Why Panels Cannot Be Added
• Folding Glass Shower Screen: Which Side It Mounts On, How Much Room It Takes Folded, and Confirming Stock
• Replacing or Reattaching the End Cap and Horizontal Seal on a Folding Shower Screen

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